How I Write a Story

[Jassy Melson]

First of all, an urge will come over me to write a story in a certain genre or with a certain subject matter. Then I let my imagination go and see if I can come up with a story that is not a repeat of any story I've written or that I've read. I work out a general outline in my head. Then I visualize and audiolize each scene in my head before I write it. That means that I actually picture the scene in my mind and say the words audibly before I write. Only then will I begin writing. I try to include only enough description and dialogue to enable the reader to visualize and “hear” the story. I try to be as realistic as possible, avoiding cliches and over-used phrases and words. I strive for variety in both the characters and the story. I try to make each character distinct and different than any other character. I try to follow the classical format of an introduction and/or beginning, a middle and/or body, and an ending and/or conclusion. I always try to have a resolution in the story. I also try to leave as much as I can to the reader's imagination, and to avoid over-description. I attempt to stay away from exaggeration and incongruity. All my characters and the story itself are grounded in concrete reality—unless I am writing a supernatural, sci-fi or fantasy story. I revise each story I write four or five times before I submit it. I am always on the lookout for grammatical mistakes and run-on sentences. I'll let the story set for a few days, or weeks, or even months, and then I'll read it objectively—putting myself in the reader's place. Lastly, I will submit the story to publications that only pay a goodly sum for publication of stories. And that's it. That's how I write a story.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Cool story, bro.

[Buh4Bee]

I agree that this is probably how most amateur writer's approach a story. Do you do anything unusual that makes your writing stylistically your own? Personally, I do not currently write enough to answer the question myself.

[Darcy88]

I begin with a vision of a climactic scene and then try to get my character there, making the road as interesting as possible. That's how I write a story. I begin with the ending and then make it up as I go. If its a really long story or my novel I come to know the characters like I know my family and friends. I live with them. I know them to their cores. I make them as interesting as possible. I like writing about artists and adventurers. I try to make their thoughts unorthodox.

I am all about character and style. My writing is grounded in character and style. Now I am working hard at mastering dialogue and it is a lot of fun.

[Jassy Melson]

I'd say most serious writers amateur or professional write with the same approach I do.

[Charles Darnay]

I'm a lot like Darcy, except for starting at the end. I cannot do that. In fact, endings tend to be my weak point. I start with a character and a problem, throw him/her/them in a time/place and like watching lab rats run around, see what happens. My stories as well tend to be grounded in character.

[The Truth]

I take various scenes I have written down over a period of time and patch them together to make something cohesive and beautiful.

[Red Hot Soho]

I take various scenes I have written down over a period of time and patch them together to make something cohesive and beautiful.


Let's see the beauty.

[The Truth]

Let's see the beauty.

I've posted some of my poetry on here. :D

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70322

[Darcy88]

Now I am having immense difficulty with keeping my own life, my own experiences out of my novel. I want this novel to be somewhat more feel-good than my last long story. I want my character to be stronger than I am and my more autobiographical character was. I do this by introducing minor characters who have my same struggles.

I am also having a lot of fun putting into my novel my ideal woman - strong, independent, almost rugged and butch. The main female character of my novel lives in the middle of nowhere by herself with her dog and hunts with a 22 for small game and fetches water from a river nearby her cabin.

I need to introduce a really depressed and anxious character. My main character is very human, he has moments of freaking out, but I do not label him with any psychological disorders. He is strong. His struggles are with love and with the passionless and judgmental nature of society.

Writing a novel is much different than a short story. I feel like I have more freedom. The scope is simply vast, amazingly vast in comparison. And each part, each story within the overall story is simply what before the writing of this novel would have been a short story.

[Bonsai Ent]

I usually feed a dictionary, some local papers, a porn DVD and six jugs of coffee to a pig. Leave for 4 hours, cut it open, retrieve the resulting sludge from its stomach and paint myself with it.
Then I climb a tree, drink a quart of scotch, and shout threatening things at the moon or any passer by who gets too close. When I fall out of the tree I phone up a few ex girlfriends, throw up, have a crap and solve a crossword puzzle. Then I usually break into Salmon Rushdie's place and roll in the grass until the ex-military bodyguards catch me and chuck me out.
I sleep it off in a police cell, wake up, smoke a cigarette and write a story.

I've got an MA in creative writing so I can assure you that this is the technique most pro writers use.

