Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

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

From First to Final Draft - The New Creative Writing Thread.

259 replies

CharCharGabor · 26/02/2009 21:01

Everybody's welcome, if you want to share ideas, techniques, publishing info or just chat about writing. Come on in!

OP posts:
Original poster
CharCharGabor · 01/03/2009 20:12

Hello everybody I am stumped with my short story, it just isn't flowing The first one just fell out of my head onto the paper but this one is trickier. So I'm having a night off tonight so I can come to it with a fresh face tomorrow.

kaa, I know uk publishers like manuscripts to be double spaced with a clear font such as Times New Roman, printed only on one side of the paper.

OP posts:
Original poster
CharCharGabor · 01/03/2009 20:13

That sounds like a good idea Kay, I think I'll set aside some time each week to write from now on.

OP posts:
RosemaryBingle · 01/03/2009 20:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
CharCharGabor · 01/03/2009 21:02

I usually have a small person in bed with me too RB so I don't tend to write much before bed. Some of my ideas fall into my head in their entirety, or sometimes it's just a sentence or concept. A few have come from seeing something while I was out and getting an idea about it. I dreamt my novel. Well the basic concept, anyway.

OP posts:
RosemaryBingle · 01/03/2009 21:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
CharCharGabor · 01/03/2009 21:24

I'm not sure whether mine are any good either but I feel like my head would explode if I didn't get them on paper! I typed for an hour with a full blown migraine with the finished one because I couldn't bear to stop (I had to stop and go to bed in the end as I could hardly. I finished it the next day though.)

I read loads too and I do think you learn a lot about different styles of writing and things like that.

DP likes to write too so when I dreamt about my novel I discussed it with him and rounded out the idea. He's useful like that

OP posts:
ShortPedant · 01/03/2009 21:41

Hello all [waves]. I'm reading this thread with great interest as I would love to start some creative writing, but have no clue where to begin. I'd love to be able to write fiction, but feel absolutely bereft of ideas, themes, or characters. My life is essentially one of domestic drudgery and as a result my inttellect has got up and run away

So...what inspired you to start writing? (CharChar, I'm fascinated that you dreamt your novel! Had you written fiction before you had your 'lightbulb moment'?) Have you always wanted to write? Do you believe in the hackneyed cliche that 'everyone has a novel in them'?

Original poster
CharCharGabor · 01/03/2009 22:04

Hi ShortPedant! I've always written from childhood. I've never written anything good though Although I like what I've written recently. I've wanted to be a writer since I was about 7, shame is isn't that easy! The story dream was strange, it even had chapter headings Unfortunately I can't remember them!

The only thing I can say is look around and use your imagination. Maybe an idea will come to you. For example, I saw a woman a few months ago. Every time I glanced at her she seemed a different age. I only saw her for a few seconds but it gave me an idea for a story about a female scientist who had found out how to harness eternal life. In doing so she had upset the order of the universe and had to put it right. It's just how my mind works and explains why I can't remember anything

OP posts:
MerryPonymum · 01/03/2009 22:20

ShortPedant, you could look at this Short Story Generator to get you started with an idea? With one click you can generate a character, a setting, and a conflict. It's hosted by a lovely blogger-writer who has lots of useful tips on her site.

I always read this MN section with great interest. I write short stories for women's mags, nothing great but it makes a little bit of pocket money.

Wishing everyone good luck with their writing!

RosemaryBingle · 02/03/2009 07:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MerryPonymum · 02/03/2009 07:40

No writing course, no. I just read some of the stories already in the magazines (People's Friend and My Weekly) - and tried to get a feel for the stories and had a go. My first was rejected by PF but MW took it. I've sold about 16 now but I still get some rejected and always will, I expect - perseverance is 9/10 of the battle! No good giving up just because of rejections - every writer gets lots.

If you fancy trying People's Friend here's a webpage with their Guidelines about what they're looking for in a story. Woman's Weekly and Take a Break take more 'modern' stories.

This site JBWB is very useful for advice on writing short stories, and a list of magazines that take them. She also runs a quarterly competition with a low entry fee which is a good incentive, I find, to actually finish something! You can pay a little extra for a critique of your story, too, if you want one.

rosmerta · 02/03/2009 08:26

I've been reading the Take a Break ones to get a feel for the stories they print. I think that if I'm aiming for something then I'm more likely to finish it. My problem is I'll write something, but then reread it and I feel its never good enough to be sent out or even finished. How do you get over that?

MerryPonymum · 02/03/2009 08:50

How to finish it - just get those words down on the page. Make a small target if you feel it's not flowing - 50 words a day, perhaps, anyone can make time for 50 words and in a month you'd have a whole story that way ready to polish and revise. No excuses - no MN time until that 50 words is done and saved!

As for sending it out, don't be afraid of that. Magazines get hundreds of stories sent in a week and they reject a good deal of them, so keep that in mind if yours comes back - every rejection stings, no doubt about it, but you have to grit your teeth and think what good company you're in. Many people never even get as far as finishing one and sending it in so it's an achievement in itself. If yours is rejected, revise it again and try it somewhere else. And while it's out there doing the rounds, start on your next story.

