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Advice needed about "writing"

  1. madnesstm
    Member

    Hi everyone, im Emma, English is my second language, my 1st is Arabic,
    i used to write for teens magazines both in Arabic and English
    i also did some writing in Arabic about social drama
    and one of the main news papers had published some of my short stories, now i have a problem.

    for more than 3 years now i didnt feel it in me to write, how can i write when my mind stopped producing ideas !!

    my mind is basicly blank!!

    then lately it all came back to me, so many ideas and i have the need to write BUT i never wrote long stories before!
    also i never wrote anything that doesnt relate to social drama or psychology !

    so i need few advices from you if you had a previous experiences with writing.

    1st off all my material will have some psychology on it but it wont be the main thing, im gonna write a long sci-fi stroy
    and i have no idea how to start, should i start with the characters or should i write the ideas behind the story 1st !!
    im going to write it as a realistic sci-fi so where can i get online info about physic equations and can i get online support from sci-fi writers!!

    my story wont be about human it will be about machines.. i have a great great ideas and i so far dont know how im gonna put it down on papers.

    The blog I need help with is madnesstm.wordpress.com.

  2. wiredthroughwords
    Member

    While you were on hiatus from writing, your subconscious mind was probably doing all sorts of things to create new ideas. Isn't the mind awesome like that?! But anyways, my entire blog is dedicated to sci-fi writing and has a series called The Creative Writing Process in which I discuss step by step how I at least handle the process of creating then constructing a story. I'm only on the third part of it but here's the link to the first installment:
    http://wiredthroughwords.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/the-creative-writing-process-part-1/

    The best advice I can give here as a general guideline is to write everything down! I mean every little thought, image, piece of dialogue, setting, plot point, or whatever. It doesn't have to be in order or anything because you can treat all these snippets like puzzle pieces you can then arrange in the way you see fit. Next, start mapping out plot and characters and let the development of both areas of your story inform one another. If a particular character usually acts in one way, it may affect where the plot goes next or if you need to make the plot go somewhere you can make a character have certain traits that will get the story where it needs to be. In other words, it needs to be a dynamic process.

    Here is a list of science websites you might find interesting as well:
    http://www.technologyreview.com/
    http://www.newscientist.com/
    http://www.physorg.com/
    http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/psychology/
    http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/quantum_computers/

    Good luck with writing and keep the ideas flowing!

  3. zoey18
    Member

    Well I suggest just to write down all your ideas as notes first so you don't forget them. I am not a professional writer but I try. I am trying to write a story too at the moment and I wish I would have written down all my ideas before I started. But yeah, I've posted my story on my blog. But I think the biggest thing is for you to just dive in to it. Just go with it and it will all come. Good luck to you.

  4. madnesstm
    Member

    i had started writing my story yest, i wrote down all of my notes, ideas and every thing, im trying to make a long story as if i printed it out it will be more than 700 pages, now i only wrote what equals 2 or 3 pages, please check out my blog a page under the name of inside the mind of a machine and let me know what you thinking, please your comments will help me a lot xx

  5. carrollsdatter
    Member

    Hi Emma -

    I write - a LOT - and here are a few steps that may help you to organize your thoughts and keep in the creative flow you're into again:

    A. Set aside time each day to write. Write what ever comes to mind, even it seems mundane. Keeping a journal everyday will help, be it about your daily activities, the weather, dreams, whatever - just as long as you keep writing.

    B. Read. Not just within the genre you like the best, but read a wide variety of books with varied points of view. That will stimulate your mind and may challenge your way of thinking about things.

    C. When writing a story, take a look at what the point of your story will be. Even in a work of fiction, there are usually some underlying themes that an author is trying to promote. Then, while keeping in mind what your message is, draw up an outline that includes major events in the plot (this is easiest if you are writing a story with a linear plot, one that follows a start-to finish, chronological timeline). This is a good place to note where characters enter and leave the story line, and where they may reappear later on. It will help you to avoid becoming confused in a plot which may have some twists and turns.

    D. One trick I like to use during the pre-writing process is writing ideas on index cards, in BIG bold letters. You can move those around on the living room floor if you are stuck in a spot where things don't seem to flow.

    E. This is an important one: DON'T seclude yourself. Even though it can be a good thing to go to a quiet place to write, get out and try to socialize with other writers. You ARE a writer, even if you haven't completed or sold anything. Non-writers may not realize how important writing is to you, and they may marginalize your work. If you can join a writing and/or critique group, do it! People who are good at critiquing may not be easy to find, and friends might not give you solid, honest feedback. Networking with other writers can also help when you are ready to look for an agent. Do a internet search for literary groups or writing clubs in your area, there are several online if you can't find a local group.

    I left a comment on your blog, with some feedback on your writing. Stick with it, it looks like you are off to a good start!

  6. madnesstm
    Member

    @carrollsdatter you are so right.

    my thoughts and ideas are all over the place, i do have very good ideas that i really believe that if i got around putting in down into words and organied them it will be really good, i will defo follow your steps specially the journal and the cards, i bet that will help me a lot, i did some writing before but for short stories i never wrote anything more than 150 words, so its a challenge to my self, good books and stories always amaze me , i read a lot about psychology and social drama but will defo read more specially about what i normally dont read sure that will give my mind more ideas.

    thank you very much you`ve been a great help

  7. jessoquendo
    Member

    It's okay if your thoughts are all over at first. What I do is I have a few separate pages in my writing folder. One is for characters, one for ideas, one for research, etc.

    What I have found to be helpful for sparking inspiration is reading other amateur work (short stories, poetry) and looking through original art on Deviantart.com. Even if the works don't have anything to do with my novel's subject, I still get ideas.

    Have fun!!

  8. madnesstm
    Member

    @jessmullenite.

    i started writing sown all my notes, and i also did something i never done before, i tried to imagine my self as my main character as how he should speak, how his face looks like, how he thinks, im trying to make him a character of its own and im trying to get my self out of my writing as in not getting personally involved with it.. donno if it helps !

    also with organizing my thoughts now its even more worse cause i played the card trick and now ive got too many thought and tools that i have no idea how to connect them with the chracter im writing about!!

    i need to learn how to slow down , i mean i need to learn how NOT to write too many informations in 1 or 2 pages and strech it out a bit so who ever gonna read it dont get lost in my mind..

    im defo having fun thank you all xx

  9. madnesstm
    Member

    with time passing, my story gets new dimentions i havent thought of, its wicked but confusing, check out part 2 on my story and tell me what i need to improve the characters. thank you so much xx

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