books and writing

[Voltaic]

Any of you write? I write, but only about things I am good at writing about. I have had the idea for a book for a while, and have been shaping out the story and setting over time. I think I am ready to start writing. Problem is, writing is sometimes hard. I may or may not have the ability to write a book comprehensively, and write it to the style, and theme that I want it to. I am learning, Youtube and the internet is great for stuff like this, but I feel I have lots of trouble in certain scenarios, especially dialog.

I just want to open a conversation about writing. Anything in general.

 

[Bolletje]

I write short non-fiction stories. Mostly detailing my thoughts and experiences in life. I used to be a writer/editor for my university paper, and if things go according to plan I'm going to be a columnist for the organization I work for at the moment. It's not a newspaper, but still, it's a place to start, and I actually get an audience again!

I used to write fiction and fantasy as well. When I played D&D as a dungeon master I created the entire world in which my campaign took place and had a blast coming up with the pantheon and the history. These days I just stick to columns and journaling because I lack the focus and the time to sit down and write all day.

 

[WereBear]

I am currently working on a non-fiction book, and plan to write a fiction mystery series. I also have a blog (see sig) and write blogs for my work, too!

I adore my writing software, called Scrivener.

 

[OkRad]

I used to have logorrhea. Extreme usage of words, wrote all the time, could not stop. Now I cannot write a t all. I am reading 1984 and when Winston first starts to write, he can't. It is like texting.......nopunctuationnospacesetc.......

I try. I bought a notebook yesterday. So far nothng.

 

[Tom]

I write in my head all the time, but only occasionally actually put it down 'on paper' (computer). I find it an extremely difficult and tedious craft, but really like the creative process and working out stories.

For dialog I imagine the scene in my head, and often use a real life model for the characters. That way if I know the character and their 'voice', the words, what they would say, come out automatically. I don't think it out.

 

[Beguiling Orbit]

I write for a living (news releases) and I majored in creative writing. The best advice I could give you about learning how to write better dialogue is this: constantly eavesdrop on conversations and then transcribe what they SHOULD HAVE SAID, not what they actually said. Crowded coffee shops are great places to do this, but pay attention and you can eavesdrop anywhere people are talking (grocery stores, waiting in line at WalMart, malls, church greeting areas, AA meetings, etc.). If you are diligent about recording what you hear, you will soon learn the rhythms, the give and take, the ebb and flow of conversation and become better equipped to convert it to dialogue. Heck, you could even sign up for and attend Meetups just for this purpose. If, for example, you're writing a story about bird watchers, then go listen to actual bird watchers at their meetup events.

One of the oddest, most ironic bits of conversation I've ever overheard was when I was walking one way on a university campus and two students were walking the other way:

"Are you having suicidal thoughts?" she asked.
"I'm too depressed to kill myself," he said.

That's all I overheard before they were too far away, but I'm sure just about anyone could imagine an interesting scene based on just those two short sentences.

 

[vangelis]

As a prelude to some sort of therapy which I may or may not go for - not decided on that one yet - I am writing about a relationship I had as a teenager which is still a part of my thoughts and life today, many years later. The details are very clear still so I would absolutely endorse writing about what you know, at least to start with. I couldn't make up very good stories with different characters etc. but if it is something personal then I find this relatively easy. It stirs up the emotions, both good and bad, but overall I find it useful if only to stop me booing in the therapists chair if I eventually summon the courage to go. Best of luck to you.

 

[Sabrina]

I had a blog for five years (which I started when my second kid was born), but I began writing constantly long before that. At the beginning I just wrote down whatever crossed my mind (I’ve lived in several countries, so I had a lot to talk about), but then I focused on the subject of having a simpler, more eco-friendly life. I edited all of it and published a book by myself, in Kindle.

Before that, I took a two-year course on Creative Writing, which was cool because I had to read a lot, and I got to meet like-minded people. I also had a poetry blog.

Writing makes me want to wake up in the mornings, and it adds color and excitement to the rest of my life.

When I felt happiest and more inspired was when I used to write every weekday, in the mornings, for at least three hours. Correction, when I dedicated three hours for the whole thing: getting ‘into the zone’ (turning off every switch in my head dedicated to thinking about other stuff), investigating (Ted.com or something similar) and then writing and editing, so I could publish it the same day. Having instant feedback from readers is great (I used to publish what I wrote in several social media).