Seeking Guidance on Writing Challenges

[Smile369]

Dear Esteemed Seniors,

I hope this message finds you well.

I would appreciate your insights regarding a few challenges I am facing as a new writer. For several months, I have been diligently planning various aspects of my fantasy novel, including world-building, magic systems, character development, themes, and plot structure.

However, when I attempt to write, I find myself at a standstill. The difficulty does not stem from how to begin my story; rather, I struggle to translate my imagination onto the page effectively. I suspect this may be related to my proficiency in English, as it is not my first language. I would greatly appreciate any advice on how to overcome this obstacle.

Additionally, during the revision process for publication, I have noticed that my chapters often do not feel self-contained. As I introduce new elements, they inadvertently alter the overall theme of the chapter, necessitating revisions of earlier sections. This cycle continues as my pre-planned concepts—such as character arcs, plot points, and world-building—emerge in my mind whenever I write something new. While it may seem that I am uncertain about my story's direction, I assure you this is not the case.

Thank you for your time and guidance.

Best regards,
[Smile 369]

Mysteries Concealed in Shadows

Update : 4-5 Chapter/Week In a world infused with metallic energy, humanity has harnessed an ancient force that has transformed their very nature and rewritten the annals of history. As prosperous kingdoms flourish, fueled by this gleaming resource, they remain blissfully oblivious to the...

www.scribblehub.com

 

[Biggest-Kusa-Out-There]

write the foundations (planet, continent, country, government, magic system) on a word document, then the cast in another, then the general plot in another. that way you can better visualize 'setting', 'actor's, and 'story' in a way that'll allow you to easily go back and check for details.

 

[CodeCrisis]

Welcome to the club! I've been writing for about six years now and have recently moved over to SH myself, and have been doing all my writing on phone because my PC doesn't work. Anyways, back to your topic.

Now, I'm probably going to be terrible at answering these, which I am sorry for, but I'll answer them at the best of my capabilities!

So, your first challenge of not being able to put your imagination into words is very understandable, and a challenge many of us are still struggling with, including myself. A vivid imagination, where you can see and hear the scene play out is rather difficult to put into as words on a page, especially in your case, since you say that English isn't your first language.

All I can really say about it, is that you don't really get passed that challenge. But rather, it just simply gets easier as you continue writing.

Your second challenge, of your chapters not feeling self-contained at times is quite a normal struggle. Introducing new mechanics, new systems, new information, all can feel weird to introduce, especially when it's out of the blue.

This is a hard one to really explain for me, as I do the same thing. Now, what I do could work for you, but it may be different for others. I'll often go back to previous chapters and reread them, to see how this new element would potentially necessitate a change. If not, I'll write it down and come up with a way to explain it later on down the line when it's existence gets questioned.

I apologize if this didn't help at all, but the best thing I can say is that writing is hard. It's hard, but often times, it can also be very rewarding. The most important thing about writing is to have fun doing it.

 

[LesserCodex]

In my humble opinion I suggest bullet pointing as it can become of great help bringing your thoughts to the page.

If you start breaking it down to the most important things and then lesser it becomes easier to write them. It's easy to imagine an epic fight, but look further into it how does the fight start? who makes the first move? How does the space change? Who get tired? How do the characters feel after a move is make, are they excited, surprised, serious? Just writing these things down as a layout can make it easier to bring your imagination to the page.

But that's my advice I don't know if it'll help but I wish you the best, I'm sure we've all been there and found our ways to do it. I'm confident you'll find your way.

 

[FleecedSheep]

Think of the process more like bowling, if you ever bowled. You can plan, set the stage as much as possible, set up guard rails to keep the story on point, but once you throw the ball, its course can wildly vary from what you planned. I often have to write, with guard rails in mind, until I reach certain checkpoints. At which point I'll go back and edit everything to properly fit together.

You won't get it on the first pass, nobody does. What matters is getting it out there and refining it as you go. Even then, it will never be perfect.

You can think of writing a story as raising a child as well. You can make preparations, you can do everything you can to get an expected outcome, but sometimes the story just doesn't cooperate, or by the end it becomes something completely different from what you imagined.

What matters, in my opinion, is the journey. Keep in mind everything you have noted down, but don't let it constrain you if the story wants to go elsewhere. Hopefully this helps. Sometimes you just need to reframe your thinking as well.

