Young Writers Society

Let me get this out of the way: I have written maybe six or seven things in my life, all of which were short stories. I have read only a handful of books. (I've always had a lot of trouble paying attention to them for some reason. I lose focus after a few sentences and I start dwelling on random other things, and so I just never read much.)

However, oddly enough, I have a passion for writing. I want to express myself with words and worlds of my own creation. And I've been trying to, on and off, for a long time.

But I feel so lost when I try to write. I don't know how to plan my story or flesh it out. I don't know how I'm supposed to organize anything. I don't know any rules that I might not be aware of. I always feel like I'm doing things terribly wrong, and I rarely get more than a paragraph done before I give up.

The thing that pushes me over the edge on this is, I have a lot of anxiety regarding people judging what I write. I admit that I take negative criticism slightly personally, but I'm trying to get past that.

So now: is it because I never read much? Do I need to just read? Or do I need to just jump in and write things, even if I have no clue what I'm doing, and I feel like what I'm writing is terrible?

I'm sorry for the lousy topic... but I need some advice. I don't know how to begin actually writing.

The one true rule of writing: There is no right way, which means there is no wrong way. There is only you.

I don't read much, personally. I find it messes with my own characters. I used to read all the character guides only to discover they hamstrung me instead of helped. Not all advice is going to apply, and it took me awhile to realize what fit for me and what didn't. I wish I'd known that when I started writing, and had trusted myself more.

I started writing poetry cause lines started showing up in my head. I started writing prose to keep in touch with a friend, just throwing characters into a situation and seeing how they'd get out. Then I went into information overload and had to take a break from gathering advice to figure out what I actually wanted to write, and how I wanted to write it.

Reviewing helped me a lot, because I learned what I liked and what I didn't. Reading other reviews also helped, because I found out what other people liked and didn't. But that wasn't really needed.

The one thing a writer gets to learn is to trust themselves. Trust that the story is worth telling, trust that they'll have the passion to carry them through writing.

Start thinking about what you want to say and how you want to say it. Let any idea at all come. Write out what ideas you get, however you want to write them. Keep writing. Reread, and see if you could improve anything. If you can, do so. Repeat until you're happy with it, then let it sit again. Show your writing to others and see how they like it. Make sure they're not just going to gush because you wrote it, and anything they say will be constructive. Take their advice, weigh it with what you want to do, debate with them a little, apply what advice you like to your work.

Repeat the process till the person you're showing the work is an agent or publisher. If your work is accepted, repeat the process for a new story. If you're rejected, edit the work again or start a new one.

Simply write. Everything else is just differences in technique.

Hey there Lyrc Alf here to share a thing or two on writing. You've inquired some really serious stuff there, things which can either build or destroy a beautiful future of writing. Well, here's what I can say...

First off, you've shared that you don't read books much. See, the thing here is that writing is somehow connected to leadership; you can't be the best leader without being the best follower. In writing, you might need to be a good reader to be the best writer.

See, reading and writing are truly conjoined to each other, as if twins by birth, thank the world, and, me having the similar dilemma as years ago, reading is the best practice for writing if not writing itself. Not only will you learn words, you'd also see how plot goes, how the author established subplots, how the characters were built, how aesthetics were analyzed, everything about expressing yourself. Oh, and the reading I'm talking about is perusing novels and stories and poems, not scanning self-help books which can only drag your writing (since you're trying to keep up with everything you've learned).

The prob you have now is that you have a short attention span in reading. Well, I believe that it's not you who's got the problem, but the book itself. You see, the book one would read does not require real age, instead it tracks your reading age. If you're really not used to paying attention to emotional, melodramatic teen fiction i.e. Twilight , then start reading young adult novels (not coloring or story books!) like Rick Riordan's Olympians and/or Suzzanne Collins' Hunger Games. Believe me, you won't bring their novels down, because you can see all the action. It's not fit to read a heavy, 1000 page war novel without building interest on war novels themselves. Starting to read will really help you learn how to express, not only write.

Other than reading novels, try reading other pieces too, like poetry, stories and scripts. Analyzing them well by giving a review can help a lot; you'll see the style of each and everyone. You see, it's also important to find your style. You'll be glad to write knowing it

The primary fling your in is how to start writing. I think the burden you're carrying is all on yourself. You see, in writing, not minding technical stuff, there is no way to write other than trying to express what you see, feel, hear, believe in, everything. To actually start writing, you needn't prepare the perfect spot, get the proper tools, read up on writing handbooks; you just need to type, write or ink. think of a scene and write it down. Don't mind any mistake or poor build-ups in any field. Just write. You can EDIT later, when you're done. You can even change EVERYTHING, from the start to finish, as long as you're in the writing mood. What you need is to find the scene you'd like to start on, then jot. When you're uncomfortable without preparation for the battle (like me), then you can research, save up build-ups, note down scenes in advance, but do everything days or hours before, so that you can relax yourself while writing.

So, I think that's it. Just remember: (1) find your reading pace, and (2) just begin, anywhere, any time, anything!

Good luck writing! I know you can do it. Happy holidays!

Your pal,
Al

Me too, however, my advice is to write whatever gibberish you fancy writing onto your page and stare at it. Then, you should be able to sense a plot coming along. You can't write a story without words, so write words. Whatever they are, write them, and then you have a story coming along. Remember, you can always edit your writing.