I have stories in my head ( broad strokes). I can vividly imagine narrative moments in media res that I would love to do justice to by filling out the before and after. I create personalities in my head that I talk to and could transcribe. I know what themes and motifs I would like to touch... but every time I sit down to actually try and drag these imaginings into reality my mind goes blank. I sit, I struggle, I am at a crossroad amidst a blank void.
How do I learn how to give structure to this impulse to create fiction? Where do I learn how to create a program or methodology that allows me to take these abstract yearnings and give them a concrete form?
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you for listening.
Like almost any skill, practice is the most important part.
What worked for me is starting with a "seed" of an idea, then extrapolating on that "seed" to see where it took me.
You said you had stories in your head. Try focusing on one specific story, and from there, one specific character/idea/theme in that story. Often, the fiction will write itself if you ask yourself questions about what that character/idea/theme is and why it is and how that would connect to everything else.
I'll give an example. Suppose you wanted a story where there was a medieval fantasy world, except there was an early and prodigal version of Marxism that was rising up somewhere in it. If you ask yourself questions such as "which part of the world and what culture therein would adopt this first" and "how would neighboring cultures and regions respond to that" and even "how would magic, arcane, divine, or something else, respond to this new ideological force?" You may find a lot of the outline filling itself out.
In my first completed novel trilogy, I wanted piloted mecha, while also acknowledging that remotely operated and autonomous drones already exist in contemporary warfare. My efforts to find a story justification for piloted mecha wrote much of the story's history for me, and even created unexpected opportunities for new story ideas while answering those questions.
That makes enough sense I feel like it should have been obvious. Thank you. If you don't mind, how do I grapple with a story that starts, in traditional terms at least, in media res? The story within my heart that I wish to be heard is one of a man who missed the call. By its very nature this is a story that begins with tons of context that the reader is goin to need filled in for anything to make sense.
I really resonate with your idea of a "seed" and allowing it to sprout and grow...maybe I need to allow it to sit within the fallowness of the mind for a while longer. or maybe this is my fear of decisiveness finding an excuse...
As somebody who has overcome this and more by taking that plunge, do you think a writer needs a program? Should I take the Butcher/Sanderson route and find a formula or should I take the time to allow something to arise and burst through however long that may take? The way my mind, as is, works a formulaic approach would be easier, but I don't want to be a formulaic writer despite my natural disposition...
Since you say you're new at this, you can look at a Martin Scorcese film or even the first :no-copyright: movie for inspiration in doing that. It can be challenging for a beginner, but you may learn a lot from diving in like that.
"The Man Who Missed the Call" arguably is an excellent story title... or at least a chapter name. I like your idea already!
The story could, just to make it easier, "start from the beginning" after that first chapter, sort of like an extended Ghost of Christmas Past experience to show how the man missed that call.
Arguably, no. They can help but it may be more of a crutch than a help especially if you're in a crowded market (and you likely will be) if you intend to sell that story someday.
Follow the "seed" formula but let it bloom organically from there. With your "Man Who Missed the Call," let the seed of that idea lead to you answering questions like "what was the call?" and let it flourish from there. In a way, starting with the defeat may actually be easier for readers to take than for the final chapter to be that failure, with sympathy (or contempt, depending) for the failed protagonist.
You have provided some really useful tips and (because of) the optimistic helpfulness has been affirming. Full disclosure: I stole the idea of a missed call from Robert Jordan's initial idea for Wheel of Time, but it is just SO GOOD somebody needs to write it. I'm going to try for a short story instead of gaming tonight. Thank you. I really needed somebody to chime in and help me get over the mental road block.
I'm glad I could help! Go get 'em! :solidarity:
Thanks bud, you can be sure Imma post it here once I finally get to the level of writing something worth sharing.
Oh! One more thought about what you already said:
What if the story doesn't look back that much except in lore and references and the entirety of the story really is "now that the calling is missed, now what? What becomes of the world? The man who missed the call?" That may be awesome. I'd read it!
I hope this is not creepy, but I really liked your trilogy so this means a lot tbh.
I'm glad you liked it! It means a lot to me to know that some people read it and liked it.
spoiler
In a way, now that I think of it, Thirteen in my trilogy was "the woman who missed the call" in the setting's backstory. She had one shot (so it seemed) to prevent the ruling class from escaping the planet they were ruining, and it was too much for her and she became an indebted servant to one of those rulers.
Hahah, holy shit. I can't think of anything cooler than playing even a small role in an author I like rethinking about their work after talking to them. Keep on commenting brother, your role as a prominent poster who also writes is what helped me get the courage to start. I just hope I'm not the only one lol.
Thank you. It means a lot to me to know that!
As for me, I can't think of anything cooler than having been some help to maybe get a fellow writer started. The more leftist writers, the better! :solidarity: