i need help expressing my ideas

[allegro5star]

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?

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

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.

 

[allegro5star]

thanks for the advice.

i guess practice makes perfect

 

[NuclearFairy]

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.

 

[Rob_Royale]

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.

 

[Phatfeet]

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.

Most times you get stuck it is because you cannot figure out the details, mostly on setting. What you almost always know is what the characters have to say to one another. So... write the conversation part first. As you write it out, the details about where all this is taking place comes to mind so you go back to the beginning and fill in.

You do not have to write in order.

If you are writing a story about a Lot Lizard's first time at a truck stop, write what you think the conversation would be like to the first truck driver that flashes his headlights at her. What does each say as she climbs up on the truck? Later go back in describe what it was like as she dared step out into the back parking lot where idling trucks were parked. Describe later what she is wearing.

Also don't be surprised if you think of the ending before the beginning. Write what you know about the story, you need not write it in chronological order. That's often where people get stuck.