Newbie Poster/ Potential Author Asking for Advice

[Thalex]

Hello all, I have always been much more of the type to lurk in the shadowy background and read what others do, instead of interacting and writing my own works.

However, I have been waffling between whether or not I want to change that for several years now. Recently, I finally decided that I would like to try doing so, and at least see whether I enjoy it/am any good at it.

As such, I have a few questions as both someone who is new to using the more interactive portions of an internet forum, and someone who is new to doing creative writing.

Edit: Deleted because in the light of morning I didn't like these paragraphs that much, as the questions weren't very good/important.

Lastly, while I would like to try my hand at writing, I have an issue in that I have too many ideas for potential stories which I find interesting and would like to explore. I am particularly bad at making such choices, especially when given plenty of time to ruminate and second guess myself. I also don't want to be one of the authors who creates a bunch of different stories simultaneously, but then takes absolute ages to actually update any of them simply because I spread myself too thin; as I know that can be annoying for a reader.

While I could just make a list and roll a die or other such, I was wondering if instead there might be a good place to write a short synopsis of a few of these story ideas, and see what people would actually be most interested in reading. I personally find the second idea more appealing, simply because it is the sort of thing which I would be interested in if I saw someone else doing it. I also feel it might be a good idea because it would place a degree of expectation and urgency upon myself to actually write if other people are expecting a product at some point. That tends to help me with my natural urge to procrastinate indefinitely.

Regardless, I hope this venture of mine ends up going somewhere instead of just crumbling to dust like many of my other projects. I look forward to involving myself in the community more firmly, and I thank anyone who takes the time to not only read this, but actually offer a helping hand.

Also, sorry if my writing comes off as stiff and formal here. It is a combination of me mostly doing technical writing, me being a bit rusty, and me tending to write more purple-prose-ish when nervous or interacting with people I am unfamiliar with.

 

[mizzet]

Well, the easiest source of information on how to use the site might be from one of our sister Forums. They are not exactly the same, but largely use the same software. Sufficient Velocity has a small sub-forum dedicated to using the site. Here's the help page for BB-Codes.

I'm afraid I don't know any particular site with resources on writing, so I can't help there.


For having too many ideas, what you suggested for that is already absolutely workable. This is in good part a Quest-Site. So just making a post in the writing section with all the prompts you are interested in along with a vote on which people would like to see would be rather normal around here. (I also can absolutely understand that helping motivate you to write)

Wouldn't have much general advice on writing. I'd just say, take the plunge and get started. Took me very long to go from thinking about writing something to actually doing it. Gets easier to continue once you're actually doing it.

 

[DavidMswdlvr2]

Listen to your characters! I've seen many stories where the person has a rigid view of a character, then the character shifts. The writer forces them back into the framework, even if it looks OOC as hell. Typically, it goes steeply downhill from there. Accept that your characters will change in ways you didn't plan for or expect.

Take for example Harry Potter and JK Rowling. Book 7 shoehorned in a lot of stuff, that didn't fit with the rest of the series and forced the characters into relationships that contradicted how things seemed to be going. She actually admitted that Harry and Hermione would have been more logical, but she wanted Ron and Hermione due to her own biases. She didn't listen to her characters, and it became the one book I read the epilogue first and then walled it.

 

[killgore444]

My advise is to avoid character bashing. It's OK to have a character bash another 'in-character', just don't fall into the habit of making it true. In Harry Potter for instance, characters are talking shite about each other constantly. Yet a surprisingly large number of writers take what someone said while angry or blowing off steam as being the whole and complete truth.

My other piece of advice is not to worry over much about people not liking your choices for the story. People constantly talk shite about Ron/Hermione, yet that was a match I saw in the first book and actually prefer over Harry/Hermione. So for every person who complains about a match, or a characterization, there will likely be 5 to 10 people who like it (unless your story is just bad).

 

[Amazon Climber]

Lastly, while I would like to try my hand at writing, I have an issue in that I have too many ideas for potential stories which I find interesting and would like to explore. I am particularly bad at making such choices, especially when given plenty of time to ruminate and second guess myself. I also don't want to be one of the authors who creates a bunch of different stories simultaneously, but then takes absolute ages to actually update any of them simply because I spread myself too thin; as I know that can be annoying for a reader.

While I could just make a list and roll a die or other such, I was wondering if instead there might be a good place to write a short synopsis of a few of these story ideas, and see what people would actually be most interested in reading.

Click to shrink...

Might I recommend creating a snippet thread? It appears to be a bit of a tradition at this point, and it's a good way to write out some story ideas you're not sure you'll follow up on. Anything you end up wanting to write in full you make a thread for; anything else stays where it is.