i need help expressing my ideas

allegro5star

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Aug 27, 2013
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I have a fantasy idea, but i don't know how to express it in a satisfying way.

i'm not confident enough in my writing skill to make it happen. and i feel if i try i will just butcher it

does anyone else have this problem?
 
Oh I get that all the time. Write a few words, hate it, toss it in the trash or I hate writing the scene I’m in.

What I’ve found helps is changing perspective: for a long time I stuck to third person and I still do for a lot of things, but I find I can get going with the narration and character work if I switch to first person.

but you can also center a scene around a different character.

But if it’s your idea, and you want it to come to fruition as you see it, it’s best if you write it. Even if someone is vibing with you it’ll be through their voice and it will change it.
 
Also, just write about your characters. Write little scenes from their life that you're never going to publish and chuck those into a folder titled "Character Building" Then when you're able to well and truly get into your characters heads write out the fantasy you have. Don't worry about it being crap, first drafts can be crap. Then go over it, and figure out how to improve it. And repeat until you're done with the fantasy. Which could mean that you're ready to share, or it could simply mean that you're ready to move on.
 
Also, just write about your characters. Write little scenes from their life that you're never going to publish and chuck those into a folder titled "Character Building" Then when you're able to well and truly get into your characters heads write out the fantasy you have. Don't worry about it being crap, first drafts can be crap. Then go over it, and figure out how to improve it. And repeat until you're done with the fantasy. Which could mean that you're ready to share, or it could simply mean that you're ready to move on.
I like this. Practice. Write about the room you walked into, the woman behind the register at ShopNGo, the new car parked in your neighbor's driveway.

I did these things before my first story was published here. Some of them ended up in stories later, others didn't. When I was done I'd read it and ask myself, can the reader see the scene? Can they understand how the characters feel?

There's no rule that first stories have to be all that long. Do a vignette, a single scene between two people. If you want to write, then write. That's how we all got here.
 
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