Writers Unite!

[MiracleSleeper]

This a thread for anyone who has a passion for writing. Whether it be lyrics, poetry, novels, stage plays, or screenplays.

As for me, writing has been a passion of mine since I was about seven years old. I got into screenwriting about four years ago, and I'll be trying to get a degree in education and screenwriting so I can be a professor one day.

If anyone has any material of projects they're working on, feel free to share them or talk about them!


"Past every tragedy is a miracle. All it takes is the faith to bring it to life."
^^A quote from a story I've been most serious about these past few years, that depicts the main theme of what it's about.

[WDADU]

Writer here. Been writing since I was eight. On the last of September, I finished the first draft of my second novel. Still looking for an agent so I can get my first novel published.

[gmillerdrake]

Once wrote constantly.....poems and have kept a journal for the past few years. Sadly, I haven't wrote a poem or anything creative in a good while and the last entry in my journal was in January the night my Grandmother died. Having moved and with life getting more chaotic with three growing kiddos....I just find that all I do is 'tell' myself I need to write or start the journal again and yet never do......

[Ħ]

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." - Ernest Hemingway

I like writing.

[Mister Gold]

I'm something of a writer.

[MiracleSleeper]

Writer here. Been writing since I was eight. On the last of September, I finished the first draft of my second novel. Still looking for an agent so I can get my first novel published.

What is your first and second novel about? And best of luck to you with it!

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." - Ernest Hemingway

I like writing.

Beautiful quote.

[Phoenix87x]

I started writing when I about 10 years old and I've loved it ever since. Its lets me escape to a world of justice, a world where the good guy can win and there's always a happy ending. I went to film school specially with the goal of being a screenwriter, but decided to keep doing school after graduation to have something else to fall back on. I plan on continuing writing when done.

And Amen to this:

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." - Ernest Hemingway

[sneakyblueberry]

I generally enjoy writing.  I write and record music, and lyrics are an important part of that.  I like the idea of knowing exactly what I'm talking about, but wording it in a way that shrouds it in mystery for anyone but me.  oooooh.

I'm currently working towards a degree in English Lit and Media Studies, and I quite enjoy writing academic essays. 

Yesterday I got my mark back for a personal essay we had to write on the topic of a musical experience.  I thought I was handing in shit, but I got an A+ and the tutor wrote 'to say this is an excellent essay does not do it justice'.  I was floored.  This was a media studies paper, but I think my English Lit study helped with the 'personal essay' thing, I was able to be a bit more creative with it, and use narrative techniques and provide a loose narrative structure over the essay, which is totally different from the academic style essay you'd expect. 

By the way, does anyone get that 'icky' kinda feeling when you know something you've written that is deeply personal is being read by someone else?  I got that feeling when I handed that paper in, and I get it when I share my music with other people.  That feeling of leaving yourself completely vulnerable.  Its weird. 

[MiracleSleeper]

By the way, does anyone get that 'icky' kinda feeling when you know something you've written that is deeply personal is being read by someone else?  I got that feeling when I handed that paper in, and I get it when I share my music with other people.  That feeling of leaving yourself completely vulnerable.  Its weird.

Oh yeah, I know 'exactly' what you mean. I always get the feeling that they'll think I'm strange, so I get pretty nervous. On an external level, I'm a very outgoing, humorous guy, but internally I'm very serious, emotional, and spiritual, and my writing really reflects that. So I'm very hesitant to show my work to people, because they're really getting a glimpse into the 'looking glass' of who I truly am inside, and I feel they'll be extremely surprised of who that person in me really is.

[sneakyblueberry]

By the way, does anyone get that 'icky' kinda feeling when you know something you've written that is deeply personal is being read by someone else?  I got that feeling when I handed that paper in, and I get it when I share my music with other people.  That feeling of leaving yourself completely vulnerable.  Its weird.

