Wow! Lets see if i can remember how to post on this site its been so long! lol

Growing up, i have always enjoyed writing. Even from the age i first learnt to read & write, i wrote stories, poems, plays etc whenever i could.

Sounds pretty sad maybe i don't know. But it's something i've never really got out of. Even now i find myself on my days off (NOT MANY!! LOL) starting to write something.

The question is, i have so many ideas etc, but i have no idea where to start when it comes to actually writing something.

Without sounding big headed...I reckon i could write a brilliant novel, or a big hit screen play.

I just don't honestly know where to start. Does anyone know if there are programs out there that help with layouts etc of these types of projects?

Anyone also find themselves writing whenever they can also?

ty

You sound like me! I have written for as long as I can remember. I am currently writing a novel in my spare time.

I pegged one good character and fleshed her out with a world and a history. Then I wrote a basic outline of where I wanted it to go and when.

I also wrote histories of the supporting characters and world that they live in. It's amazing how much of the book was written before I even started because of these things. It just became a matter of connecting the dots and laying out the info in the order I want it told. Story telling is more than just the plot...it's taste and smell and texture that gets developed when you enrich your characters.

Keep it up!Good luck!


um umm um um um um um...it' THAT good.

But Wesley, What of the R.O.U.Ses?
Rodents of Unusual Size? I don't believe in them.

Me too!! I started writing a novel and even if it comes to nothing i am having a whale of a time doing it!! Have written loads of other stuff along the way too. Then about 3 months ago i had this terrible notion that it was all wrong and a load of tosh. I bought a book called 'how to write a damn good novel' and i know that many people say that these books do more harm than good but, even though i had done it my own way without any input and i changed nothing to follow the rules of the book, it reassurred me that i was doing things the right way for me and my own aims. The most universal piece of advice i've had is that your research is reading the type of book you want to write to see how they do it. How it flows, how they create mood and character profile. And it should be fun. If its not then you're trying too hard which is never good!! Disappear in your new world!!


Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your own living room

I shared your problem - and solved it!
I too loved writing. I always wanted to write, but somehow having to earn a living got in the way. Although I was fortunate to need to do a lot of business writing in my job - advertising, product descriptions, tutorials, business plans, etc - I found myself losing the ability to write good descriptive fiction.
Now retired, I decided to write a novel, but found myself completely stuck. I solved the problem this way: First, bought some writer's software. Lots of it out there, but I found CHARACTER PRO, WRITE IT NOW, and NEW NOVELIST suited my wants. I build characters in Character Pro, write in Write It Now (wonderful for tracking ideas, timelines, character descriptions, et) and use New Novelist (which I found too buggy to use much) to map out the plot so that it conforms to recommended sequencing.
Next, I purchased WORD MENU and downloaded WORDWEB - equipping me with excellent Dictionary and Thesaurus tools.
Two books - Word Magic for Writers by Cindy Rogers, and The Art of Compelling Fiction by Christopher T. Leland proved invaluable, and I study them constantly for tips on how to write well.
It's essential to read, read and read some more! Study style. Write notes about what works. Record great descriptions. Read works by the best and most popular fiction writers. I find I need to read each book twice at least - once to get the story, and once to note all the clever literary tricks that make the writing great.
Finally, I started to write regularly - anything at all! A daily diary, letters, stories, descriptions of places I went to (take a note pad on a picnic and describe the scene, walk to the park at sunset and describe the light show, sit in the park and write descriptions of the people you see - make up stories about them and write their imaginary life story). You may find much of this scribble can be incorporated into your novel. You never know when you might need to describe a beach or a sunset, or introduce an extra character briefly!
Getting into the novel involved a couple of false starts, but the best way to start is to start. You can always go back and re-do it! It's far better to write rubbish than nothing.
Write for a set amount of time per day, or write a set number of pages, regardless of what it is. The discipline of doing that is essential if you are going to succeed at creating a winning novel.
There's just one more thing I found helpful - a supporter! If you can, find at least one person who believes in your ability and is willing to be encouraging, but also helpfully critical. Listen to them carefully and respond to them selectively - it's YOUR story and YOUR style, and it should stay that way, but their interest and encouragement will prove solid gold. Almost every successful writer acknowledges a "rock", without whom their work might never have been completed!
My novel is almost half done, and I'm enjoying the work and confident of success.
I hope I've been some help. Best wishes for your success!
(BTW. Everyone has at least one great novel in them. It's just a matter of mastering the art of writing it! You CAN do it!)