[Delta40]

I usually feed a dictionary, some local papers, a porn DVD and six jugs of coffee to a pig. Leave for 4 hours, cut it open, retrieve the resulting sludge from its stomach and paint myself with it.
Then I climb a tree, drink a quart of scotch, and shout threatening things at the moon or any passer by who gets too close. When I fall out of the tree I phone up a few ex girlfriends, throw up, have a crap and solve a crossword puzzle. Then I usually break into Salmon Rushdie's place and roll in the grass until the ex-military bodyguards catch me and chuck me out.
I sleep it off in a police cell, wake up, smoke a cigarette and write a story.

I've got an MA in creative writing so I can assure you that this is the technique most pro writers use.

Is it a quick crossword or a cryptic because I find the cryptic works best for me. If I just do a quick crossword then the inspiration isn't quite as forthcoming and the pigsludge doesn't resonate as well as it could

[Bonsai Ent]

Is it a quick crossword or a cryptic because I find the cryptic works best for me. If I just do a quick crossword then the inspiration isn't quite as forthcoming and the pigsludge doesn't resonate as well as it could

I usually fill it in with any words that fit so it doesn't matter too much.

Though I heard Hemingway preferred the cryptic.

Toni Morrison uses a Sodoku

[Jassy Melson]

I started this thread on a serious note, hoping that it would inspire writers to relate how they actually go about writing a story. But I see that it degenerated into a gag thread, with people trying to be cute. So I suggest closing this thread.

[Delta40]

I think a sense of humour goes a long way. I'm yet to seriously document The Way I Write because to be honest, I'm open to anything that improves that process Jassy and I certainly don't want to snatch some routine, clip its wings, cage it and state unequivocally that this is the prescribed method that works for me and no doubt for others.

[Alexander III]

I am also having a lot of fun putting into my novel my ideal woman - strong, independent, almost rugged and butch. The main female character of my novel lives in the middle of nowhere by herself with her dog and hunts with a 22 for small game and fetches water from a river nearby her cabin.


Your ideal woman is Juniper? :ihih:

[JuniperWoolf]

Your ideal woman is Juniper? :ihih:

Oi! I'm not butch, I'm too small to be butch.

[Darcy88]

Your ideal woman is Juniper? :ihih:

Yep. And she's even got glasses.

And butch was the wrong word. I meant strong. A woman has to be strong, have the spirit of a fighter.

But I'm bitter and jaded now, given up entirely on romance. I will still perpetuate the romantic myth in my writing though. I write of love so prettily I shall entrap others into the same romantic idealism I've been forever plagued by.

[GreenLucky]

Darcy it sounds like you need to go to a titty bar.

[stlukesguild]

Darcy it sounds like you need to go to a titty bar.

:smilielol5:

Mutatis! Somebody beat you to the punch!

[Charles Darnay]

But I'm bitter and jaded now, given up entirely on romance. I will still perpetuate the romantic myth in my writing though. I write of love so prettily I shall entrap others into the same romantic idealism I've been forever plagued by.

You're in good company there. If Dante and Yeats could play that hand and gain immortality, why not you?

When it comes to "the love interest" people tend to re-write the same woman into every story (unless, like Hemingway, they trade in women every few years) - just look at Fitzgerald.

[JuniperWoolf]

Yep. And she's even got glasses.

Hah! I'll give you the contact info for my fanclub. ;)

[Alexander III]

Hah! I'll give you the contact info for my fanclub. ;)

Wait, how does one get a fan-club damnit?!? I want one too, I totally deserve a fan club.

[Charles Darnay]

Wait, how does one get a fan-club damnit?!? I want one too, I totally deserve a fan club.

Well Google was no help with this one, and now the people who monitor Google searches 24/7 think I'm a narcissist

[JuniperWoolf]

Wait, how does one get a fan-club damnit?!? I want one too, I totally deserve a fan club.

You've got to have fans first.

[Darcy88]

I was once told I had a fan club, but I think it was a joke.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Darcy it sounds like you need to go to a titty bar.

:smilielol5:

Mutatis! Somebody beat you to the punch!

Darcy and I totally need to get together, hit the skin clubs, and pick up some strange. You're all welcome to tag along, just don't mess up my swagger.

[Darcy88]

Darcy and I totally need to get together, hit the skin clubs, and pick up some strange. You're all welcome to tag along, just don't mess up my swagger.

Me on my way to meet up with you to go out and slay the ladies - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okpCx87orOA


You're in good company there. If Dante and Yeats could play that hand and gain immortality, why not you?

