Keep a very open mind. and if a new thought comes through... go with it. see where it will take you. your imagination is your greatest tool!!!

Just put yourself in the character's shoes. That way you can make it more believable. Write what you know.

@kid:  IF that happens just keep writing. I myself have the problem of wanting to reread from the beginning to make sure everything flows AFTER EVERY NEW SENTENCE I WRITE. Suffice to say, this causes me to take five times longer to write something then I would otherwise.


Writing is just like many other types of arts. The first time you write just do your rough draft. I know you won't be able to stop yourself from dumping some parts, and being nervous over what word to use.... but for two hours make sure you have the room to yourself where no one will distract you and KEEP WRITING. after that REWRITE the WHOLE story. you may have to do this a few times. Each time it will get better and you will have to change it less and less.

If it is a novella you are working on then do this chapter by chapter rather than story by story. You don't want to overwhelm yourself. And let's be honest here... you FORGET what feeling you were trying to get across if you leave on chapter and work on another. You want it to be kept fresh in your mind.

Strangely, walking away and looking at it when it's no longer fresh is ALSO something that is good to do. I do this with drawing. And boy (yes I realize my grammar is atrocious on a writing site. bite me, I'm lazy)... there are some REALLY big mistakes you miss when you are in "drawing" mode. Giving yourself a day or even a week away from your project will give you a fresh outlook. You can see it more in the way of a reader, of someone that doesn't have your preconceived ideas of WHY a character is a certain way. Of course, like Niche (sp) said, an artist will never really be able to see their work (*he didn't say this exactly, I sorta changed it a bunch).



So basically here is what I do for essays. I bet it works for creative fiction too.
1. write out the ideas I have all over on lined paper. quotes that I would like to add (or abbreviations of quotes) a rough sketch of what I think will happen in the future. moods i hope to use.. Also,  REALLY in depth explanations of characters or ideas I will get across, even though I know I won't use all that information. This last bit is optional, but the first part REALLY helps, try it if you haven't already.

2. VERY IMPORTANT STEP. you can choose not to do my other steps but you MUST do this step. write what you hope the reader will gain from your story. Is it pleasure (if you are writing erotic fiction), entertainment (an epic story with no social implications), instilling the need to research things (often used in books that at first appear to be for entertainment, but have "deeper" meanings if a person takes the time to close read them), or some mixture of these?

3. Start writing at least a part of the story.

4. go back and check for grammar mistakes

5. go back and check for plot mistakes. take notes.

6. rewrite.

7. rewrite

8. get someone elses opinion

9. tweak it

10. be proud!

One more tip: if you find yourself getting a good idea while writing... don't stop... just jot the idea down on scratch paper and get back to it LATER.

._. I wrote too much. I'm not going to go back and check this for grammar mistakes. I have ADHD so i tend to write sentences strangely. hopefully, you can understand this.

Just posting a comment so I can get back to this project tomorrow...

I find that the key to staying on a project is to write no matter what.  When I get stuck I simply put my mind in the place of the character I want to write about and just start typing.  I write until I draw a complet blank.  Even if I hate what i am writing I just keep going.  I will put down at least 2000 words in one sitting when I dont feel like doing it.  Usually I find a groove and end up writing all day, but if I dont like it I can fix it with a quick edit.  The trick for me is to just write, and about the quality later.  When I think the least the best writing comes from me.

I think I write okay...but every time I get started on something, and then I have an interruption, I leave what I wrote so far for a bit, and when I come back to write more, I read over what I wrote and I dump it. Suddenly, it sounds horrible and stupid and garbage...ever since two years ago, I feel like I can't write anymore, like I have nothing to write about. Help?? Because I know that every other time I write, I might feel like this again...it's depressing...because writing really is my passion.....