I have been trying to get into writing short stories as a hobby. I have a couple of good ideas. But I tend to struggle when actually putting my thoughts to words.

Some issues I struggle with are as follows:

  • Inability to settle on the right words: I’ll write something and think that what I wrote could be written better or differently and then I keep on writing and deleting and rephrasing with different words. Thus making very slow progress.

  • Problems with continuity: I might think up a somewhat long plot line. But I have to write the whole thing in one go because if I don’t then my brain will splinter the story into multiple possible story branches when I stop and I am unable to choose the path to follow.

  • Lose interest in continuing if I take a break: If I stop writing mid way and take a break from writing for an extended period of time, I am unable to find the motivation to resume. Mostly because trying to catchup with the story up to that point feels hard. I have this same tendency with video games as well where I don’t feel like picking up a game after an extended period of absence.

So is anyone here who does writing as either a hobby or professionally? If so how do you cope with your condition?

What I’ve found that works for me is to just make up the story as I go without much planning. The issue with this is approach I’ve found is that it’s hard to find a conclusion to end the story.

  • MurrayL@lemmy.worldEnglish
    15·
    2 days ago

    I’m a professional writer for video games - not exactly the same, but hopefully still relevant enough!

    A couple of things that you might find helpful:

    1: Loosen up with freewriting

    There are guides online, but essentially it’s about setting a time limit (e.g. 10 mins) and then writing whatever comes to mind until the timer ends. You can use pen & paper or a computer.

    The single most important thing is that you do not stop writing; even if it’s total gibberish or repeating the same word over and over. Do not stop. Do not go back and edit. Keep writing. Early on, you might fail at this and realise you’ve stopped writing or gotten distracted. Don’t beat yourself up if it happens, just acknowledge and then keep going.

    Only after the timer ends can you then go back and review what you’ve vomited onto the page. Most of it will be crap, but there will be some flashes of light: a gem of an idea, or a nice line of dialogue. Highlight those things (I like to put an asterisk in the margin). If there’s nothing at all, don’t sweat it - that’s part of the process too.

    Try to do this once a day like a routine; for me it works best as a way to warm up each morning. I sometimes prompt myself with a random word, or a writing problem I’m trying to solve that day, but it doesn’t matter if you ignore the prompt. The whole point is learning to let go and just put some words - any words - on the page.

    It will feel ridiculous at first, but the more you do it, the better you get at turning that stream of consciousness into a fountain (or at least a trickle) of ideas, and it will help enormously with learning how to turn down the volume of that inner critic that tells you to constantly edit your work before it’s done.

    2: Write flash fiction

    If you struggle with plotting and getting things finished, don’t keep setting yourself up for failure by trying to write long stories. Lean into your strengths and write shorter ones instead.

    I have a lot of fun with flash fiction, which typically runs to around 1,000 words; a story on a single page. There’s a bit of a learning curve in knowing how much you can fit into that form, but it’s a lot of fun and allows you to really laser-focus on a specific scene or conversation. It will allow you to build a vast body of work quickly, jump between ideas based on what interests you in the moment, and make you a better writer in the process.

    Find prompts or a prompt generator, or join one of the many flash fiction communities online for extra support and encouragement. Read flash fiction and short stories in general to get a feel for what’s possible - I adore Hemingway and Raymond Carver.