Oh yeah, I know 'exactly' what you mean. I always get the feeling that they'll think I'm strange, so I get pretty nervous. On an external level, I'm a very outgoing, humorous guy, but internally I'm very serious, emotional, and spiritual, and my writing really reflects that. So I'm very hesitant to show my work to people, because they're really getting a glimpse into the 'looking glass' of who I truly am inside, and I feel they'll be extremely surprised of who that person in me really is.

Yeah, I get that.  I think for me it stems from like, showing my brother's the first ever song I recorded, which lyrically was pretty dark.  They listened, and... nothing.  Haha.  Crushing defeat. 

[Jarlaxle]

Somewhat of a writer. I'm 160 000 words into a story, but I haven't picked it up in many months.

[MiracleSleeper]

Somewhat of a writer. I'm 160 000 words into a story, but I haven't picked it up in many months.

Care to share a plot synopsis?

[Mister Gold]

I have ideas all the time and I'm always trying to get myself to sit down and write more often. I don't write nearly enough, but I do have a bunch of ideas. I have it all set up in my noggin like a massive Stephen King type multi-verse, where all/most of my stories co-exist to some sort of degree. My main project is a four book long series that involves traveling between multiple worlds, the Five Stages of Grief and a deconstruction of the Hero's Journey.

[TempusVox]

Writer here. Been writing since I was eight. On the last of September, I finished the first draft of my second novel. Still looking for an agent so I can get my first novel published.

If I were just starting out today, I would try to self-publish first. Unless you've written "creative non-fiction" like a memoir, you may not need an agent. Many houses will take submissions without an agent. Go online and check their rules to submit. If you really feel you need an agent, start by going to someplace like Query Tracker. They vet their agents, so they should be legit. https://www.querytracker.net/

There are more scammers, thieves, con men and scalawags in that line of work than you can shake a stick at. Be very careful. Any idiot with a computer these days can tell you they're an agent; and there are even some groups that play the numbers game and get lucky by throwing out tons of manuscripts and hoping something sticks. These fucktard bastards don't want to steal your work, only your money. There are two professional types that are destined to spend eternity in Hell...agents, and editors. No amount of atonement can ever alter that fact.

But try to self publish if you can. Any agent worth his/her salt is going to take 15% of anything you earn. First novels won't usually earn much. 
I got lucky. My agent found me about the same time I found her. We've been together ever since. She only represents a handful of us. I don't think she's taken anyone new in probably 4 or 5 years. I trust her with my life. That's hard to find.

Good luck.

[Jarlaxle]

Somewhat of a writer. I'm 160 000 words into a story, but I haven't picked it up in many months.

Care to share a plot synopsis?

It's a fantasy novel, has kind of your standard good guy bad guy thing, but lots of other moving pieces. The reason I haven't touched it in so long is because my main story isn't as interesting as I thought it would be, but the side plots have turned out to be very interesting to me, so I might restart/restructure the whole piece.

[Lucien]

I write quite a bit of poetry, check the official poetry thread.

I also write music, if that counts.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

I'm more ashamed than you can imagine that I've been hitting a dry spell for some nine or ten months now. I used to write a decent amount, be it poetry or short story drafts. I both have had a lack of motivation and a lack of actual ideas to build off of to really write anything worthwhile. Beyond that, I'm not sure what's holding me back. I really need to get back to it, yet I haven't a clue as to where to start.

I started when I was real young, probably around when I was 7 or 8, and something about it was so fulfilling and satisfying for me. At times I would have nothing to go off of and other times, way too much that I wouldn't know how to organize and make sense of it all.

[MiracleSleeper]

I'm more ashamed than you can imagine that I've been hitting a dry spell for some nine or ten months now. I used to write a decent amount, be it poetry or short story drafts. I both have had a lack of motivation and a lack of actual ideas to build off of to really write anything worthwhile. Beyond that, I'm not sure what's holding me back. I really need to get back to it, yet I haven't a clue as to where to start.

