I don't know how to write

[KristinPoe1]

I wish I could write. My daughter writes like a pro. I don't think she got it from me. I would like to think she got the talent of making characters, plots, and all the makings of a story from me, but alas, it is not so. I think I have the idea down. I just have no organization skill. I have tons of ideas and characters crammed in my head, but they have no way out! How do these awesome authors (some I've heard are on this forum) do it? Please share the magic with this poor unfortunate soul. I would love to write and get these people out of my head. Who could help me?

[Mazza WA]

I've just read your post, and I think you are being a bit hard on yourself. This paragraph was fine - you do know how to write, and you are well organised - at least this description was!! If you still feel a lack of confidence, there are lots of books out there with hints and tips. I'd hesitate to recommend one or another because everyone is different. Suggest you go to a site like Amazon, and search for writing tips. Or, try a writing course or group if you are near a University or College that offers adult courses. Where I live, the local council facilitates writing, painting, craft groups etc. I'm sure if you look around you can get encouragement and help.

Good luck. And I'd love to know how you get on.

[shadedragon]

i agree, you can write quite beautifully

But I get what you mean, I think. You have so many ideas that you don't know what to write, and then you don't know how to put it together.

that's the gold of writing though! You get to create your style as you go!

so start by writing Everything down.
Remember you can always save stuff for later, you don't have to always use it all now!

Next, choose one idea.
Know you can do all of them. Just not all at once!

Now pick out how you want to put the idea together, if you wish. Choose your style, or start writing how you want. Remember it doesn't have to be perfect- and there's always the revisions to fix up the mistakes and change up styles, etc. Right now is the rough draft, the fun part

I like to look over past books, poems, etc, and see all the different styles they use. My favorite, and the one I write best in is by writing books in poem form, and writing poems with all different fonts, colors, and styles. At the same time, my friend likes to write more prose, write in a journaling fashion, and date all her work and toss in punctuation afterwards so it sounds good to match up how it's supposed to sound

Then you write, write, write!
And have fun
The more you write, the more you find how you like to write, the more you read, the more you find out your likes and dislikes!
Thus you create your unique, wonderful style that can keep growing and flex as you grow to more and more

Best of luck,
~shadedragon

[FNAWrite]

Let me be the bad guy - not everybody writes, not everybody does what they think they would like to do.

You'd like to write, others would like to play baseball, some want to be ships' captains. I sure wish I could draw.

If by the time you are old enough to have a daughter who "writes like a pro" you have had no success at getting your ideas on paper, you probably cannot do it on your own nor with tips about the "magic" from the 'net. (I don't know that typing in different fonts and colors will help you all that much)

many people take creative writing classes which are often available at community colleges or adult education centers (like the local high school). This might be a good thing for you because AFAIK they teach the mechanics of writing

[Hope_0615]

I'd like to consider myself a writer, although I've not been published quite yet. I find it is easier to start by writing poetry. There are no rules when it comes to expressing yourself. Write down your thoughts into a poem. It does not have to make sense in the slightest. This might be a way to get your creativity flowing and churn out a short story or even just a simple idea. Everyone has a sense of creativity, but not everyone knows how to access it within themselves. You'll get there eventually. It's absolutely never too late to discover a passion. If writing seems to be a passion you'd like to have then go for it! Good Luck!

[nicoze256]

Let me put this in perspective for you: there are a ton of published authors out there who can't seem to write. Just worry about getting your ideas on the page first and then put them into sentences. Write until you have an ending. Then put it away and get started clearing the next idea out of your head.

[sathyaalwa]

I would suggest you to read some books not to under stand the stories on that but to understand how they've organized and written (check out the sentences, grammar, etc). This is just a tip which can help beginners or for those who're with lack of confidence. I'm the one feels like you when writing something (not books but blogs).

[Donnia]

I know what you mean. My daughter is a natural when it comes to writing. I would also join a group or even a course in writing and take it from there. Also I would keep a journal of all the ideas of a story and the characters and when you get stuck ask your friends and family members for help. At least that is what I do. Hope this helps some.

