I'm New to the board and to the world of online writers. I'm a knitter, a reader, a student of anything (especially 11th-18th century European royalty) a horse lover, a wife, and a momma (not in that order!). I'm having a serious problem getting my creativity to flow and I'm hoping that by communing with some like minded people I might uncork that particular river. Doing nothing about it hasn't helped for the last ten years so this can't glean worse results. So here it goes- I used to write quite a bit. When I was studying abroad I sent my mother poems or short stories instead of letters (her favorite the short story about a girl jumping out of a plane over the alps and the timid line at the bottom explaining the girl was me). In fact I think that trip might be the last time I really remember the characters talking to me. I was writing a story about a group pf girls in an exclusive boarding school, drawing on my own experiences within the horse community and the people I was meeting on my adventurous semester at the Sorbonne. I had detailed character bibles, story arcs, location descriptions, and dozens of scenes completed. It was as effortless and enjoyable as reading my favorite book. I was 20, back then I was using a legal pad...which got swiped along with my wallet on a train to France. That was the last time I can remember the characters really speaking to me. I wrote something else in college but it really wasn't the same. Here I am 16 years later. When I got home from my trip I was diagnosed with a chronic illness, had one last hurrah traveling around the country riding competitively but soon had to give it up for health reasons, had to leave university, worked, met a man, got married, had two beautiful boys, fight for one of them who has special needs, and knit when I should be writing. So obviously I left out plenty but I think you get the idea that I've been busy with responsibilities. Right now I am entering yet another very busy and stressful time in my life and am facing the death of a much loved grandparent while my husband works full time, commutes three hours a day and prepares for the bar exam.- Don't forget the kids!! : ) I became part of a community of women and we meet a few times a week. Being around adults again has me feeling a bit more... inspired I guess and I just know that being able to retreat to my own brain would help me thru this time so much but I can't zero in. I don't know who or what my story is about. There are no characters rattling around my head, shouting to be heard. Since writing something has to be better than writing nothing I started writing about things that happened during the day with my family, but it's just a collection of pages. There is no story and I don't want to write a story about my family directly. Maybe about A family similar to mine. Maybe I want to write about a woman like me- a 30 something who is facing the issues a woman in my situation faces- but how do I unleash the juices- they used to knock me over they came so fast. My friends insist I should be writing about sex- or rather sex at this stage in our lives because they think my outlook on it is hilarious and has apparently been helpful to one or two of them. I read the "Snowflake Method" of organizing which I liked but the deal is- it assumes you have "composted" your story and I certainly have not. Nothing composted here. Maybe you have a magic spell for me? I was even thinking of joining one of these fantasy games people have posted here- I might be too old to figure that out though- spells and counter spells and I only read part of the Harry Potter series (will I be booted for admitting that?). please excuse the formatting and lack of editing but I'm caring for two tummy flu victims while typing
I'd start by relegating formula approaches to writing like the Snowflake Method to, well, the compost heap. Take a look around the site, and focus first on taking an inventory of your handling of the basics. Then take it from there. Maybe you'll find yourself returning to some aspects of Snowflake, maybe not. But if you;re having trouble with it already, it just may be a poor fit for you.
My problem is that it is a way to organize ideas that I don't have. You can't write if there is no story- kwim?
Yo creo. But ideas will come. Everyone has an imagination, but it goes somewhat dormant when not exercised. Like an ember in a fireplace, you need to provide fuel, and fan the embers until something catches, It will grow, and you will need to keep adding fuel to keep it bright. The fuel is all around you. TV, movies, books and magazines, songs, even the daily news. Tune in and interact. Your two favorite words should become "What if..." When an idea appeals to you and starts to inspire a sequence of events, play with it. That is how you fan the embers. Explore possible directions, and write scenes. Before long, it will become as second nature as breathing, and your biggest problem will be deciding which ideas to develop right away, and which ones to save for later consideration.