Maybe you just need something to inspire you? Try to check out some movies you haven't seen, or music you haven't heard. I often do that as a source of inspiration.

Or you can go inward for inspiration. I often reflect back on my life, and I use some of the more important experiences I've went through as inspiration for my stories.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

I'm more ashamed than you can imagine that I've been hitting a dry spell for some nine or ten months now. I used to write a decent amount, be it poetry or short story drafts. I both have had a lack of motivation and a lack of actual ideas to build off of to really write anything worthwhile. Beyond that, I'm not sure what's holding me back. I really need to get back to it, yet I haven't a clue as to where to start.

Maybe you just need something to inspire you? Try to check out some movies you haven't seen, or music you haven't heard. I often do that as a source of inspiration.

Or you can go inward for inspiration. I often reflect back on my life, and I use some of the more important experiences I've went through as inspiration for my stories.

I suspect both might help remedy my issue here. I also just really need to stop making excuses for "not having time" to write.

Anyways, thanks for the advice! I have a couple DVD's sitting on my shelf that I haven't watched yet, so I might start there.

[Phantasmatron]

If I were just starting out today, I would try to self-publish first.

Oh, man, you have no idea how good it is to hear that from an established writer!

I've "self-published" two novels through Amazon and I'm in the midst of a particularly grueling revision process on a third.  Writing is really the only thing I've ever wanted to do with my life, but I've only been working diligently on it during the last several years. 

I would like to get away from Amazon at some point, because they like being the big name in indie ebook publishing, and they make it difficult for me to publish across multiple stores (like iTunes, Google Play, Nook, etc.).  But I'm still starting out, so for now I'm mostly focusing on getting my material finished and out in the world.

[MiracleSleeper]

Anyone care to share a bit about some of the projects they're working on? I always love to hear what stories other fellow writers are working on, because I feel like a story is a little gateway into the author's mind almost. It's amazing how much you can learn about someone through their writing.

For me, I'm currently working a lot of stories, but the one I'm most passionate about is a 'somewhat' Romance  script. The script revolves around two best friends who are in love, but are too afraid to reveal their feelings for each other. The first half deals with their life as adults while the second half focuses on their adolescence when they first fell in love.

I think what I like most about this script is the narrative structure. I can't recall a film which is structured into two parts, with the first being the present and the second being the past. (if someone knows of such a film, tell me! lol) The second half takes place within the male protagonist's mind after the female protagonist's death, as he reflects on his memories of himself and his best friend, in an effort to come to terms with her death, his past, and his own life.

[lucky7]

Doesn't the Notebook go back and forth from the past to the present .... but every story is original ....your premise sounds interesting.

I write but at this point it is one of those things that until I think it is ready to be published no one will even know what it is about. 

I shared it with my younger brother but as he is not a reader he had a hard time following the narrative structure.....maybe when it is 90% complete I will share.

But as writers often say people say they're a writer, but they never take the time to put the words on the page....at the moment I am in that boat.....

[MiracleSleeper]

Doesn't the Notebook go back and forth from the past to the present...

Yeah it does. Quite a few films go back and forth between past and present. In the script I'm working on, it doesn't continuously go back and forth like they do, it's strictly divided between the first half which is the present, and the second half being the past. I wrote it in a way in which the first half builds up to the mid-point, where the Protagonist realizes he ultimately can't keep running from his past, but instead has to finally face it. It's centered around one of the main themes of the story: "Only by facing the past can one face the future"

[WDADU]

First novel: A Shared Madness---A horror/dark fantasy novel that deals with a secret society whose goal is to stand guard and ensure that an ancient evil known as the Schism remains trapped in art-forms. Three friends stay in a relative's cabin---a relative who is a member of this society---and are now snowed-in with the Schism. It's up to the main character, an asipiring novelist (no, the character is not a stand-in for me), to capture it and find a way to destroy it.