And definitely buy a few mags you're hoping to submit to and study what they print. I find that hard myself but it has to be done. If you want to sell a story rather than just write, then you really do have to match it to an editor's requirements.

rosmerta · 02/03/2009 09:00

Thanks Merry! I tend to start writing, then reread it & decide its not good enough! But I will try it your way & not read it until its finished!!

Litchick · 02/03/2009 09:21

kickass - nearly all the reputable UK agents are listed in the Writer's Handbook. Each agent may have a slightly different proccess but it should be on their web site.
The standard way to sub is to send in

  • first three chapters of novel ( a4, bog standard font, double spacing )
  • synopsis
-covering letter -biog Some, though not many, do take email subs...check the website.

My advice would be to target carefully. Find out which agenst are particularly good for what kind of stuff. Then blitz.

Litchick · 02/03/2009 09:25

Rosmerta - I think it's definitely worth following the advice to just plough on and finish. Once you start tinkering mid-way, the worry worm starts sapping your confidence and the work doesn't get finished. I should say that this never goes away - I'm four books in and still think my current WIP is crapola.
Better to get that shitty first draft down on paper, put it away for a little while then polish.

PlumpRumpSoggyBaps · 02/03/2009 09:31

Hallo all!

Didn't know there was a section for this on here but I'm glad I've found you.

I'm two-thirds of the wasy through my 2nd book and can't seem to find the discipline to sit down and write regularly. There always seems to be something urgent to do....

Litchick, maybe you could give me an idea here?- I sent my first book in some years ago and it was rejected by all ten agents I chose. However two sent lovely replies saying they liked my style of writing etc but just felt they couldn't place it at that time. I was so fed up with that book by then that I stopped writing (other factors played a part too). When I started again I decided to start another one ( the one I'm currently working on)as I thought that possibly the first one was a bit thin, plot-wise. Wise idea? Or not? Am I right to take the agents' comments as encouraging?

RosemaryBingle · 02/03/2009 21:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

kickassangel · 02/03/2009 23:43

thanks for the advice litchick

think i will have a covert look into getting hold of writer's handbook.

is it just me, or is writing almost like a secret society, there appears to be no 'known' career path, although you'd think i'm an 'obvious' candidate, never had it suggested to me at school, uni etc. even finding out about agents, you seem to need to be 'in the know' to get that far. or am i just ignorant and missing something?

rosmerta · 03/03/2009 08:00

IKWYM Kickassangel (love your name!). It does feel like you have to know someone in the industry to get anywhere!

I recently went to an author's talk and they were saying the hardest thing about writing is the marketing. With Waterstones being pretty much the dominant bookseller and their 3 for 2 tables etc, if you don't get in there then you're pretty much hardly going to sell anything.

I'm sure most of you will have this but mslexia is a great magazine to subscribe to

RubberDuck · 03/03/2009 08:22

Oooo what a fab thread!

Hoping for some advice, I'm currently writing a short story (only in very very rough 1st draft stages yet!) - it was going to be a novel, but it's becoming clear that it's not going to be that sort of length.

The only problem is, I've only ever written novel length stories before (other than at school, obviously) and I have no idea about the structure/pace of a good short story although I have read enough of them!

Does anyone know of any good resources on the internet which have good guides on writing short stories? (genre: science fiction)

I doubt it's finished quality will be good enough to get published, but I'd like to be able to put the best I have into it.

RosemaryBingle · 03/03/2009 09:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Litchick · 03/03/2009 13:44

rosmerta - I know it seems like a closed shop sometimes but really it's not. When I subbed my first novel I didn't know anyon ein publishing, any agents or even any writers. I simply sent my tatty mss off to a few agents I picked out of the Handbook.
In many ways it's a meritocracy in that (sleb books aside) most of us are utterly unknown when we start out and we are judged by the words on the page and nothing more.
Good writing will find a way so don't be put off.
As for getting knock backs - well they happen to all writers. Sometimes a book won't get picked up because the market can't take it, because of the economy or whatever but good writers keep at it.
A firend of mine had five books rejected then her debut (actually her sixth book) was a roaring success and has been sold in a number of languages.

RubberDuck · 03/03/2009 14:24

Thank you Rosemary, I'll look at that

Litchick & Rosmerta - do either of you listen to the I Should Be Writing podcast? There was a really good interview on their this week with David Wellington author of a series of successful vampire novels. It took him over ten years of writing before he managed to sell anything.

What I found interesting was the theory that it takes writing one million words without anyone seeing them to get the skills, and I can totally believe that.

I've heard similar things from other heavily skill-based endeavours - that it takes 10,000 hours of practise to reach world-class proficiency. That's about 3 hours a day, 7 days a week for a period of 10 years.

I have a way to go... :/

I wonder how many writers who could have been amazing give up too early, though?

rosmerta · 03/03/2009 14:48

Rubberduck, very true! There seems to have been a few people published in the last couple of years who are in their 70s/80s so think how long they've been trying!