Writers

[prometheus]

I have been noticing a lot of writers here, how many we got? Speak up.

I just started four days ago and have just written the Three thousandth word in the book I've been meaning to write for over 2o years. I have always put it off...........If only I had the little cabin in the woods...........If only I didn't have to work full time.....................If only my family was more supportive .......... etc.......

Well this year I've got the cabin :p....mind you it isn't finished yet, and I'm in a tiny apartment in a tiny town close by. I don't have much work.......so I have lots of time and very little money to do things outside of the house. My family is backing me up, in fact my INFJ wife has started a book also (in a notebook).

[amei]

I have wanted to write a book since I was young and this year put it on my list of things to accomplish before I turned 25. Right now it's 68,000 words and I am pleased with it so far. The story line is finished, but I need to get it up to about 80,000 words to have a chance of getting it published. My progress has slowed down, but now I have a new goal of getting an agent & hopefully getting it published by my 26th birthday.

[mind_wander]

I have wanted to write a book since I was young and this year put it on my list of things to accomplish before I turned 25. Right now it's 68,000 words and I am pleased with it so far. The story line is finished, but I need to get it up to about 80,000 words to have a chance of getting it published. My progress has slowed down, but now I have a new goal of getting an agent & hopefully getting it published by my 26th birthday.

Oh cool, whats the topic about?

[HarleyQuinn]

Always fun to see other writers.

I've currently been going through creative writing classes and looking at a career in publishing/editing.

I greatly enjoy writing on the side (in particular, short stories centered around horror) although I hope to churn out a novel by the time I hit 30. Knowing that there have been popular writers who've been first published at 40+ years old gives me hope that I'm not too late to the party.

[MichaelH]

I'm not a full-time writer, but I've written much medium-length adult fiction as well as an unpublished novel.

Writing when the muse is with you is fun. I've been searching for him/her for a year now, but just haven't had the connection. I'll find it again...oh, yes, I will.

[justmeiguess]

I'm hoping to get into screenwriting after finally admitting that I don't have enough 'gift of the gab' to suit any other part of the film/tv process. That and I don't as yet possess the willpower to finish a whole novel (or I get bored of the idea half way through and start something else).

[Paul V]

I've started 5 years ago (with some of my friends), and the book isn't close to being finished. We're trying to step it up and finish the first tome before 2010.

If you were curious, the genre is Epic Fantasy.

[amei]

Oh cool, whats the topic about?

It's a novel about someone writing a novel. The main character decides to write because she has no idea what to do with her life after university so most of the book is her writing process and how it affects her life. Part of the book is also the character's novel which is examining the role of expectations in people's lives.

[cielo market]

If only I had the little cabin in the woods...........

Gonna try the Thoreau approach, eh?

Writing comes easy to me, actually. But I have yet to focus on a single topic I wish to dedicate myself to, so I dabble in short fiction.

[Doppelbock]

I've tried my hand at writing a novel but the problem is I'm too much of a perfectionist. I don't like what I'm writing, it's not good enough, so then I give up in frustration until I convince myself to take another try at it. I understand it typically takes years of practice to get to the point that what you write is actually good enough to be published and don't think I'll ever get the time to do that at this point in my life.

[prometheus]

Gonna try the Thoreau approach, eh?

Writing comes easy to me, actually. But I have yet to focus on a single topic I wish to dedicate myself to, so I dabble in short fiction.

I tend to be easily distracted.....look a butterfly!

[Santana28]

i can't keep a coherent strong of thoughts long enough to write them down.... however, in short bursts, i have written some amazingly impactful stuff. Some day i'll figure out how to slow my brain down and write the books i have always wanted to write - and there's a few of them.

[radioactivez0r]

Wannabe here. I have a million and one ideas but nobody nudging me in a direction, so I have to rely on myself to get started...and that's a sucker's bet at best. The most fun I have had writing was when I learned about ballads, and their structure. It suited my style perfectly, and I only wrote two...but I've rarely been prouder of my own work. I harbor a delusion of completing (selling?) one screenplay, play, and novel in my lifetime, because I don't think I could stick to just one medium.

Anyone here ever give NaNoWriMo a shot?

[Solnath]

I write science-fiction and fantasy, approximately 50 000 words a month. Currently finishing up the opening novel for a series that is yet to be named.

Missed that last, yes, I beat NaNoWriMo this year so I could get a pineapple.

[chocky]

There's little chance of me sustaining a writing effort long enough to create a novel.

I'm a compulsive writer, but only because it is my one form of expression - the valve that prevents my interior life from imploding.

[Zilal]

I'm a writer. (Look, I'm doing it right now!) Fairly compulsive. I'll sit down to write a little bit and the next time I look up it's three hours later.

[chocky]

I'm a writer. (Look, I'm doing it right now!) Fairly compulsive. I'll sit down to write a little bit and the next time I look up it's three hours later.

I've noticed this. Where does the time go? It simply vanishes while writing.

Must be indicative of the writer entering that certain zone. Things just flow and the perception of time is suspended. Pretty special place!

