writers_loft | Welcome to the Writers Loft

Welcome to the Writers Loft

Are you writing original fiction? Novel length or short fiction? Need somewhere to talk shop?

Have characterization troubles, plot problems, setting woes?

Need to know how to prepare your work for submitting to agents?

Do you want to talk to other people who have characters running amok in their heads?

Then this is the place for you! Come on in, don't be shy.

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I usually like to write monstrous, sprawling novels but I have little faith in my ability at this pont in time so I never finish anything.

I often worry that it's hard to tell my characters apart. I try giving them different ways of speaking or I use different styles to write their chapters. It's quite hard at times.

My characters don't really 'run amok' in my head. But, I do have about seven to eight characters who I keep on the side of things. I draw them If I can't draw anything else. I write about them if I'm not inspired enough to write anything else. They're muses, really.

I'm the same way about stories. I've tried to do short stories, but they always end up so much longer! It can get frustrating, but plugging away until you have a completed story is rewarding in the end.

I've had a hard time trying to differentiate between characters sometimes too. It helped when I stopped trying to make character outlines in the beginning. It isn't for everyone, but sometimes going by the seat of your pants can help give spontaneity to the story and the characters.

Heh, I'm a great starter but not so great at finishing. I'm working on that though.

One of the things that helps me give my characters distinct voices is to crawl inside their heads and look out through their eyes. I think every character has a particular dominant flavour or feeling to them and if you can find that feeling and sort of wear it as you're writing them it can help bring your character to life.

I was writing a very selfish character once and had to adjust my thinking to 'me, me, me, it's all about me'. That was her essence and her feel when I got inside her head. When I thought in that selfish mindset and put a selfish spin on everything she experienced it came out in her dialogue and actions pretty naturally. She was very a distinct personality.

I used to draw some of my characters too. I still have those old drawings from 20 years ago.

Edited 2007-11-23 20:25 (UTC)

That's a good idea about really trying to get into a character's mindset. I hadn't been doing that with my WIP to the extent that I should. I've been more focused on plot than on character, which is causing part of my problems. I'm going to try to really think inside my heroine's head in order to get out those last 1,500 words for NaNo today. :) I've never drawn my characters, but I do find pictures to represent them. I look online and in magazines and cut out pictures of people that I think might make good characters some day, then I file them for later use. Sometimes I spend hours searching for a visual representation that's just right for a character because having a picture to keep in front of me really helps me to stay consistent with description and to feel more connected with my characters.

I try to get inside my characters head and I try to lable them with a distinct flavour. But it's really difficult to write as someone else, convincingly!

Hey,
I'm a NaNoer, and I have three unfinished manuscripts, but this year...I'm only 5000 words away from having my 50000 word draft! Ultimately, this work needs to be about 60000 so when I'm a Nano "winner" I still won't be completely finished length wise, and then with editing and revision I'm sure I'll have to add some more to keep it in range. Those last few scenes are turning out to be much more difficult to write than I thought though...so I keep finding other things to do instead. :) I have got to push through to the end, so I can start revisions, but I just can't get into it for some reason.

Do you know what is making it so difficult to for you to write the ending story? If you can pinpoint the sticking point it might help you conquer it.

Are you sad to say goodbye to these characters? Afraid to have to start a new project from a blank page? Is there some doubt you have about the ending?

Well, I have two sticking points. First, I only have the last scene left on my outline to write and I'm not happy with it, so I want to change it but I'm not sure how I want to re-work it. Second, my 44 scene outline turned out to be a little too short, so I've got to go back into the story and add some more scenes and some more depth to scenes I already have in order to get it up to the final 60,000 (which is the ultimate goal for the piece, 50,000 is just for NaNo). It won't just be padding because I know I have some plot holes and my characters need more depth to be emotionally realistic. I'm just procrastinating on it because with the super detailed outline, getting this far was easy...going back and adding all new material is going to be hard. I seem to be feeling rather lazy. :)

BTW, I finished this up yesterday. It's set aside to cool for a while. Now, on to the next project . . .

Congrats! Good for you.

What's the next project?

I think I'm so insane for attempting it that I'm afraid to tell anyone. LOL It's a short piece for a contest (that will probably never see the light of day). For some hairbrained reason, I got this idea for a medieval romance. I've never written anything that wasn't contemporary, so I'm not sure if I can do this. Well, I can do it, but I'm not sure it will be any good when I get done with it. :) I was looking at some stuff online about various authors. One romance writer, Shannon K. Butcher, said that when she was starting out she wrote "great heaping piles of suckfulness." I keep laughing about that. I'm working on one of those piles myself.

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Thirty novels! I'm in awe. What genre?

Just got my first novel published, Promises of EVe.

I do have a few problems with my current Suspense novel.
How do I get help in this community? My first novel was a romance I am afraid that writing for the genre may make it harder to write for the stories I read which in themselves are thriller/suspense.

Can I get advice here? Can someone review what I have? Are there fees? Let me know.

Hi France,
Congrats on the publication of your novel!

Participation in this community is absolutely Free!

All you have to do to get help, ask a question, ask for feedback or critiques or hook up with beta/first readers is make a new entry and post it. So, go right ahead and ask your questions.

I suppose this is the best place to post this comment that is part question.

My main character is walking through the forest with her guide. Said MC is supposed to be meeting up with two other traveling companions in two days. How in the wide world of words do I get my MC two days into the future with walking through a forest and a couple of important dreams?

Your question deserves it's own spotlight and shouldn't be hidden away down here.
If you would, go ahead and ask your question in a new entry of it's own to ensure that everyone will see it and have the opportunity to offer ideas and suggestions.

Thanks! Will do.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Welcome to the Writers Loft

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I'm procrastinating on my last 5000 words

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Wow!

Hi I am new, call me France

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