For budding GR writers: 13 tips for actually getting some writing done

[Beeyotch]

Oh yes, writing is hard. Writing well is even harder. For me anyway. And it's such a sore point because I love to write but I know I'm not that good; my skills are lacking, I don't have a gift for clarity that I observe in other writers. That and I have a hard time conceptualizing an entire idea from start to finish. I think I would be better suited as a copy editor/reader since I love to read, correct and sometimes offer feedback. I find that sort of thing stimulating.

Thinking about it some more, the one thing I am very good at is writing out emotional letters. Like once-in-a-lifetime "you've inspired me" notes to people that have made a difference in my life. I can get everything across well in those, everything seems to flow right out of me onto the page.

[kingcap72]

Beeyotch, you could probably get a job as a script reader/analyst, since you love to read, correct and offer feedback.

[Beeyotch]

Ooh, sounds interesting--how does one get their foot in the door for that? I think my problem would be lack of experience doing anything remotely related.

[kingcap72]

You could probably just go online and do a search for script reader jobs. Or check out entertainment magazines like Variety.

[Beeyotch]

Hmm, off to google then...thanks kingcap!

[kingcap72]

No problem.

[buttmunch]

Originally Posted by kingcap72

Here's what I came up with, Butt:

Survival of the Feminist in the Workplace
How women view each other & cope in the post-feminist era

Key article points:

1) The definition of feminism for younger & older women

2) Younger women who use sex appeal over experience

3) Older women who feel like experience isn't enough vs. sex appeal of younger women


4) How both younger & older women view workplace sexism

That's a really good idea for an article. I think you should try to flesh it out since it's something that's definitely worth reading.

I expect it on my desk by Monday am.


(and I agree about Beyotch. I can see a job as an editor/copy girl kind of thing).

[kingcap72]

I doubt I'll have time to write an article.

Hopefully, I'll get back into writing the final draft of my script this weekend. I was suppose to go to a funeral, but that's not happening.

[buttmunch]

Whomever died would want you to follow your dreams so finish the re-write and then get it out there. Loads of good luck to you.

[kingcap72]

Thanks, Butt. I've been putting this rewrite off for a while. But that's one of the reasons why I started reading novels again. That always seems to inspire me to want to get back into writing.

The funeral I was suppose to go to was for a distant relative, but I was just going to go since I haven't seen my parents in over a year and a half. But I figured that's kind of a shitty thing to do to just go to somebody's funeral just for another purpose. So, I'll go visit my parents sometime next month.

[buttmunch]

Weird about the novel reading. Until recently it had been more than a year since I'd read a novel-I was reading loads of history, biography, etc.-and suddenly I started reading novels again and yeah, they really do inspire. Now I'm scribbling away in notebooks but haven't really organized anything yet. Feels good, though.

[eforest]

Okay, I'll bite. I've been on this board for a long time but usually I don't post. Except lately because I've been in major procrastination. I have already written my first novel and working on a second. That's where it ends. I am having difficulty with this book. It's darker than the other. My critique group does not really help me, their older than I am and write more in memoir's, how to's and first person. I'm writing suspense fiction in third person and I'm struggling. These characters are tight fisted and not flowing on the page. My last book was a thriller romance and in third person but seemed easier to write. (Currently it's with Sourcebook). Any advice other more procrastination would be great because that's what I'm doing right now-barely hanging on to this manuscript like nails clenched to a raft in the middle on the ocean.

[kingcap72]

First off, congrats on writing your first novel, eforest. Most people never even get that far. That's an accomplishment in itself.

The only advice I can give you about procrastination is that you have to do what works for you. I've dragged my feet on writing plenty of times. But some people go in waves of creativity where they have to be inspired to write, and others have to set themselves on a schedule to write and stick to it. For example, tell yourself that you're going to write, at least, 3-5 pages a day or set a certain number of pages per week that you have to write.

If you're having a problem writing suspense fiction in third person try reading some suspense fiction books written in third person to give you some idea of how it should flow.

Or maybe the reason why you're having a problem with the book is because you haven't fully-fleshed the story out yet, or you're not in the right mindset to write a thriller. So, maybe you should put the project aside and work on something else and then come back to the thriller. I've done that with some scripts and taking a break from the topic helped out a lot.

[eforest]

Thanks. This one is definitely slower, maybe because I know all the mistakes I made the last time and during re-writes matured little. This current book is like dipping into the water but the characters are not treading yet. Maybe it's not fleshed out but I know where I'm going and the journey to the end. I think the problem is, I'm wanting the layers and depth of the characters now instead of just getting the basic storyline down on paper. Perhaps I should just focus on the storyline and not worry about the psychological depth so early on...Okay, next few hours I'm taking a break from here and let's see if tomorrow I can post with some success. Have you have checked out absolute writer's cooler? That's a interesting place that has some helpful info but still they would probably say the same thing. Stop whining and write. Actually in truth, talking about this I think did help so, thank you.

[kingcap72]

No problem. It's always good to talk to other writers.

And I haven't checked out that site, but I will. Thanks for the heads up.