To Aspiring Writers

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I have been working for several years on a fantasy/science fiction series covering a span of over 100 years of the history of a particularly interesting family. Wisecracks about many of the cliches of the usual fantasy novel will be included. I work on a particular book for a time and then family obligations or other kinds of projects distract me and when I return I take up another. I am trying to make sure that the history all meshes from book to book so this approach is fine for me at the moment. My ideas cook slowly, they need to, and my time is very much committed to other things. The hope, the plan even, is that there will be a point when I can work full time, when my youngest is in school hopefully, and then I can see about taking up my art and writing in such a way that I might actually be able to make them professions and not merely hobbies. Because I love them as hobbies, but I'm getting sick of, "Oh, so you write..." and "Are you still painting?" and "Oh, that's a good hobby, you've got to have something." Puh. And no one gets why those annoy me.

it's when the 'literary itch' gets to the point where you have to write it down... Sometime you just can't stop...

I understand that feeling packled. I wrote a mini story - 20 pages long in about 2 and a bit hours. I was typing like a mad man.

it's when the 'literary itch' gets to the point where you have to write it down... Sometime you just can't stop...

I have a lot of incomplete stories, some writings from my portfolio from school, an unfinished stageplay, and right now I'm working on a Christian/Fantasy novel right now -- 17 pages so far. Just started today.

I think of myself as a horror writer, though I have worked on one action/adventure novel with a friend, a heroic fantasy tale, and one short story of the historic fiction genre. I have a hell of a time even finishing anything, primarily because I find myself constantly rewriting earlier passages - even before I'm done with a first draft! Eventually, I find myself burning out over a project, and so I switch to another, telling myself this time it will work out. But low and behold, I do the exact same thing! It was exactly this kind of behavior that led me to having myself diagnosed with Asperger's. My wife constantly tells me I have to finish a draft before I even start thinking about rewriting; and I know she's right, but it's almost an irresistible compulsion. I honestly still think of myself as a writer - it's my art - and so I find myself slugging on, hoping to finish just that right story worthy of publishing.
The action/adventure novel I was writing with a friend would have worked, I think. The reason why it proved abortive was because his girlfriend, who had borderline personality disorder, left him, then hooked up with me. Because I was desperately lonely, and filled with hopelessness at the prospect of ever finding someone, I very stupidly latched on to her. Well, that was the end of our collaborative efforts. The crazy... I'll say witch... is gone now, but unfortunately so is my friend's interest in writing. I tried to write an altered version, which was more in line with crime fiction, but as it turns out, I ended up rewriting the same dang stuff over and over again.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGG!! !! !! !! !!
Anyone have any suggestions about what I can do to STOP THE F%#^ING REWRITING!
Your input would be invaluable.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

sometimes you just have to shoot the engineers and begin production...

Actually, it's not a bad thing to go over a story more than once...spelling, grammar, word flow, plot, characterization, even punctuation deserve at least a glance.

Probably, you can read it over, change what needs to let it be. The end is to produce something that people will enjoy; so until you stop revising, you're depriving both yourself and your readers...

1 novel. I've never tried to get it published and only 1 of my friends has read it. I was determined to be a writer when I was younger. I don't know if it has a genre. It's about a young woman in her early 20s who has just finished University and is trying to make sense of the world and relationships around her. I did a writing course once and showed my synopsis to my lecturer (it was one of our assignments). He didn't like it. The young woman is madly in love with a friend of hers who is 15 years older than her who is also in love with her. the lecturer didn't like the age difference and to make it worse, they don't get together in the end, they both end up with different people. The lecturer didn't like that either and suggested I watch "Notting Hill" to get some inspiration of what a romance novel should be like. I watched it. It's one of the most boring, shallow films I have ever seen. I'm glad he didn't think my novel was like that.

Just a couple, but they go on and on. Rewrite and edit are needed, or books 2,000 pages long. There are a lot of ways to tell any story, and the first shot is often not the best.

I learn about the story writing it, so ever changing, but those insights and discoveries are kept, and come through in a later draft. The twin problem, figuring out what you are trying to say, and then how to tell it to a reader.

One of my main problems, the story starts in my head, comes out through my fingers, but some is still in my head. Writing for the reader, or editing, takes putting it all on the page.

Mark Twain was a prolific writer before the typewriter, the fountain pen would have been new technology for him, yet he produced, and still took twelve years to get Tom Sawyer right before publishing it.

There is something about mental chunks, a story must be rendered bite size to the reader, they cannot be force fed, it is like a meal, and fine dining lasts.

I do some fiction writing from time to time, but it's mostly just summaries or short hand of what I had in mind. Technically I only have have one piece I consider to be somewhat complete and finished; a 134 page prequel story to my main.

Just finished a new feature film screenplay. I had a massive deadline, but got it done in about 10 days. Last Saturday I was on a roll, did about 40 pages which helped.

Actually, Mark Twain was the first person to write a novel on a typewriter..I think it was Tom Sawyer, but check that...

Twain was a Techie, hung out with Tesla and all, he would have been an early user.

It did become the main tool of the newspaper man.

In college I outlined an entire series of books- 7 total. I finished 2 of them but never went forward. I really would like to get the manuscripts and outline from my parents' house and start again. I loved the idea I had.

I wrote another unrelated book (also in college) and half of one after college. I've written a number of short stories and many many poems. When I was a kid I basically never stopped writing.

If I had a good idea I'd write a novel right now. But I feel braindead

I have almost 200 short stories that I have written. Although I'm afraid to show them here.

I have a lot of ideas, but I've only written one short story. it took me about an hour to write, maybe two, and is about 2,500 words long. It tells of a battle that took place between Jedi and Dark Jedi about 24,500 years before Star Wars episode 4. The battle has been briefly detailed in chronologies and many of the characters in the short story are based on actual people mentioned in these chronologies. The reason why I don't put it up is not because I am embarassed but because I don't think anyone without a general knowledge of Star Wars will understand it.

I love to read and write. Sadly, I have very little experience in writing fiction. I once wrote a (rather excellent, though) novella for school - That is all. I view my writing as unruly and bulky - It isn't that I'm inherently had at it, I just have no experience writing dialogue, descriptions, etc. I've always had this barrier in my mind - I get a somewhat appealing idea, write a paragraph and two and then.. nothing.

A week or so ago, however, that barrier was finally at least somewhat breached. During the last couple of days I've written several pages of.. doubtful quality. Still, it's an opportunity to actually get some practice. I'm very content.

Why my mind decided that I was allowed to write a piece of Metro 2033 fanfiction instead of something original, I have no idea.