Questions

In the story I’m writing for NaNoWriMo, I have a character who constantly compliments people… but I’m having a hard time coming up with a million things to say.
They can be generic, along the lines of “Oh, that’s your real name? How pretty” or something o.O
- Koro

I wrote my prologue already,but lost it and my first chapter when I cleaned my PC.

However,I’m having a hard time writing it again.

I know what to write,but I can’t seem to get my body to type it out.

How do I confront these feelings I get sometimes?
No,I want to write,it’s just I can’t seem to!

Must..Write..

Grrrr..
I shall try again!
- Meat is not tasty..

Do you think I will have a hard time finding a job after I graduate? I suppose the Creative Writing degree will show that I can can write, but it’s more focused on novel and poetry writing. My brother says I messed up and that I should have double major in communications and marketing, but I originally went to school for creative writing. What do you think?
- KakaSakuFan

I have three works of fiction set in various historical settings and am having a hard time finding a publisher, can any one help
- Tim W

I have a very hard time understanding it. So, fairly easy books would be most appreciated.
- Puff

Learn the DeBowen short story system, the newest writing rage.

Every story has one climactic conflict, and this is where you are going to start your story. You might be saying, huh? What about the setting and theme? What about the plot and resolution? All in due time.

Think of action scenes. The action is what makes the story. Without it, you don’t have a story. Think of Stephen King’s stories. Someone has a knife and they gain entrance through a window. The woman is in the shower, and their intent is not only to murder her, but also to slaughter her in the most gory way possible. He sneaks through each room making little noises here and there. He stops. Does she hear him approaching? The entire scene is prolonged, drawing out the suspense as long as possible until he actually does the slaying.

The entire story leads up to that point, and then it fades back a little to let the viewer catch his breath. Then it builds again to a resolution with fever pitch excitement, and it finishes with a huge climax.

Writers have a hard time working up to a climax when they don’t know what the climax is going to be, so you are going to determine that right now. Things like train wrecks, a parent being murdered, a bomb in a school, someone just inherited ten million dollars, etc. Think of six good or bad action scenes before you read on. The more action, the more drama, the better.

Let’s say you think of a person who just inherited a large amount of money. The conflict could be in receiving the money, how he spent all of it foolishly, and went back into credit card debt.

Or think of a boy who was brought to the United States for an education by a charity group. The group houses and feeds him throughout his formative years. Graduation day comes. He’s on his way to the ceremony when his car stalls on a train track and he is killed.

1. Now it’s your turn. Think of an eye-popping conflict, or a gut-wrenching scene. How would it change a character’s life? This scene can be up to 700 words.

After you have written the conflict scene, you will automatically know how many characters are going to be in the story. You should have no more than three main characters, (preferably two), and three secondary characters. All of these characters will not be involved in the conflict scene you are writing, but you will know they are coming at some point.

2. Next, it’s time to write the ending scene. How do you want to resolve your conflict? (At this point, these two scenes will not be connected. Keep in mind that you are writing rough drafts - the bare skeleton.)

3. Thirdly, write the beginning of your story to introduce your characters and set the scene.

4. Last, connect the scenes, and edit your story. Yes, it’s really that easy!

See below for more free writer’s tips.


- Deborah Owen

I have a hard time with writers block and i think part it is how im opening my stories, i dont think im opening them up enough at the beginning? any sugestions on how to get rid of both?
- Chase D

I’ve written pleny of short stories and articles, and been published a number of times. I’ve also written many longer manuscripts, but none of them felt as exciting as the one I finished this past year. It’s the first that I really got involved in and loved, and the first that has attracted the attention of an agency. So, I consider it to be my first real book. While I edited it, I had wonderful ideas for a second book, but now that I’m writing it, all I can do is compare it to the first and worry that it won’t be as good. I’ve heard that writers have a hard time with second books, and I’d like some advice. What were your experiences, and what kept you going?
Please don’t answer this like the first person. It says “for novelists.” If you aren’t one, go somewhere else.
- Roald Ellsworth

I am a serious poet, and have been doing in since I was a kid- But I am really having a hard time sitting down and writing. I will just watch tv or talk on the phone instead, even though I know poetry makes me feel fullfilled. Any tips on getting back to the grind?
- utopian_wildfire

Every writer experiences the pain of writers block sometime in their life. There is tons of reasons this could happen, from lack of sleep, stress, or for any other in a list of hundreds of reasons. It is practically impossible to track it down to one reason, so beating writers block can be quite the challenge. Here are some ways you can put into your daily routine, that helps block out writers block.

1. Write every day, as much as possible. This can cure even the most challenging time of writers block. Always have a notebook at your side, and write about what you do, as you do it. Write down the little details. Also be sure to write down ideas for writing whenever you get them, so you don’t forget on your way home.

2. Kill stress. If you are having a hard time at work, find some way to make it easier. Bouts of stress are one of the biggest causes of writers block, and can be really hard to fix. Meditate if you need to. Clear your head. Take a nap. Heck, even take a day off if you need to.

3. Don’t force yourself to write. You don’t have to write the next 2 chapters right now. Take a break from writing. Go on a walk. Leave it until the next day. If you have a deadline, extend it a day or two. Even something as simple as a coffee break can recharge your energy and relax you, so you can finish up that paper you have to write.

4. Read, read, read. Picking up a book and sitting down to read for a good hour can really give you a lot of good ideas on how to finish up your book. Even if you do something as simple as reading one of your old writings, or reading the last chapter you wrote, you can definitely get out of writers block.

5. Change location. Changing your scenery can change the way you are thinking, and easily knock you out of writers block. Go to a cafe. Watch animals at the zoo. Even just sitting on a bench in a park can have an amazing effect on your writing.

6. Shut the world up. Any sound can make it really hard to think, and keeps the ideas from churning up. If it’s your family making a racket, invest $2 into ear plugs. If it’s traffic outside, change your location. Nice quiet cafes work wonders.

7. Go to a writers workshop. Refreshing your writing skills is an amazing cure for the worst blocks. There is many one day workshops that only cost $20 to enter, for all levels of writing skill. I remember that once I was writing a short 30-page story, and on page 15 I ran out of ideas. I went to a workshop, and that day I finished up my rough copy.

No matter what trick you use, writers block is still dreadfully difficult to cure. Some writers go months at a time without a single idea. Sometimes we mistake writers block for an inability to make decisions while writing, and rely on others to tell us what to do. That is never a good idea, as it mixes up different story’s into one blob of a bad book. Just sit down, and think through what you have written. If it is an information article, go and research some more. If it’s a story, think: ‘What would the character do?’ If you just plain can’t come up with an idea, write about what you did that day.


- Justin