First story

[Sailbad the Sinner]

I think I'm going brain dead. The morer I write, the behinder I get. The story is pretty much based upon the truth. I keep getting stuck with too many details. They mean something to me, but nothing to the reader. I have no idea how many times I've edited it down. At times I read other stories that appear to have snippets of my own. It makes me want to change my story, but that wouldn't be right. I've been on and off with this thing for over three months. I'm at the id stage slowly sinking to duh.

I could use a bit of advise.

Thank You

Sailbad the Sinner

 

[MathGirl]

Perfectionism

Why not just submit the damned thing and be done with it? It's never going to be perfect. Go onto another story and learn from what you've experienced with the first.
Helpfully,
MG

 

[Guest]

Good advice from MathGirl (a fine writer); or post it on the Story Discussion Circle (but maybe go crazier).

Good luck, chill out; it's gotta be fun first. Perdita

 

[pop_54]

Hmmmmm

I think that's what's holding you up friend, you're trying to hard to make your story fit a particular kind of reader rather than just letting it flow as it was intended.
You can't really change a truth based story too much without confusing yourself with a tale you no longer recognise.

Go back to the plot friend, fuck the readers, it's your story not theirs, if it's well written the readers will cotton on to it when it comes up on the board.

Describe things as need describing, if you can see the relevance of an item of history or description, so will the average reader.

The more you hang about confusing yourself and trying too hard, the longer you will spend in this hell of uncertainty, write it, post it, and risk being damned, nobodies got a gun here, they can't hurt you even if they don't like your story.

pops.... two penny worth.

 

[Quasimodem]

Alternately, forget that is a real experience. Forget your feelings THEN, and work only toward creating an interesting story NOW.

Even if you have to CHANGE some of the FACTS to improve your story’s flow.

Few events in life work out like a story. Yours may work better if it is only 'based upon' or merely 'inspired by.'

If it has ALL the facts, and NOTHING BUT the facts, be prepared for it to read like a police report.

One of an autobiographer’s best tools is sometimes a good forgettery.


Have we given you enough conflicting advice, yet

 

[just a thing]

I keep getting stuck with too many details.

As long as those details are not the usual ones, I doubt you have "too many" details.

Good storytelling is about details - prefereably fresh or unexpected details.

 

[Chicklet]

I think I'm going brain dead. The morer I write, the behinder I get. The story is pretty much based upon the truth. I keep getting stuck with too many details. They mean something to me, but nothing to the reader. I have no idea how many times I've edited it down. At times I read other stories that appear to have snippets of my own. It makes me want to change my story, but that wouldn't be right. I've been on and off with this thing for over three months. I'm at the id stage slowly sinking to duh.

I could use a bit of advise.

Thank You

Sailbad the Sinner

as others before me have said, sometimes too much detail is TOO MUCH detail. What I would suggest is that you save yourself a version of how your story is now, set it aside for yourself, and find an editor to help you cut your story down to short, simple perfection from how it is. Submit the edited version to Lit or wherever you planned to submit it, and keep changing your own version for yourself. You have to remember that readers don't have the same emotional attachments to the details that you have, but it's always important to make yourself happy. That's what your version is for.