Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Creative writing

Whether you enjoy writing sci-fi, fantasy or fiction, join our Creative Writing forum to meet others who love to write.

Original poster

Please come and talk to me. Just for some general writing chat and support...

858 replies

BiglyBadgers · 30/12/2017 13:47

I am about a third of the way through editing my stupidly long book (this'll teach me for writing epic fantasy) and need some chat!

I really loved the chat and support on the nano thread, but now novel writing month is long gone and I am alone! There must be other people out there bumbling along needing a friend to chat to...surely....I can provide coffee, cake and excellent free WiFi Smile Brew Cake

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Honeybooboo123 · 02/05/2018 19:02

I've had my first few chapters put through grammerly so need to revise. Also I think my writing has got better since I started so a bit of reviewing might be useful.

Honeybooboo123 · 02/05/2018 21:18

(shhhhhhh) just coming back to make a random comment about my new writing class thing.

I'm really surprised how little the other participants seem to write. They have been on the course previous terms and don't seem to write very much at all.... I expect this is my weirdness coming out. I'm frankly addicted to writing. Write daily, set myself a commitment to write and update my online fic weekly so tend to write 2-4k a week. And I love it. Adore it. But not always inspired or in the mood, but if I waited for inspiration I would write a line or two and then go off and watch tv.

Anyway, I may be shite, I may be almost illiterate, but cheers to all of us that are just out there, trying, learning, pushing through and getting the words out there.

Original poster
BiglyBadgers · 02/05/2018 21:46

I pretty much never stop writing if I can help it. What are these people doing with their lives? My current routine this week has been morning writing essays, afternoon writing novel, maybe evening doing some blog or more novel. Though today I was setting up some stuff for a tweetchat I am doing for student nurses on essay writing, so not as much this evening. This is a happy place for me...though I probably should go out and speak to some real life people at some point. Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
BiglyBadgers · 02/05/2018 21:47

I could really do with putting the rewritten part one chapters through grammerly, but I have lost the will. I did warn my poor friend that I hadn't proofread yet. Blush

OP posts:
Honeybooboo123 · 02/05/2018 22:10

i think for one or two it might be confidence. They are scared about writing the wrong thing so don't start at all. I just keep repeating that Stephen King quote to myself "first draft is just telling yourself the story"

It's such a shame, the tutor is wonderful, so inspiring, and I have realised just how much I have learnt making myself write, making myself work on characters, and voice and plotting. Ok, it's not Shakespeare, but good old Space Ginger has forced me to learn on my feet.

Honeybooboo123 · 02/05/2018 22:17

Bigly, my day job means I have to talk to real life people. And I have small children. I love my hours alone writing!

Original poster
BiglyBadgers · 03/05/2018 16:33

They are scared about writing the wrong thing so don't start at all.

I solve this problem by just not letting anyone read it. Wink

I had to go into uni today so spent far too long sitting in a room with real people. It's exhausting!

I confess I don't count dd or DH as real people Grin

OP posts:
Honeybooboo123 · 03/05/2018 20:04

I have strangers read mine, so not too scary. I have a reader who has said she thinks she knows exactly what is going to happen... LOL wish I did.

So, how do you plot out a multistrand plot? Help! I have someone with hidden motives, someone who is launching an assassination, someone who is worried they are going to be betrayed by their lover. The lover who is scared they will be murdered by the target of the assassination, as well as choosing power over love. I also have the person who is going to be the accused murderer, the people who are trying to save her as well as the poor citizens of the place where the whole thing is going to take place.
I need post it notes stat!!!!

Original poster
BiglyBadgers · 03/05/2018 21:31

I have made process maps with swimlanes for each character and a new box for each event before. That worked really well as I could match up timescales and do lines where stuff intersected or joined to make sure things were happening at the right time and I had given people enough time to get to places.

You can do a simplified version with a spreadsheet as well, which is good for timescales, like a ghantt chart.

I used to be a project manager. Grin

OP posts:
yawning801 · 04/05/2018 20:40

Honey How do you get strangers to read your work? Is there some website or something?

