Young Writers Society

ya. i have hardcore story-writing issues. i always have good ideas and begginnings, but after ive gotten a couple pages into them, i get stuck/ and or bored and i just say screw this and abandon them. im working on one now and i like the begginning alot, but im having a hard time keeping myself motivated. any body have the same problem? how bout some tips?

I have the exact same problem. I get really into writing a story, but end up only writing the first few pages and never revisit it.

Unfortunately, I haven't found a good solution. All I can say is to just keep on writing. Eventually you'll come across an idea that really appeals to you and makes you keep writing that one story. Happens to me every now and then.

Also, just try keeping them short. Most of my stories are no more than four pages long because I know that I usually lose interest after that point.

I have that problem sometimes. When I do, I often go back and start looking at how I can make the writing more of a challenge for myself, either in the style it's written in or the point of view or just trying something different with descriptions or dialouge. It keeps me more interested in what I'm doing.

Other than that, all I can say is that if you're not motivated now, put it aside and come back to it later.

Or if that idea doesn't appeal to you, try setting a minimum number of words that you have to add to it each day. I wrote one story when I made myself add at least twenty words to it each day. When I wanted to, I did more, but it kept me working at it when I didn't feel like it.

thanks guys!! nate, i wish i could keep my stories short, but for me short stories are waaaay harder. but thanks for encouraging me, and thanks for the tips, duskglimmer.

Force yourself to write. Tell yourself that this is going to be the crappiest writing ever, and write it, just for laughs. You'll find that you get it done.

Join a storybook RPG. This helped me so much that I heartilly recommend it to anyone. Because you're writing with other people and don't want to let them down, you end up writing more and more, which will give you confidence to write your own stories.

I have the same problem rivergirl and to be honest I don't have a solution but, what I normally do is write a few pages and move on to another story and when I get bored of that story I will go back to the other one. So, I kinda juggle two stories at once.

thanks so much everyone!! right now i am taking snoinks advice: forcing myself to write even if its crap. it makes me so sad to see a good story go downhill though...

oh well. its not actually going ALL that bad, i just like the beginning alot better than wher im at now...

I like to post my stories here, even if they're not finished!

If other people like them, its very incouraging, and then I want to right more!

Actually, ^^^ all that is just one big scheme to get you to show me your stuff. Do so imidietly. Heh heh, I kid, I kid!

I'd go off on a wing to guess most writers have a hard time with keeping a story alive (is there a record for the longest one on here?) There was some good advice about trying to write a minimum a day; if you want to write longer stories, it is more important to write before you question if it’s good (you can't ruin a story if you haven't written it! This will give you length and time to develop more thoroughly.) If your looking to try different techniques, look at perceptions, behaviors and responses, confusion to make them guess- don’t give all the answers, more/less dialogue, more sides to a person (its always a good time to build character's idiocy and realistic qualities).... Just go all out on this one story that’s bugging you. Even if it turns out nothing more than entertaining in the end, you can just vow to write the next one better! Every writer also needs reviews to build confidence... what your doing is not pointless, let us show you why. I'd recommend a certain enthusiastic person who posted for a review *looks around and whistles* wonder who that is. If you need a break for a day or two to build a new idea, take it. It can pay off with a good idea. If you're just lazy, I'll prod you with a stick until you get moving again.

There's alway ... ok, I predict half the people with object to this, the other half will agree, and the last half will shrug or go "meh" (at least in their heads, even if they don't post) (and yes I realise that I just used three halves) ... plotting.

It does help a bit to have it thought out in front of you, and especially to have a scene you're looking forward to writing so you really try to reach it ... and then a little after that you know there will be another scene you are dying to write. But it's not for everyone and sometimes it just doesn't work with some stories, and sometimes it just doesn't work fullstop. But the stories I have plotted to some degree have all gone way way way further than ones I havn't. About 20 thousand words, or nearly 40 thousand words ... that kind of further. So I'd recomend you give it a go. If you're already doing that, and it's not working, then I have one more idea ...

You've got to get involved with this story. Bleed into it. Something terrible happens to you in real life, into the pot it goes (heavily disguised, naturally). This sounds evil and mean, but get your revenge through your story. You don't have to show anyone, know one has to know, but if it's there ... then it's something. If you've got something to prove, something to fight for, and that's how you deal with it, then you are going to be a lot more motivated to write. Write for something, write for someone (the yourself that's always telling you you can't do things is fine, no one said you have to write for someone real) and tell the world how it is to you. Might help. It can be tough to do though.

But there will always be times when you can't face writing or aren't motivated to write, even if you become the world's greatest novelist in everyone's opinion and make world peace. It'll still happen sometimes.

If you get a chance next year, join NaNoWriMo. And try to download the free report card that can be found somewhere within the forums of that site. You'll be able to see your progress and have a reason to write a LOT. I wrote more in one month on a crappy story than I wrote in an entire year on my currently paused novel, lol. And don't worry about your writing "going downhill," because that's what editing is for! If you wait until the end to edit, you'll have a much better chance of finishing.

Another thing you might do is focus on one scene at a time. That will break the story up into little pieces you can work on. Also, if you have alternating viewpoints, it can help to keep the story fresh for you.

I think the best advice is to sit down, choose one of these tips, set a time limit for yourself, and do nothing but write for that entire time limit. During NaNoWriMo I participated in 30-minute word wars in which we would type as many words as we could on our story for 30 minutes. I found I could type around 1000 words in half an hour, which really helped out my wordcount.

Good luck, and remember to have fun along the way.

force yourself, it's the only way. Forcing yourself doesn't mean it will be the best writing, but you'l be fishing in your head for ways to continue the story, and, in the end, you'll have a fairly feasible plot that you can then retrack to and improve on the days when thecreative juices are flowing. Also, find a time in the day when you have time to yourself, when it's just you, no interruptions, no needs, no problems, just you, and reserve that time specifically for writing. Even if you lack ideas, just shove words out, and eventually, something good will come out of it, because one of those words, or a phrase, or a sentence, can trigger one heck of a plot bunny attack. Hope this helps!

thanks!! umm.. what the heck is a plot bunny attack?

im really curious...

I have the exact same problem sometimes i get to the middle but rarely. And then I give up and start a new story hence why I have so many stories and few finished. good luck if you come up with a solutions give me bell.