Second novel: Primordial---A former child star comes back to his hometown after the tenth anniversary of the sitcom that made him famous. After a night on the town with a girl with demons of her own, he discovers her son has gone missing. When he finds the boy on the front stoop of the biggest house in town (and is supposedly haunted), the boy is frantic and has bite marks on his neck. What follows is a tale of vampires, time travel, personal healing, and the innocence of children.


If you can't tell, I'm really not that great at giving the synopses of novels/stories. Of course, what I've revealed is merely the tips of the icebergs when it comes to both novels. I spent a year and a half writing A Shared Madness, and while it's not the best, I'm proud of it mostly because it's the first one; the first novel I really got my shit together with and completed. This second novel, Primordial, is certainly the better of the two and I had a much larger playground than three friends in a cabin. The first draft took just a little over three months to write (the first draft of Madness took over eight months because I had no fucking clue what I was doing), and editing begins in a couple weeks. 

EDIT: And thank you, TempusVox, for your advice. It's certainly something I'm looking into if I can't get my foot in the door any other way.

[The King in Crimson]

I'm more ashamed than you can imagine that I've been hitting a dry spell for some nine or ten months now. I used to write a decent amount, be it poetry or short story drafts. I both have had a lack of motivation and a lack of actual ideas to build off of to really write anything worthwhile. Beyond that, I'm not sure what's holding me back. I really need to get back to it, yet I haven't a clue as to where to start.

I've been in that situation for the past year almost. I took a month break from writing in general at the end of 2013 and I have had a very difficult time getting back into the swing of things. It's been very disheartening to say the least.

One thing I have learned is to maybe try and mix up where and how you write. I did all of on my computer but I've just tried doing it the old fashioned way, with a simple pen and pad of paper and I've found it to be... well, maybe not inspiring, but it does help me to just keep going when I don't have the ability to instantly rearrange or edit what I've just written which is my major problem. I always tinker, never finish.

Getting away from the internet also helps majorly.

Anyone care to share a bit about some of the projects they're working on? I always love to hear what stories other fellow writers are working on, because I feel like a story is a little gateway into the author's mind almost. It's amazing how much you can learn about someone through their writing.

The one I've been working on forever is a sci-fi/fantasy novel set in what would be the fantasy equivalent of the late 1800's or early 1900's. It's set in a country currently occupied by foreign armies and riven with violence. The lives of soldiers, nurses, politicians, spies, and corporate agents all converge in the capital city of Iov, driven to the heart of a split nation by their own doubts, dreams, and personal demons. When an ancient power is accidentally unleashed, will they fight, flee, or take advantage of the chaos for their own personal benefits?

I also have a couple of other ideas on ice, including a straight up sci-fi novel, a fairy tale-esque novel about a man who wakes up in a mysterious forest with no memory of how he arrived or why he is there, and a novel that I recently got an idea for which could be described as an urban fantasy version of Grapes of Wrath meets The Gunslinger set in the Great Depression, more specifically the dust bowl area of the United States. I think I'm going to work on that one for this years NaNoWriMo but I have to do a bit of research first.

[Genowyn]

As I mentioned in the NaNoWriMo thread I have about 30k words of a novel written (but being that it is a fantasy novel the story is not even like 1/4 done).

I also have a few short stories in the editing phase. One is technically a novelette I guess? Also fantasy, set in the same world.

[Jarlaxle]

Have you ever had a brilliant idea, that is truly original, then find out many years later that it has already been done?

4-5 years ago while creating the bulk of my fantasy world I had the idea to have a northern section of land, a land that is undeveloped, teeming with monsters and is winter all year round. This land would be seperated from the rest of the world by 3 walls to keep the monsters beyond at bay. I thought this was a fantastic idea and could not wait to use it.

Jump ahead to 4-5 months ago. I pick up A Game of Thrones and begin reading it. I had never heard anything about GRRM's world other than "man, you gotta read it and watch the show, it's right up your alley." I honestly had never heard anything about GOT, so there was no way for me to have copied this idea, but now I cannot use it because it will always make people certain that I poached it from Martin.

