{ ＩＮＫＬＩＮＧＳ v.4 } A Thread For Writers

[Spotted.Newt]

Thank you to everyone who responded to my question! It's quite nice to know that I, not the only one who struggles with this, even if nobody really had a solution. Perhaps this is just the suffering of writers, to be plagued by ideas not ready to be written.

• Do you ever have a character, setting, or idea that won't leave you alone, but you can't seem to write a good story? What do you do?

• ~snip~
  I'm not putting that worldbuilding to waste, so I think I'll pull a Rowling and add side stories and books like 'the history of empath psycology' or something neat like that. It's just a wee bit frustrating for now, though!

This is actually a great idea. I never considered writing side stories/history/etc. first, I always figured I needed my main story done before putting together side stories. But, like you, I have done a lot of world building (in two separate worlds) and have a set of main characters for one world. I've even written individual chapters/excerpts. So, I might go ahead and compile my worldbuilding into a history book. At the very least, I'll have something to refer back to!

[scoopyfrog]

Does anyone else do the thing where you write out of order? Sometimes writing the end before you have most of the middle? And lots of the middle, but you're stuck on chapter 3 and can't get past it? That's where I'm at. I have 17,000 words but only the first 3 chapters and part of the 4th are consecutively completed.

[NopesaurusRexx]

Does anyone else do the thing where you write out of order? Sometimes writing the end before you have most of the middle? And lots of the middle, but you're stuck on chapter 3 and can't get past it? That's where I'm at. I have 17,000 words but only the first 3 chapters and part of the 4th are consecutively completed.

You're definitely not alone. I do this all the time. It was actually recommended in one of my creative writing classes that if you get stuck, make a note and keep going so you aren't sitting there irritated for a long period of time.
I also get ideas randomly and so I have a document of random scenes from multiple different ideas that are in no consecutive order at all.

[ScarDolphin]

I've submitted three chapters of a book I'm working on to Worthy of Publishing! This website is an excellent platform for serious writers to gain feedback on their work before it's published, and the site is also populated by registered publishers who look through work! If any of you would like to read it and leave me a review to help me out, that would be amazing!

http://www.worthyofpublishing.com/book. ... k_ID=35082

I've only read the first chapter due to lack of time, but it really is amazing so far! It sure kept me interested and I'm excited to read more once I find the time c:

[Aliria]

Do you ever have a character, setting, or idea that won't leave you alone, but you can't seem to write a good story? What do you do? 
Alllllllllllllwayyyyyyys. Usually I have characters, but only vague ideas for a story which never feel like they're going the right way when I try to write them. Currently I have this one group of characters (Amalia, Ellis, Cygnus, and Felix) who have featured in many random drabbles, but refuse to go near an actual coherent plotline no matter what I do.

[scoopyfrog]

Do you ever have a character, setting, or idea that won't leave you alone, but you can't seem to write a good story? What do you do? 

I have...so many characters.

Jimothy Lancaster: Happy, Southern nurse's aide in 1940s New York
Naya Mullur: British-Indian student at a present-day Canadian university
Briar Olstein: Blind only child of a wealthy family in 1860s Pennsylvania
Oskar Eriksson: 1860s Swedish immigrant who died on the ship
Renn Hastor: Lonely scavenger in space
Ira Ripley: Alcoholic rancher in 1830s Colorado Terr.
Warren Chesterfield: Young, anxious doctor in 1830s Colorado Terr.
Dane Moore: Bratty pirate in 1720s England
Madai Stendahl: Very rich guy running from a pandemic, 2030s New York
Sanna Spiros: 1920s Greek immigrant in San Francisco, has lightning magic
Poema: Mer-person banished from his home and turned human, ancient Polynesia
Cecil Dawson: 1880s bookshop owner who can see ghosts

I love them all, they're all so detailed and well-worked...I just don't know what to do with them other than create RPs based around them

[blackbird.]

if you had to die, what would be your preferred way of going out? what death do you fear dying, and hope to escape?
i suppose for most of my characters, a nice peaceful death would be ideal. preferably dying of old age, after all their life goals have been achieved. it just depends on what my characters' life goals are, and while some are difficult and may take their whole lives, others are easier to achieve. for some of my characters, i think they'd like a rather glorious death (take tj and his thirst for revolution, or alistair and his strong willingness to die for the people he loves), but for most they'd much rather be alive than dead.

do you ever have a character, setting, or idea that won't leave you alone, but you can't seem to write a good story? what do you do?
there's this one story that has been constantly nagging at me about redemption and forgiveness, but it's a monstrosity to write, because the story arc is just so broad, and there's loads of research that i have to do to make sure it doesn't sound cheesy and unrealistic, and the hardest part is the fact that i intend to have it packed with imagery and symbolism and layers of meaning with the way it's structured and the events/people in it. and after all that's planned out, i feel i still wouldn't have the literary maturity to write it. so for now, i'm just slowly working on it and building up my repertoire and maturity by tackling far smaller but slightly similar projects.

[leiawolfe]

Hello everybody!!
What did I miss? XD I'm in Japan now for a holiday so I couldn't reply to anything whilst on the plane from Australia-Singapore-Japan.
But Japan has actualy inspired me about what to write next - for example-

-It has a chilling sort of cold that runs right through everything and makes it cold
-It has cupboards for blankets that you can hang out/sleep in (a secret portal in a book?)
-The overall style of Japanese houses (some paper walls etc. - you might be able to walk through them in a book to another destination?)

-
This kind of thing, lol.

Oh, and I was at Singapore airport for a couple hours too

-Beautiful and creative decorations around the place (could write this for an unusual destination the character has never been to)
-A humid sort of weather
-Everything is a city! (Again, maybe a strange destinaion the character hasn't seen)
-

Soooo yeah. Am I taking this too seriously?

[Pyjaks]

Noo that's awesome Leia, I'm glad traveling is giving you so much inspiration

[Ranger of the North]

I don't know if it's possible to take what you love 'too seriously' CX
That does sound awesome! Let those creative-juices flow~ :p