Story Writing Advice

[HighPlainsSquinter]

Trying to write a story for a fan project, and could use some tips, because right now all I've got is a collection of random scenes floating around my head with no idea how to piece them together or whether they'll even work.

So yeah, any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: I'm writing for a (hypothetical) fan-film, to be precise. I need plot, dialogue and characterization tips more than writing tips.

 

[JRCB]

Try to work out what you want to be the beginning, middle, and end. You can find a way to sew them together once you do that.

As well, remember: characters are more interesting with flaws!

 

[TheAceTheOne]

I'm a bit of a writer on my off time. What scenes do you have in mind? Any specific character types or a general way you want the story to go? With a bit more info, I might be able to help out.

Edit: Added you, you can message me if you would rather keep your ideas private.

Edit (again): I know, I know, not much advice. I usually get a vague layout set up in my head before I write anything, and then I kind of let it flow. I might be able to offer specific suggestions if you message me or give me specific information. If your scenes are very, very different from one another, you might consider making them into separate stories. If you have one constant character, try to define his or her abilities and motivation.

Example: "Detective Steve Stevenson's motivation is to avenge the death of his best friend and solve the murder of a prominent local boxer. His abilities: Detective training, combat tour in WWII. More detail: Strong sense of justice, won't take no for an answer, a capable athlete, and usually prefers peaceful solutions to violence."

Another bit of advice, I'd say, is define a logical setting. A detective seeking information on a local boxer wouldn't be in a swamp town in Louisiana unless he tracked the culprit down there for a showdown, which would (probably) be at the end of the story.

If you're writing it just for fun, try different writing styles.

Let the ideas flow, even if they're nonsensical. Experiment, work with any tiny idea that you think is cool, and try to logically make it fit into the setting and the style of writing you're working with.

I dunno if I'm helping or coming across as a blowhard or a teacher-wannabe, but I hope I'm helping out.

 

[Fwee]

I'd say lay out your scenes (by brief description) on post-it notes or notecards, and just have them sitting out so you can look at them and try to map out how they fit together. Start drawing in arrows pointing from one to the other with motivations or events to get them chained together.
Can't think of any other advice at this moment, but I'll offer encouragement:
You're already way farther than I usually get, so keep up the good work!

 

[freakydan]

Unless you're on a deadline, don't try to force it. That's a good way to get writer's block. Just give it serious thought, and as soon as inspiration hits you.

Beside that, maybe try writing down the scenes and don't worry about the beginning yet. If you get the scenes down, and you can connect them together, maybe you can figure out where the logical starting point is.

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

Well, if it's a fan project, just try and treat it as a standalone story. Don't assume that your readers are fans just as much as you are.

And make sure you keep characterization in mind. If you have scenes you want to play out, you need to make sure your characters are the kinds of people who would do them.

And what I do to piece together different scenes is try and figure out a logical pattern. Like if there's a war, and you have a bunch of battles, you can try to figure out which would go where by who's supposed to be winning or losing at the time.

 

[Phlakes]

One thing I remember from the commentary for one of Yahtzee's games (probably 5 Days), he said that when he would think of stories he would just stick characters into a situation with no idea how it would unfold and let it develop itself. I tried some serious writing before I saw that, and I had this decent idea with a kick-ass second half, but naturally I needed a first half too. So everything from the beginning felt like filler and was extremely tedious to write because I wanted to get to the parts I thought were exciting.

Basically what I'm getting at is try not to have the story just be context for the scenes you've already come up with or you'll end up like me. Start wherever you want with whatever you want and let it unfold naturally, let the story basically write itself and then find where those scenes can fit in.

 

[Shadu]

It's always good to know the resolution, so you have a plan. If you're constantly working towards the end, and you know your direction, it shows. Things tend to turn out better.

Also, if you have scenes in mind, it might help getting the creative juices flowing if you write them now and worry about connecting them later.

 

[ScarletRider]

Fan project, eh? If nothing else, try to stay true to the inspiration. Keep the characters true to themselves, and try not to force any changes that don't mesh with the established characterization, at least not without prior build up in your story.

Just my two bits.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Think of a very basic sequence of events. Now, write the events, in a basic order, on a list of some sort; I found it's best just to open Word and use the bullet list.