It is very frustrating, especially how much I like The Wall in ASOIAF, and I am trying to create an alternative to my original idea that screams less of plagiarism.

[Genowyn]

Jim Butcher's Codex Alera world also features a big wall separating the main empire from a wintery area labelled on the map as "Icemen".

Also there is this wall in China you may have heard of, one between England and Scotland, too. Not like Martin came up with the idea out of nowhere.

[Sacul]

I'm more ashamed than you can imagine that I've been hitting a dry spell for some nine or ten months now. I used to write a decent amount, be it poetry or short story drafts. I both have had a lack of motivation and a lack of actual ideas to build off of to really write anything worthwhile. Beyond that, I'm not sure what's holding me back. I really need to get back to it, yet I haven't a clue as to where to start.

I've been in that situation for the past year almost. I took a month break from writing in general at the end of 2013 and I have had a very difficult time getting back into the swing of things. It's been very disheartening to say the least.

One thing I have learned is to maybe try and mix up where and how you write. I did all of on my computer but I've just tried doing it the old fashioned way, with a simple pen and pad of paper and I've found it to be... well, maybe not inspiring, but it does help me to just keep going when I don't have the ability to instantly rearrange or edit what I've just written which is my major problem. I always tinker, never finish.

Getting away from the internet also helps majorly.

I've realized that procrastination is a serious problem for us writers, and have read lots of articles on how to go and work on your thing. One important tip I read from a quote of a famous writer, is that inspiration is for amateurs, all you have to do is just to sit down and write, instead of wandering about writing.

Another really useful thing I learned, was from Steal Like An Artist (one of the most inspiring books on creativity, works either you're a musician or a writer or a painter or whatever). One of the 10 big tips the author gave was: "In the digital era, don't forget to use your digits!". He means using analogic materials like pen and paper or a tipewriter to work on your stuff, to free your creativity; and then use a digital environment (like your PC) to edit and analyze what you have done. I have found that this really helps me to focus, since I have less distractions than in my computer.

And something that really helped me with creative block (and will use it during November to writer my first novel) is to write three pages every morning - it's probably the most useful tip from The Artist's Way. Or you can just write 750 words, which is the equivalent to 3 pages. There's even a wonderful page called 750Words which lets you register and keep track of what you write. But... what should you write about? Nothing particular. The idea is to get used to free-writing, to just put whatever you're thinking at the moment in words, without censure. It really helps to make my ideas flow better during the day and it helps to establish the habit of writing everyday.

I'm currently working on a fantasy novel. Well, I'm just in the world-building stage by now, and I'm close to finish most of it to start writing for the NaNoWriMo this year. The magic system is still in development and I haven't found my characters yet, but will do that one week before November. I've got some seriously cool ideas I haven't seen in fantasy (yet) that I brough from some videogames I love, and luckily they aren't known enough to somebody notice . Will share a brief synopsis with you guys, and maybe an excerpt (although I'd have to translate it since it's written in spanish ) when I finish it.

[Phantasmatron]

Second novel: Primordial---A former child star comes back to his hometown after the tenth anniversary of the sitcom that made him famous. After a night on the town with a girl with demons of her own, he discovers her son has gone missing. When he finds the boy on the front stoop of the biggest house in town (and is supposedly haunted), the boy is frantic and has bite marks on his neck. What follows is a tale of vampires, time travel, personal healing, and the innocence of children.

That sounded pretty cool to begin with, but the unexpected inclusion of time travel is what really piqued my interest.

[MiracleSleeper]

Regarding inspiration...

When it comes to writing, do you guys search for inspiration outwards or inwards? For me, I've found the best source of inspiration comes from reflecting on my past, and it's relationship to how I felt and what it lead to in the present. I feel like we as people hold this whole other world inside our minds, and it's such a useful tool to create rich, meaningful stories.

