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Writing difficulties

dlevanchuk

dlevanchuk

Why is writing short stories so freaking difficult for some people (like me)!!

I envy to those who say "Oh, its freaking easy! Just write what you know!". But once I want to write something out - nothing noteworthy comes out. Just basic short words and phrases jump out, but nothing really coherent. For example, I spend 20-30 mins just writing crap out, out of my head:

Fast car. bullet flying by. weird eyepatch with laser inside. hamster that bites the criminal in the face. laptop burns my freaking thighs. need to get a laptop pad. gotta keep writing. weird things. need a short idea. something worthy. pirate? weird pirate movie. so lame. Pencil that writes other peoples thoughts about you, or your action. X-ray that will show future problems.


That was written down without me thinking what i'm writing. Now, i just go back to it to fish for ideas, but nothing really seems appealing to me.

Am i just lacking imagination or what the hell??? :huh::huh::huh: :weird:
 
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dlevanchuk said:
Why is writing short stories so freaking difficult for some people (like me)!!

I envy to those who say "Oh, its freaking easy! Just write what you know!". But once I want to write something out - nothing noteworthy comes out. Just basic short words and phrases jump out, but nothing really coherent. For example, I spend 20-30 mins just writing crap out, out of my head:

Fast car. bullet flying by. weird eyepatch with laser inside. hamster that bites the criminal in the face. laptop burns my freaking thighs. need to get a laptop pad. gotta keep writing. weird things. need a short idea. something worthy. pirate? weird pirate movie. so lame. Pencil that writes other peoples thoughts about you, or your action. X-ray that will show future problems.


That was written down without me thinking what i'm writing. Now, i just go back to it to fish for ideas, but nothing really seems appealing to me.

Am i just lacking imagination or what the hell??? :huh::huh::huh: :weird:
Click to expand...

Think of a type of movie that already exist and write your own version but completely different.

Or maybe a more general and non-specific approach like a heist movie, a revenge movie, a love story, a war movie etc..

EDIT: Maybe a more personal approach? Do you like cars? make a movie about cars. Maybe you like cameras, so make a movie about cameras, think literally, or figuratively, maybe something more abstract etc..
 
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Try different writing exercises (many can be found in books, or a Google search).

Think about a family member you admire (or maybe hate) and then create a character from there. Write a free form essay about the character and figure out their motivations, fears, dreams, ect. Knowing character can help you come up with a story.

Remember an exciting childhood event and expand on what made it exciting. Change a pivotal aspect of the event and imagine what would happen if this were what had happened.
 
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Howdy, D

Whoever laid on you writing shorts was easy was either BSin' ya or doesn't understand the machinations which apparantly go into their own process.
It's like saying when you get a cut the blood clots and stops it.
Umm... the process is a wee more complex than that.

With a feature you get 90+ minutes to develop charatcer depth.
With a short you have 2 to 10min to try not to present a cliché cast of characters that the audience is somehow supposed to "bond with".
Well... effff meeee!
Characters that people will recognize fast - but - they can't be tired clichés.
Oh. Yeah. Sure. Easy as 3.141592653589793... :rolleyes:

Okay.
That li'l reaffirming POV tidbit aside, it sounds like you have two things going on.
A - you gots a little attention deficit going on. Me, too. I deal. But I could be wrong about you.
B - you do a pretty good job of cranking out "inspired/inspiring concepts" or seed thoughts, it's just cultivating that seed into a useful short proves difficult.

So far so good?

I ain't got sh!t ferr you for A. Sorry.
Train your brain to quit ping-ponging and to direct your thoughts to OCD revisit the most compelling seed thought for a period.
Step 1 - Write down your central, germinating idea. Don't just think it. Write it. Paper or keyboad; don't matter.
Step 2 - Write down the PLAUSABLE architecture of how that scene got set up. Write down what happened afterward.
Step 3 - Whenever you think of another part to the process write it down. Write down all the other goofy pin-ball sh!t your brain uncontrollably vomits up ON ANOTHER PROJECT LIST.
I have an email account that I use exclusively for ideas; I save each idea as a email draft, updating them whenever my own AAD braing goes "Oooo! Oooo! Oooo!".
Sometimes I gotta save a text as a draft on my cell phone.
It's odd, but it works ferr me.
Step 4 - Build your beginning, middle & end. Maybe your initial idea is likely one of those.
Maybe it'll take off in a completely different tangent.

Ex.
Seed thought - Fast car
Whose car? How fast? Where is it? Bank robbery or street race? Who's my protag?
Expanded set up - It's a stolen fast car.
Why did the guy steal it? Is anyone chasing him? Cops or owner? Is it just for cash at the chop shop or export to Brazil?
Expanded set up - Deke (protag) has the Boss' daughter in the front seat with him, they're eloping. Boss thinks a dirtbag drug runner like Deke isn't good enough for his daughter.
Where are they going? Canada or Mexico?
The story unfolds - Deke's struck a deal with Boss' Malaysian H supplier for safe passage on their slow boat to China. But he doesn't know the Boss is holding his supplier's neice hostage as part of their contract and has been looking for a way outta the deal. That way is now driving 120mph right towards him.