Now, take each bullet and flesh out just what will happen in said event. When that's done and done, see how far that will take you into the story.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

Write the scenes you got and then think up a way to connect them.

Get it all down first, fix it later.

If something doesn't work, rework it. If it still doesn't work, joss it and file the idea away for later use.

When it all begins to seem like shit (and it will), go do something else for an hour or two and then come back to it. You'll either see what the problem is or suddenly be totally cool with it.

Keep the fuck at it. It won't be a walk in the park, it'll take hard work and effort to get it finished. If you suddenly decide you don't want to do it any more, tough shit, do it anyway.

And some other things writers sometimes say that I can't remember.

 

[tharinock]

Don't start by writing the story in order. Write down every idea you have, make sure it's all concrete somewhere. Don't worry about organization. Also, try not to think of it in terms of scenes. Remember that you are not writing a movie, you are writing a short story/novel type thing.

Anyway, after you have your random ideas written, maybe give them to a competent friend, preferably one who likes to read. I can almost guarantee he will take 90% of your ideas and say "wtf is this, it looks retarded." No offense to you, just things always sound so much more awesome in our heads. But the other 10%, he may say something like "This looks pretty cool, maybe if you could develop these a little more." If you don't have a capable friend to do that you can always try to do it yourself. And remember, don't be afraid to trash any amount of work at any point. Even if you have to start over from the beginning.

If you are creating your own characters, create compelling back stories, and try to develop them realistically. If you are using pre-existing characters, make sure you know the characters well and make sure that their actions fit their personalities.

 

[Alssadar]

Don't be frustrated if the first idea doesn't work out so well.
Trust me, I'm on my 5th revision of this one story I'm writing, it just keeps getting better and better.

 

[TheAceTheOne]

... So everything from the beginning felt like filler and was extremely tedious to write because I wanted to get to the parts I thought were exciting....

I have sooo been there. It sucks, because you know you have amazing ideas, but you want to jump into the action. I've kind of stopped that, and started writing from the beginning of a story, usually with a vague notion of how I want the story to begin, rather than what I want to happen in the middle of the story. I just let it all flow, and it usually comes out decently.

 

[teqrevisited]

Take your draft and apply it to one or more of the main archetypes (The Quest, The Voyage and Return, Overcoming the Monster etc) then assign your characters and plot devices their roles. I find if I have trouble fleshing out a character, I imagine things that they might keep about their person that would identify traits about them.

If all else fails, there're always the rules of three and seven (and multiples thereof).

 

[Rems]

The best tip i have for aspiring writers is show don't tell. Don't tell the reader what is happening, or what a character is doing, show it.

A simplistic example from off the top of my head; telling would be: Bob saw the enemy in the window and shot his rifle. His target fell, dead.
Showing would be: Bob spied movement in the second story window across the street, a sudden flash of red cloth catching his eye. Sighting down the barrel of his bolt action rifle he carressed the trigger, waiting for the perfect shot. The grain of the wooden stock rubbed agaisnt his check as bob steadied his breathing. Exhaling sfotly, his breath misting before him in the cool dawn, his finger pulled gently on the trigger. Instantly a harsh crack echoed throughout the area as his round found its mark, his target slumping over with a hole drilled through his head.

The second example is much more descriptive and interesting, drawing the reader in and sustaining interest. This applies to emotions and feelings aswell as interactions with other characters. Don't tell us that bob is friends with kyle, show us. Describe their easy comraderie and the little things like shared jokes and smiles that show the reader these two characters are friends without you having to explictly state it.

Show us what the characters are feeling, what their surroundings are like. Do bob's boots making a slapping sound against the concrete, does the jungle heat send beads of sweat down his collar, tickling his spine?

Show, don't tell is the best tip i can give an aspiring writer in terms of actually improving his writing. Most of the other stuff is just structural; plan out your stories, use puncuation, re read your work, write your story with structure, even if's its not the typical begging middle and end.

Storyboard out your main scenes and ideas, then plan out how you can link those scenes together. Get into your cahracter's heads, what are they doing, what are their motivations?

 

[Reaper195]

Trying to write a story for a fan project, and could use some tips, because right now all I've got is a collection of random scenes floating around my head with no idea how to piece them together or whether they'll even work.