Usually a story revolves around one or a set of particular themes, and it's amazing to look back on my life experiences to reflect on the themes of my life, as in the morals and lessons I've learned as a result of what I've been through, the desires I've held, and the mindsets I've been in. They always provide a path to a good idea for a story.

[The King in Crimson]

I find myself much more inspired by history and current events rather than anything personal.

Actually, that's not quite right, history and current events tends to inspire the 'big picture' of the story, the setting, the background details, the themes, the sorts of things that are supposed to give stories a feeling of depth. Personal stuff inspires the details, the characters and the emotions. Well, tends to really, but if it really came down to picking one or the other for primary inspiration, I'd probably have to give it to history. History is full of so many wondrous and terrible events, events that we can learn from, events that are relevant still today, and events that continue to affect us. History has tragedy, love, loss, life, heroes, villains, winners, losers, fools, and geniuses aplenty. What more could you ask for for inspiration?

[Sacul]

To motivate us more guys, they're giving a 40% off discount on Scrivener for those who accomplish this year's NaNoWriMo. There's also a special trial edition for this and a novel template.

[MiracleSleeper]

I find myself much more inspired by history and current events rather than anything personal.

Actually, that's not quite right, history and current events tends to inspire the 'big picture' of the story, the setting, the background details, the themes, the sorts of things that are supposed to give stories a feeling of depth. Personal stuff inspires the details, the characters and the emotions. Well, tends to really, but if it really came down to picking one or the other for primary inspiration, I'd probably have to give it to history. History is full of so many wondrous and terrible events, events that we can learn from, events that are relevant still today, and events that continue to affect us. History has tragedy, love, loss, life, heroes, villains, winners, losers, fools, and geniuses aplenty. What more could you ask for for inspiration?

Actually, I'm the same now that I think of it. I tend to draw from history/society/religions/etc for the external world of my stories, but I draw inward for the characters.

To motivate us more guys, they're giving a 40% off discount on Scrivener for those who accomplish this year's NaNoWriMo. There's also a special trial edition for this and a novel template.

My friends in a writing group that I participate in are going crazy over Nano, lol.

[TempusVox]

Have you ever had a brilliant idea, that is truly original, then find out many years later that it has already been done?

4-5 years ago while creating the bulk of my fantasy world I had the idea to have a northern section of land, a land that is undeveloped, teeming with monsters and is winter all year round. This land would be seperated from the rest of the world by 3 walls to keep the monsters beyond at bay. I thought this was a fantastic idea and could not wait to use it.

Jump ahead to 4-5 months ago. I pick up A Game of Thrones and begin reading it. I had never heard anything about GRRM's world other than "man, you gotta read it and watch the show, it's right up your alley." I honestly had never heard anything about GOT, so there was no way for me to have copied this idea, but now I cannot use it because it will always make people certain that I poached it from Martin.

It is very frustrating, especially how much I like The Wall in ASOIAF, and I am trying to create an alternative to my original idea that screams less of plagiarism.

Yes. God yes. This has happened more times than I care to admit. But 6 at last count. It stands to reason that if you write enough sometimes you'll come up with something that's similar.  Its happened three times where I've had an idea amd maybe started playing around with the story, only to find the same idea turned into a motion picture.  But at any given time I probably have about 8-10 projects I'm tossing around and dabbling with, and after they "percolate" for a while may wind up an official project, or maybe wind up on the scrap heap. But the last time it happened with a novel was Lionel  (Maggie) Shrivers, "We Need To Talk About Kevin". I had about 6,000 words of a story written that was very similar when that came out. I shared it with a friend after  (never share your work with anyone while you're writing it. Everyone's opinion will derail you), and he swore she must have shared the details with me somehow. I quickly pointed out that was impossible because no one really knew of Maggie's work until that novel; and I certainly had no idea who the hell she was. Those moments make me down a large glass of scotch, stand in the middle of my library  and scream like a Looney-Tunes character, and then I'm  USUALLY  over it.