 

[Smile369]

write the foundations (planet, continent, country, government, magic system) on a word document, then the cast in another, then the general plot in another. that way you can better visualize 'setting', 'actor's, and 'story' in a way that'll allow you to easily go back and check for details.

Thank you for your suggestions.

Welcome to the club! I've been writing for about six years now and have recently moved over to SH myself, and have been doing all my writing on phone because my PC doesn't work. Anyways, back to your topic.

Now, I'm probably going to be terrible at answering these, which I am sorry for, but I'll answer them at the best of my capabilities!

So, your first challenge of not being able to put your imagination into words is very understandable, and a challenge many of us are still struggling with, including myself. A vivid imagination, where you can see and hear the scene play out is rather difficult to put into as words on a page, especially in your case, since you say that English isn't your first language.

All I can really say about it, is that you don't really get passed that challenge. But rather, it just simply gets easier as you continue writing.

Your second challenge, of your chapters not feeling self-contained at times is quite a normal struggle. Introducing new mechanics, new systems, new information, all can feel weird to introduce, especially when it's out of the blue.

This is a hard one to really explain for me, as I do the same thing. Now, what I do could work for you, but it may be different for others. I'll often go back to previous chapters and reread them, to see how this new element would potentially necessitate a change. If not, I'll write it down and come up with a way to explain it later on down the line when it's existence gets questioned.

I apologize if this didn't help at all, but the best thing I can say is that writing is hard. It's hard, but often times, it can also be very rewarding. The most important thing about writing is to have fun doing it.

Thank you for your valuable input; I am confident that it will assist me significantly.

In my humble opinion I suggest bullet pointing as it can become of great help bringing your thoughts to the page.

If you start breaking it down to the most important things and then lesser it becomes easier to write them. It's easy to imagine an epic fight, but look further into it how does the fight start? who makes the first move? How does the space change? Who get tired? How do the characters feel after a move is make, are they excited, surprised, serious? Just writing these things down as a layout can make it easier to bring your imagination to the page.

But that's my advice I don't know if it'll help but I wish you the best, I'm sure we've all been there and found our ways to do it. I'm confident you'll find your

Thank you for the thoughtful advice! I love the idea of breaking it down into bullet points. It really helps to visualize the flow of the fight and the characters' emotions. I’ll definitely give it a try and see how it works for me!
Thank you for the thoughtful advice! I love the idea of breaking it down into bullet points. It really helps to visualize the flow of the fight and the characters' emotions. I’ll definitely give it a try and see how it works for me!

Think of the process more like bowling, if you ever bowled. You can plan, set the stage as much as possible, set up guard rails to keep the story on point, but once you throw the ball, its course can wildly vary from what you planned. I often have to write, with guard rails in mind, until I reach certain checkpoints. At which point I'll go back and edit everything to properly fit together.

You won't get it on the first pass, nobody does. What matters is getting it out there and refining it as you go. Even then, it will never be perfect.

You can think of writing a story as raising a child as well. You can make preparations, you can do everything you can to get an expected outcome, but sometimes the story just doesn't cooperate, or by the end it becomes something completely different from what you imagined.

What matters, in my opinion, is the journey. Keep in mind everything you have noted down, but don't let it constrain you if the story wants to go elsewhere. Hopefully this helps. Sometimes you just need to reframe your thinking as well.

I love the bowling analogy! It really puts things into perspective. I often get caught up in wanting everything to be perfect from the start, but you're right—the journey is what makes it all worthwhile. I’ll try to embrace the unpredictability and see where the story takes me!

 

[RepresentingCaution]

 

[Smile369]

I’m grateful for your honesty in sharing this. It’s so accurate that the gap between what we envision and what we produce can be quite discouraging. Your suggestion about establishing deadlines is a helpful reminder to keep pressing forward. I’ll definitely implement that.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I’m grateful for your honesty in sharing this. It’s so accurate that the gap between what we envision and what we produce can be quite discouraging. Your suggestion about establishing deadlines is a helpful reminder to keep pressing forward. I’ll definitely implement that.

I have to admit I have had times where I struggle to paint a scene. Sometimes I used to use some 3d rendering software to assist, but no longer have versions that work on my computer. Been relying a bit too much on AI for graphics when my skills with words seem to fall short.