So yeah, any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Stick the scenes in any order and then try and connect them with a flimsy plot. Then, once it's finished, rewirte it in a professional manor. I do this and it works rather well.

And also, is that Roland Deschain in your avatar?

 

[HighPlainsSquinter]

Remember that you are not writing a movie, you are writing a short story/novel type thing.

I am writing for a (theoretical) movie, actually.

And also, is that Roland Deschain in your avatar?

Er, no. It's supposed to be Clint Eastwood.

 

[TheAceTheOne]

The best tip i have for aspiring writers is show don't tell. Don't tell the reader what is happening, or what a character is doing, show it.

A simplistic example from off the top of my head; telling would be: Bob saw the enemy in the window and shot his rifle. His target fell, dead.
Showing would be: Bob spied movement in the second story window across the street, a sudden flash of red cloth catching his eye. Sighting down the barrel of his bolt action rifle he carressed the trigger, waiting for the perfect shot. The grain of the wooden stock rubbed agaisnt his check as bob steadied his breathing. Exhaling sfotly, his breath misting before him in the cool dawn, his finger pulled gently on the trigger. Instantly a harsh crack echoed throughout the area as his round found its mark, his target slumping over with a hole drilled through his head.

The second example is much more descriptive and interesting, drawing the reader in and sustaining interest. This applies to emotions and feelings aswell as interactions with other characters. Don't tell us that bob is friends with kyle, show us. Describe their easy comraderie and the little things like shared jokes and smiles that show the reader these two characters are friends without you having to explictly state it.

Show us what the characters are feeling, what their surroundings are like. Do bob's boots making a slapping sound against the concrete, does the jungle heat send beads of sweat down his collar, tickling his spine?

Show, don't tell is the best tip i can give an aspiring writer in terms of actually improving his writing. Most of the other stuff is just structural; plan out your stories, use puncuation, re read your work, write your story with structure, even if's its not the typical begging middle and end.

Storyboard out your main scenes and ideas, then plan out how you can link those scenes together. Get into your cahracter's heads, what are they doing, what are their motivations?

You know of the show-don't-tell method too? You sound just like Dr. Gauen (my English teacher). That advice has led me to really enjoy writing, and I think my writing is better for it.

 

[Servallier]

As it's a fan project, there's a question that needs to be asked:

Is it a project that either allows for or encourages OC's (Original Characters, i.e. Warhammer, Elder Scrolls etc), or is it one where there's little to no scope for that, and as such you are writing from the POV of the characters from whatever it is you're fanning over?

If the former, and you plan on using Original Characters, you first need to build them from the bottom up. Get a good idea of what they look like, how they act, what their quirks are, what their flaws are, why they hate parakeets that much etc. Another thing you'll want to avoid, espiecially with OC's, is Mary Sue Syndrome, wherein the character is basically "I am like unto a god, fear meh!" make sure that the combat/romance/whatever difficulty curve is believable. Throwing a combat monstrosity cyborg into a setting where they've only just got fire sorted is Mary Sue. Taking that same combat monster and putting them into a setting where such monstrosities are commonplace, some as powerful, some more, some less, but giving your character that one little quirk that gives them a believably decent victory rate is not. The same can be applied to romantic stories, dropping a good-looking girl into an all boys school means that she pretty much has the pick of the ones that aren't gay, that same girl in a mixed school has to sit back and think about what she wants/needs and how she is going to get it.

If it's not an OC-friendly setting, then the characters need to be developed from the top down. Go back over the series/game/whatever and watch the characters, how they interact differently with different characters, what are their speech patterns, what are their behavioural quirks, their history, why they need to drop f-bombs every third word etc, and take notes. It may be a bit tedious, but unless you understand the characters you love so much, you risk making them look bad, which you (mostly) don't want.

When you sit down to actually do the writing, let it flow, don't force it, take breaks, refer to any notes that you make have made in the run up to your writing session. Don't be afraid to delete whole pages of content if it's not working the way you want it to do.

As far as I'm concerned, fan projects are a good way to actually get into writing, especially with the character development side of things.

If it helps, put on some instrumental music. The lack of voice in the the music will give you some relaxation and inspiration without putting words into your mouth.

hope this helped, happy writing