See?
Something like that.

Next: Bullet flying by.
 
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theNoob: damn straight i do.. not too self concious putting them out for other to see ;)

rayw: Boom! thank you for your advice!
you re correct, my thought are like ping pongs, bouncing around, and its pretty difficult to hold on to a single idea.
really good advise on exploring each idea individually (i just gotta stop drinking buckets of coffee haha).

noticed something interesting. When I and my team did 48hour film project, as soon as we got our film information, the whole story just appeared in my head, so i had to quickly start writing it down as we were driving home.
I think maybe i should create some sort of boundaries for myself, when want to write a story. Like you said, focus on a specific genre, and bang one out.

thank you for your advice, got some stuff to think about!



love this forum! :)
 
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lets see. why would there be bullets flying by.. some sort of police/gangter thing going on? boring. maybe two gangs fighting with eachother... friends do practicing target shooting. hmm...
a group of hikers go on a hiking trip, and run into somebody that will cause a shoot out. why would they be there. they are looking for some sort of secret in the forest.
secret: paranormal, ufo.. money, gold.. goldhunters. murder. db cooper. find db coopers money.

Oppah!

hikers/explorers go on a short trip in southern washington forest to visit DB Cooper sight, but find out that Cooper didnt actually jump out of the airplace, but was entangled in high conspiracy theory, and was killed after trying to breach secret information to the Russians. Hikers find out the secret information that DB cooper was trying to transmitt, and now hikers are in danger.

YES!! weird, but hey, its better than 3 word random idea haha
 
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I don't know many good writers that say writing is easy. And believe me, I know A LOT of writers, real published and produced writers. I grew up with writers. It's not easy. If it's easy, you're probably writing crap.

Good writing is opening a vein and letting your blood spill on to the page.
 
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Anyone who tells you it's easy is either a liar, or a really poor writer.

Random excercise -- think of one scene. That's it, just one scene. Something you think would be fun to watch.

Like, I dunno, a couple of elderly men playing the old childish game in which you fill a paper bag with dog poop, leave it on somebody's front porch, light it on fire, then ring their doorbell.

That could be funny to watch. So, start with that. Now, ask yourself, why are a couple of elderly men doing something that would normally only be done by ten-year-olds? Find your answer to that question, and you've probably got a story, or at least the beginnings of one.
 
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Don't think I'm the best guy to give a tip on this subject. With the few projects I post here on this forum.. people have a lot of critic on the lak of a storyline, a plot or conflict.. haha

But maybe my view on starting a creative process is helpfull to you?

Just run with the ideas that come to you during the day (those handy cellphones nowday's just make it so easy to remmember it all haha)
For me sitting down and start a story or a creative proces will not work.. I must have some idea's and I must have the idea that I can manage it financial and technical. Than work around that and than shave it to a form I'm happy with.

Dunno if it's usefull.

besides that the eyepathlaser idea feels like a winner haha

good luck, mike d. the netherlands
 
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When I have a bunch of visual ideas, no plot to speak off, I write each idea, for example "Bullet Flying By" on a 3x5 card. Now I have a pile of 3x5 cards with cool visuals ideas on them. Next I spread them out on a table and rearrange them until there is some kinda of sense \ plot emerges.. some cards will inspire new cards and other cards go to the "discard" pile..

As a rough course through this madness reveals itself, I add "fill in" cards.. ideas needed to connect two adjacent cards.

For example: "Bullet Flying By" and "Hamster that bites criminal in the face" could be could be connected with two or three cards like..

"Bullet Flying By" , "Criminal Smashes through pet store window" , "Hamster that bites criminal in the face"

see how that goes... lets fluff it some more..


"Bullet Flying By" , "Cops hide behind parked cop cars", "Criminal is pinned down behind concrete trash can" , "Criminal looks behind him and seed Joes Pet Store", "Criminal Smashes through pet store window" , "the tough a#@ detective stands and calmly shoots", "Bullet smacks criminal in the back of the head", Criminal falls face down in the "Hamster Habitat", "time passes", "Police cameras flash", "Quincy the corner arrives", "Tough A@# detective calmly talks to CIS team as..." "Hamster chews on the criminals face"

Boom
 
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My process is much more esoteric than that. Sometimes I start with a fairly complete story in mind. Other times it's an idea that could be the beginning, somewhere in the middle or the ending. A lot of times, a statement or off hand comment will prompt a story idea. I have used index cards to lay out a story idea, i've written straight through in one go and I've done the outline/revision/outline/revision method. I really don't prefer any particular method over any of the others, it all depends on how fully fleshed out the story is in my mind before I begin writing.
 
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thank you everybody for your suggestions! I was able to come up with pretty good short story, that im about to finish. will be posted later tonight for those who are interested in tearing it up! :)
 
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