When it comes to "the love interest" people tend to re-write the same woman into every story (unless, like Hemingway, they trade in women every few years) - just look at Fitzgerald.

That's what I love about writing - I can take my dreams and my impulses and use them as the raw material for creating characters and plots and scenes. On the outside I can appear entirely reserved while in my head and on the page grand things are happening. I do not make it perfect for them, I hit them with a many tragic turns, but there is still a purity and purposefulness to my art that is hard to find in real life.

[Varenne Rodin]

Writing, for me, is a waste of time outside of conversation; pointless, flat, temporary. Other people can write. I'll enjoy reading.

That said, I'm thinking of churning out trash novels for paychecks. I could easily write one a day.

[paradoxical]

That said, I'm thinking of churning out trash novels for paychecks. I could easily write one a day.

I really wish I could do this. Or write Young Adult fiction. There's such a demand for that.

[Jassy Melson]

I think a sense of humour goes a long way. I'm yet to seriously document The Way I Write because to be honest, I'm open to anything that improves that process Jassy and I certainly don't want to snatch some routine, clip its wings, cage it and state unequivocally that this is the prescribed method that works for me and no doubt for others.

Most serious writers, once they find their own style, are not open to any other style but their own. They stop being open and free and trying to find a style that suits them. There were some good serious comments on this thread, and I myself refuse to stop being serious, because the subject deserves seriousness.


Well Google was no help with this one, and now the people who monitor Google searches 24/7 think I'm a narcissist
So that's how you write a story?


You've got to have fans first.

So that's how you write a story?

[hillwalker]

Most 'serious writers' write. Only those who take themselves more seriously than their writing sit back and analyze how they write. A rather futile exercise in my opinion.

H

[Varenne Rodin]

I really wish I could do this. Or write Young Adult fiction. There's such a demand for that.

Perhaps you could. Perhaps, you should.

[Jassy Melson]

Most 'serious writers' write. Only those who take themselves more seriously than their writing sit back and analyze how they write. A rather futile exercise in my opinion.

H

Beginning writers do sit back and analyze how they write, because they're searching for a style. Your comment was indirectly aimed at me. If you're suggesting that I'm not a serious writer because I wrote an article about beginning writers, you're nuts.

[hillwalker]

Me nuts? Probably... along with the rest of the general populace.

Most 'beginning writers' depend on other writers/readers/creative writing teachers to provide feedback on how their writing comes across. This is more meaningful than navel-gazing if they are looking to improve.

This thread was meant to show how an established writer sets about writing a story - rather like painting by numbers it transpired. There was nothing in the original post to suggest you were imparting valuable insights into the writing process. It appears that you write in pretty much the same way we all do - come up with an idea, formulate a plot, develop characters and then write. In your own words:


I'd say most serious writers amateur or professional write with the same approach I do.

So that's perhaps why your thread led to such derision from certain members. A case of stating the obvious.


I started this thread on a serious note, hoping that it would inspire writers to relate how they actually go about writing a story. But I see that it degenerated into a gag thread, with people trying to be cute.

Unfortunately it inspired writers to analyze the thread.

H

[Jassy Melson]

What it was meant to do was stimulate other writers to post about their own experiences in writing a story. What it led to in some cases was a gag thread. But not all. There were some really good comments about the way some writers write a story. With all the derision and gag lines and stupid jokes I still think the thread was a good one.

[hillwalker]

I know - I appreciated the thinking behind it. But it might have been better to ask everyone how they write a story first to avoid some of them thinking you were trying to teach your grandma to suck eggs.

H

[Jassy Melson]

I took myself as an example because I don't know how other writers write their stories. Some writers chose to write about their writing; some writers chose to tell stupid jokes and gags, or tried to be cute.

[Bluehound]

I tend to wake up in the middle of the night from a vivid dream and think wow that was a great plot for a story.
Usually it boils down to nothing more than a place to start, so that's what I do sit down and start writing, I very often don't have a clue where it is going.

But lately I have had a bit of a problem, in that I dream I have woken up from a dream in which their was a great idea for a story and by the time that I realise that I am still asleep I have forgotten the first good part of the dream I was dreaming....bum.

[Jassy Melson]

I've found that if I keep a pen and paper by my bed and upon awaking write down any dreams I have had, it helps me in finding plots for stories.