EricPotruch's picture
EricPotruch from Los Angeles is reading On Writing by Stephen King October 9, 2013 - 10:31am

I have a story idea for my first novel.  It's scaring the shit out of me because I'm just not sure how to get started.  I'm reading a lot to get ideas for crafting the narrative (voice, tense, etc.), but the scope of what I'm trying to do has me struggling for what to do first.  Paralyzed, actually.

Any sage wisdom?

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated October 9, 2013 - 11:59am

Define your goals; if you just want to write it for yourself/practice that can be a very different from wanting to publish it.

Have you considered National Write A Novel Month? It is next month.

Tim Johnson's picture
Tim Johnson from Rockville, MD is reading Notes From a Necrophobe by T.C. Armstrong October 9, 2013 - 12:10pm

If you don't already, get some short stories under your belt.

Accept that your first draft is going to suck but that, through revision, it will get better. Writing is rewriting. It takes words to make words.

Try to have a clear idea of your goals, but in addition to what Dwayne said. Understand each piece your writing before you write. Try to unpack it so you know what it means, what the significance is to your story, how it affects your characters and plot.

Take your time, but push yourself.

Do your research.

Love it.

Dino Parenti's picture
Dino Parenti from Los Angeles is reading Everything He Gets His Hands On October 9, 2013 - 12:11pm

Have you tried outlining? Figuring out the voice (point-of-view) and what you're trying to say beforehand? I find this shows me exactly how to start the actual writing. Basic question: What does my main character want? List his/her physical/emotional/psychological needs, and work your story/plot around that. 

Also, if you haven't yet and you're a member, read Chuck Palahniuk's craft essays. These will help you figure out a good direction, tactics, and starting point.

http://litreactor.com/essays/36-writing-essays-by-chuck-palahniuk

Once you've got this figured out, just start writing. Don't wory about fucking up because you will. We all do. This is just the story's way of telling you how to write it. Maybe it needs to be 1st person instead of 3rd, or present tense instead of past. Regardless, it will come through trial-and-error, and you'll be infinitely happier with the results. Hope this helps.

Tim Johnson's picture
Tim Johnson from Rockville, MD is reading Notes From a Necrophobe by T.C. Armstrong October 9, 2013 - 12:14pm

Also, if you're the OCD organizational type, this might help you prepare. A lot of my NaNoWriMo friends are doing it. It doesn't work for me, but it seems to be a big comfort for others.

Chacron's picture
Chacron from England, South Coast is reading Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb October 9, 2013 - 12:22pm

Are you sure that the idea you're working with is going to result in something as long as a novel? Perhaps it is, but even if you gave us specifics it would be difficult to know how long it will turn out - we all process ideas differently. Sometimes an idea that seems massive turns out not to be, and it sounds to me like you want to explore the idea you've got in front of you. My advice is don't worry about length until you've tried your idea out for a while. Tim suggests shorter stories first, as do many other people, but I don't, simply because I started with longer ones, and I did it without really thinking about how long I wanted it to be, or saying 'I'm going to write a novel.'  Just take the idea and see where it goes.

In terms of what to do first, I often suggest pick a character and have them do something significant. Whatever idea you're dealing with, it's your characters who are going to make things happen, so start with them as your focal point and get to know them.

Kristi's picture
Kristi from Connecticut is reading Anything I can get my hands on! October 9, 2013 - 5:11pm

Not sage wisdom, just my humble newbie thoughts...

Throw caution to the wind and dive in! I am in the same boat or treading in the water since I dove in! Surround yourself with great ideas & inspiration! I am a very visual writer, if I have an idea I surf the web to expand on my inspiration. I have a Pinterest board devoted to ideas within my book. Music also plays a huge part in my process.

I have also been reading a lot of articles on this site which is AMAZING! I wish I would have found it sooner in my process! There is a ton of great information bundled in this nifty little website!

I am VERY NEW in the word of novel writing, but I have some friends with books and writing experience under their belts and the best advice they have given me... you don't know unless you try and it's okay to suck because it will get better! Being scared out of your mind is okay, anything worth doing shouldn't be easy!

I find it is had been easiest to have a vague outline, know the starting point a few key ideas thought the middle and the end point... the rest is a journey for me, my characters have gone places I would never have expected them to, they have developed a mind of their own and I love them for it. Hope this helps!

L.W. Flouisa's picture
L.W. Flouisa from Tennessee is reading More Murakami October 10, 2013 - 6:24am

I'll add that one thing that works for me, is to decide what kind of plot your going to do. I ususually go with the diverging keys format. Then I do a chapter by chapter outline of this structure. Finally I write the story, and revise it about twelve times.

If your having trouble finishing a novel, develop a system of rewards or record keeping. For example a a certain number of items to retrieve usually works best.

big_old_dave's picture
big_old_dave from Watford, about 20 miles outside London, Uk October 10, 2013 - 9:04am

Quite a lot of my mates do triathlons. First they set a long term goal of booking a set date for a triathlons to do but then before race date there doing half tris and half marathons training for it. That's the way I look at taking a novel on. Start with shorter stuff first and then build up.

Chacron's picture
Chacron from England, South Coast is reading Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb October 10, 2013 - 12:45pm

Also, if you're the OCD organizational type, this might help you prepare. A lot of my NaNoWriMo friends are doing it. It doesn't work for me, but it seems to be a big comfort for others.

I don't know where to begin on why this doesn't work for me either. Even before I read Stephen King's section on not being that much of a control freak, I never sat down and planned anything. I used to be in a writing community of sorts with one guy who bugged me constantly on MSN messenger with all the stuff he'd written ABOUT the story (IE his 'Snowflake' building approach) and plot outlines and character profiles and all the rest. He even did it to me spontaneously on messenger sometimes, until the night I just cracked and said 'Are you ever actually going to write the fucking story or just spend hours talking to me about it?' It's easy to get lost in stages 1-9 of the snowflake idea and feel like you're writing and making progress when really you're not. My advice: do 1-9 in your head and then jump straight to 10 when you decide to put pen to paper.

Oh and I love this part:

If the story is broken, you know it now, rather than after investing 500 hours in a rambling first draft.

Maybe some people really are that sure of their work in the planning stage, but three things about my own process that I've learned are (1) Even if there's a solid plan before the writing starts, things don't always go to it, because sometimes my story can break despite my most careful and elaborate scrutiny of the initial ideas. (2) Sometime those changes actually lead to a much better story than the one I planned (3) Investing 500 hours, or however many hours I reached, in a draft and then finding it's not quite what I wanted it to be teaches me far more about the writing process and how I can improve myself than I would have learned if I'd thrown an idea out because my plan wasn't quite right - which is why I don't regret even the worst writing I've done.

Plus if you actually write the story then you've got something to show to people and workshop - and you're not the guy who frustrates his writing friends by never doing any writing!

 

leah_beth's picture
leah_beth from New Jersey - now in Charleston, SC is reading five different books at once. October 11, 2013 - 6:10am

Here's the best advice I know:

Just do it.

I'm serious. Start writing, a little bit at a time. Get the story out there. Some days it will flow; others will feel terrible. Do it anyway. 

The first draft WILL suck, but it will be a part of you and you will love it. And that is all 100% perfect. It SHOULD suck. It should be raw and flawed and wholly imperfect. But that's why we revise.

So...just do it.

(Nike did not in any way sponsor this post. I promise.)