Honeybooboo123 · 04/05/2018 21:09

yawning there are for groups for original works, but currently I'm writing fanfiction and so get readers by writing about a film that already has a fan following.

yawning801 · 04/05/2018 21:27

Honey Oh I understand! Thanks Smile

TippetyTapWriter · 04/05/2018 21:35

Oh honeyboo I feel like you are haranguing me Grin I haven't written a sodding word in weeks and it's driving me nutty. But I'm surviving on 3 hours sleep a night and if my baby goes to sleep in the evening I go to sleep with her... And either her or the other one wake up before 6 most days so my plan to get up and write before they wake up never happens either. I feel guilty for doing no work on my book but I know it's lack of time not laziness. Pre-children, in between jobs, I would write 9am-6pm and then more in the evening (and notes whenever I woke in the night). I don't understand people who say they want to write but then don't... I feel like there's something scratching at the inside of my head if I don't write. I get depressed. I lose sight of who I am. Quite frankly, I lose the will to live. But I would be interested for your tips on being so productive with small children in the house...

Honeybooboo123 · 04/05/2018 22:02
  1. I use google docs on my phone, laptop and any other electronic device I can lay my hands on.
  2. Notebook in case I can't reach my phone or fancy a change.
  3. realising that writing is a marathon, not a sprint and that there will be days or weeks when it won't or can't happen and that is ok
  4. realising that being a writer isn't about always writing. It's about thinking about the plot, giving yourself time to develop your characters, think about how they would react to situations you are going through.
  5. having a really hot main character that you can shag vicariously through your writing to get those creative juices flowing ;)
Original poster
BiglyBadgers · 05/05/2018 08:07

yawning have you checked bout scribophile? I would recommend if you are looking for people to read some of your stuff. Apologies if you are already using. I lose track!

Gosh, don't feel bad Tippety. My dd thought sleep was for losers, so I feel your pain. I couldn't have written anything even approaching a comprehensible sentence when she was a baby.

OP posts:
Honeybooboo123 · 05/05/2018 09:06

Yeah my two are 4 and 9 now so big difference from being a baby!

Honeybooboo123 · 05/05/2018 10:16

And also, I just don't watch tv any more. Don't have time :(

Original poster
BiglyBadgers · 05/05/2018 11:37

I don't own a TV, but we watch films or netflix stuff on the laptop friday and saturday night. Trashy action stuff on friday, artsy intellectual stuff saturday. Crisps and chocolate compulsory.

OP posts:
yawning801 · 05/05/2018 16:02

I will check out scriptophile, thank you Badger

TippetyTapWriter · 05/05/2018 17:11

I think I do 1-5 already! I find 1 easy when I'm working on a first draft and just writing but I can't edit unless I'm sat down at my laptop with my proper working head on. And it takes time to work myself back into the story so deeply and warm up my writing muscles to the point where I can fix all the problems I created in draft 1.

And yep to not watching tv. I don't even read any more. Or talk to my husband!

Witchend · 05/05/2018 22:28

On the basis I write for children you'll be glad to know I don't do 5! Grin

I tend to have a couple of months where I'm writing continuously and then have time off. I haven't written much since NoNaWriMo, but I've done a bit of editing.

We don't have a TV either.

Original poster
BiglyBadgers · 06/05/2018 17:52

I've just handed in notice on one of my other commitments, so hopefully I will have more time for writing in a couple of weeks! Hurrah! Grin

OP posts:
Honeybooboo123 · 07/05/2018 20:48

Argh how do you guys do this? 3/5 through and I'm flagging. Because I do get feedback as I post chapters I got a little blurgh when I got less than I expected for the last one and now I'm doubting my plot, writing, life..why am I doing...i can't do this...why did I ever think this was a good idea...you get the gist.
Argh.....and it's so hard!!!
Why do we put ourselves through this?
If I'm not writing, which, with kids is most of the time... I'm thinking about writing.
And it's still crap.
Sorry, off to try and drag something, anything, onto the page to finish a sodding chapter.

Original poster
BiglyBadgers · 07/05/2018 21:33

I've been working on this one chapter for days! I burned through 3 blooming chapters and then hit a wall. Ho hum.

It'll be alright Honey. Might just be because the sun has been shining and everyone's been outside rather than sitting in reading stuff. Smile

OP posts:
TippetyTapWriter · 07/05/2018 21:41

Breathe, honeyboo, breathe Grin We all have those moments. It just means you care. And if you're roughly in the middle of a story maybe there's less obvious drama happening than at the beginning or end so comments might naturally be fewer? It doesn't mean people aren't loving it.

I've still not done any actual writing but I'm halfway through clearing a space in our loft room to have a dedicated writing desk instead of using the kitchen table and having to hide my laptop away each night so my son doesn't destroy it in the morning... Loft room is boiling in summer, freezing in winter, and has hardly any light ... I'll literally have a writer's garret Grin

Swipe left for the next trending thread