Help Writing stories

[Raichu]

Does anyone here write English stories? And do you also struggle with the detailings and the language of the stories you write? In my case I can never be satisfied with what I wrote.

 

[TheOrangeEatsCreeps]

Absolutely! I always say the worst thing is when you finally write a perfect line that's clever, encapsulates the idea it's supposed to and wears the margins like a ball gown. Because then you have to write the next one.

 

[Raichu]

Yes exactly. Lately I have been reading Milan Kundera and Haruki Murakami and have been attempting to write stories, but in vain the plot doesn't stand and the language is not at all cohesive...almost as if the story would fall apart

 

[TheOrangeEatsCreeps]

Yes exactly. Lately I have been reading Milan Kundera and Haruki Murakami and have been attempting to write stories, but in vain the plot doesn't stand and the language is not at all cohesive...almost as if the story would fall apart

Love Kundera! As far as the language, what always helps me is going back to Raymond Carver. Basic, I know, but he's a great example of how to compose a page that's both succinct and positively dripping with beauty. Never hurts to brush up on some of the beat poets, either.

 

[bFre3]

I have so many ideas for stories that I want to write, but I never managed to successfully organise everything into a coherent story. I tend to struggle with being able to create a proper outline for the whole story rather than finer details.

 

[daley]

I have so many ideas for stories that I want to write, but I never managed to successfully organise everything into a coherent story. I tend to struggle with being able to create a proper outline for the whole story rather than finer details.

So this thread has a number of aspiring writers, maybe we can help each other.

bFre3, why not write an idea and the best outline you can and ask for feedback?
Would that be too vulnerable - being exposed to criticism?
Could we have any rules for making that easier?

 

[lamargue]

i had a number of short stories in my mind. it was my dream to become a writer. i really wish i could write again. i used to have moments of extreme clarity where i could envision the kind of sequence i wanted to construct, and craft a rhythm tailored to my own aesthetic needs. i consider prose to be the most vital component of any story. this is why authors like nabokov and updike are the creme de la creme to me. but that's all over now.

 

[Lirisu]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've spent more time looking at the Thesaurus than actually writing lol.

 

[Raichu]

Well we can surely help each other out as fellow aspiring writers! What do you guys say?

 

[lacrimosa]

I'm a writer (novice) but when I put my mind to it and really concentrate, it's decent. I'm not going to be a New York Times bestseller, nor do I want to be. But you can always bounce ideas off of me if you want.

 

[lamargue]

Well we can surely help each other out as fellow aspiring writers! What do you guys say?

there's a microstory (100 words) contest coming up for the iowa writer's workshop. i'd say that would be a good start for critique, considering that the main problem with a lot of burgeoning writers seems to be in lacking the energy to compose anything in long form.

 

[lacrimosa]

there's a microstory (100 words) contest coming up for the iowa writer's workshop. i'd say that would be a good start for critique, considering that the main problem with a lot of burgeoning writers seems to be in lacking the energy to compose anything in long form.

100 words, that would be challenging as to how scaled back that would be. 100 words is micro for sure! But would be fun as hell!

 

[daley]

I looked at the contest, which is interesting, but pretty challenging. I thought you could write about whatever you want, but it needs to be a response to one of two prompts. Not sure I could do that.

But here is a 99 word story I wrote in a about half an hour:

---

"I never met them," said Laura to the police officer.
"Then how could three suicide attempts, including yours, happen in the same
train station within ten minutes? Do you realize how traumatized
the passangers were, seeing the bodies of the other two smeered on the tracks. Not
to mention the driver and delays, stopping fifeteen trains full of commuters."
"I didn't say it was by chance. We just wanted to die, you have just made it so
inconvenient for us. We're tired. We need to be heard."
"And how exactly do you do that?"
"With our bodies."

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

In 2011 I once participated in National Novel Writing Month where the goal is to spend the month of November writing 1000 words a day (30,000 words apparently makes the average novel). It was pretty achievable for me though I missed the chance to have the story I made published. That's probably for the better since it was likely an incomprehensible mess anyway just like most of my other writings have been.