[lady_charlie]

Yes!
I have always wanted to write and my daughter is amazingly creative.
She reads so much and has already learned how to write an effective catchy opening sentence, to organize her ideas, and to develop them in an interesting way.
SPOILER ALERT
I noticed again yesterday, Dumbledore starts the first HP movie by turning off all the street lights with that little light catcher thing that Ron ends up with later and I wondered, did she really know the first day of filming or writing how much that little thing would matter later on?
How do people write such long stories where everything just clicks into place and you feel all satisfied at the end?

[jhaywriting]

To be perfectly honest this is exactly what the first draft is for. The first draft is supposed to be ugly. Just use to get the story down on paper. It doesn't have to be. That’s why they call it a rough draft. I was in your exact same position nearly a year ago. I hate to say this cause it seemed to annoy me back when I used to hear. But the number one way to improve your writing is by reading. Up until six months ago I hadn't written a book willingly in maybe ten years. Here I am now in my mid twenties a newly found book junkie. In every book you read you will see the author break the proper grammar etiquette so don’t be afraid of writing poorly. It’s all about repetition. The only way to do something right is to know what it means to be doing it wrong.

[AmandaT]

I think that all first drafts are like that when you have a new idea. I know the first draft I write of anything would never make any sense to anyone but me. I always need to do about five drafts of something before I would consider giving it to anyone else to read. Why don't you try writing down one idea and then finding a friend who is willing to read through it with you? You might find that you are being far too hard on yourself.

[stotle71]

My first "draft" is always a hodgepodge of slop. I give myself the room to just write--no thought-out organizational schemes, no deep plot-lines, no profound character sketches.

Once I feel like I have something substantial, I go back through everything I've written and begin to organize the story from my hodgepodge. Slowly, the hodgepodge starts to turn into something sensible as I form the beginning, middle, and end; as I find my main characters and begin to breathe life into them; as I determine my core plot and sub-plots.

Without the hodgepodge, I would be lost. Thus, I forgive myself the inability to sit down and write out a story from beginning to end.

[zeeshanaayan07]

i am a blogger but i don't know how to good write posting

-- 27 Jul 2013, 18:14 --

Please share your idea with me

[piousbattle73]

Kristin! You just wrote the opening paragraph of the makings of what can be a great book.
Shadedragon has listed the steps taken by most writers before writing. You must plan to write, identify your audience, choose the tone and begin!

-- 05 Aug 2013, 08:01 --

i agree, you can write quite beautifully

But I get what you mean, I think. You have so many ideas that you don't know what to write, and then you don't know how to put it together.

that's the gold of writing though! You get to create your style as you go!

so start by writing Everything down.
Remember you can always save stuff for later, you don't have to always use it all now!

Next, choose one idea.
Know you can do all of them. Just not all at once!

Now pick out how you want to put the idea together, if you wish. Choose your style, or start writing how you want. Remember it doesn't have to be perfect- and there's always the revisions to fix up the mistakes and change up styles, etc. Right now is the rough draft, the fun part

I like to look over past books, poems, etc, and see all the different styles they use. My favorite, and the one I write best in is by writing books in poem form, and writing poems with all different fonts, colors, and styles. At the same time, my friend likes to write more prose, write in a journaling fashion, and date all her work and toss in punctuation afterwards so it sounds good to match up how it's supposed to sound

Then you write, write, write!
And have fun
The more you write, the more you find how you like to write, the more you read, the more you find out your likes and dislikes!
Thus you create your unique, wonderful style that can keep growing and flex as you grow to more and more

Best of luck,
~shadedragon

Well explained! thank you...now I'm gonna start on a new writing style. I usually write poetry but always wanted to write more short stories. You've just confirmed what others have bee trying to tell me.

[Loveabull]

It's about writing what you know. I remember an interview with a well known lyricist who describes his early attempts at composing as total drivel. But he wasn't really writing from his own head, he was trying to emulate "hits" from the era. We all have our own interests, our own style...with a gun to my head I could churn out a romance novel...but my real writing voice is closer to Dave Barry and I work with that.