[TruorTupnm]

I am in that stage where I have come up with all kinds of ideas but not enough time or motivation to actually write them all down. I carry pens and papers all of the time for writing ideas that strike me or solutions to problems, that I might not forget, but I haven't actually forced myself to sit down and write a whole story out in a while. Dang. Besides a few little things, I am actually attempting to stop thinking things up, since I'll just be frustrating myself with more for me to never get to. oh well. I need a secretary. Or, isn't there some kind of machine that can listen to you and type down words for you? Besides, speaking aloud helps me out with obtaining the correct moods.

[deicruxified]

i am a frustrated writer.... i took literature as a minor in hopes i could polish my writing skills and to my luck was under the wings of famous writers here in the country. downside: mental block and my schizoidal tendencies are the things that stand between "my" fame hahaha. i started my first novel when i was 15 years old until now i can't polish it. i just need some uber-psyching up probably a cult of entj's can do the job.

:edit: i am willing to pay a fortune to get a ph.d so that people would take my writings seriously. there's a difference between "i want my writings to be famous" and " i want to be famous in writing". i choose the former and pick a pen name so people won't invade my private life.

[HarleyQuinn]

Anybody else woken up out of a sleep and written things down?

I find I'm often thinking of story ideas when I start to fall asleep and I actually got up out of bed (nearly knocking myself out while tripping over my shoes) and wrote down my first story idea for next semester's creative writing class ;D

[mind_wander]

It's a novel about someone writing a novel. The main character decides to write because she has no idea what to do with her life after university so most of the book is her writing process and how it affects her life. Part of the book is also the character's novel which is examining the role of expectations in people's lives.

You know, so many people can relate to this, there got to be someone going to buy a copy of this. Plus, people has mentioned to me, "Hey, you should go write a book or something about this. Your life sounds much interesting than mine's." Maybe we should collaborate or something; Writer's group think.





mind_wander added to this post, 2 minutes and 21 seconds later...

I've tried my hand at writing a novel but the problem is I'm too much of a perfectionist. I don't like what I'm writing, it's not good enough, so then I give up in frustration until I convince myself to take another try at it. I understand it typically takes years of practice to get to the point that what you write is actually good enough to be published and don't think I'll ever get the time to do that at this point in my life.

You know, if you have trouble with this, same goes to me. Remember thats why ENTP's are around, you spit ideas out, they help you focus in on what you want. Yes, arguments will start on what works and what doesn't. The end result, you at least get a few pages written out. ENTP's are like your great think tanks, they do not mind to share that with you. Just say something once awhile, thats it.

[TruorTupnm]

As a matter of course, I, at the least, have awakened to write down ideas. I woke up and worked through some ideas and promised myself that I'd remember them, but I disappointed myself too often and now keep writing implements close by. When it came to stories for school, I would always wait until the last second, that creativity would really have to spew to get out in time. Okay, ew. :rolleyes: But anything else, I gots to work myself up into a zone, unfortunately.

[deicruxified]

Anybody else woken up out of a sleep and written things down?

I find I'm often thinking of story ideas when I start to fall asleep and I actually got up out of bed (nearly knocking myself out while tripping over my shoes) and wrote down my first story idea for next semester's creative writing class ;D

after 10 bottles of beer, yes... hang over does a lot of wonders in my life.





deicruxified added to this post, 3 minutes and 17 seconds later...


You know, if you have trouble with this, same goes to me. Remember thats why ENTP's are around, you spit ideas out, they help you focus in on what you want. Yes, arguments will start on what works and what doesn't. The end result, you at least get a few pages written out. ENTP's are like your great think tanks, they do not mind to share that with you. Just say something once awhile, thats it.
but it's not always the case you get/need help from others and screen people if they're xxxx just to have your stuff done. writing a dissertation or school paper is way too different than writing poetry or short stories.

[mielikki]

I'm a Technical Writer. Does that count?



Anyone here ever give NaNoWriMo a shot?

I've signed up the last two years.
I didn't write a damn thing either time.

[rasoirviolon]

Anyone here ever give NaNoWriMo a shot?

I was actually considering participation in it this year but time was against me.

...on another note, is anyone here (or has been) a ghostwriter?

[chocky]

Anybody else woken up out of a sleep and written things down?

I find I'm often thinking of story ideas when I start to fall asleep and I actually got up out of bed (nearly knocking myself out while tripping over my shoes) and wrote down my first story idea for next semester's creative writing class ;D

Frequently! It was commonplace for me to sleep with pen and paper by the bed. Used to not bother turning the light on either - waking up in the morning to see what I'd written in the dark in the middle of the night was amusing.

The flow of things coming through so clearly from that half-dream state is really a measure of my creative health and general well-being. No midnight inspiration = no joy, no sanity.

[jedcoy]

I started journaling nine years ago because it was easier than talking to other people about my feelings. I can be honest (or lie to myself on paper) because I know no one will ever read it.
I enjoyed the act of writing so much I started writing fiction when I ran out of personal neurosis to write about. I do tend to try to work out my personal issues in my fiction though.

I've tried my hand at writing a novel but the problem is I'm too much of a perfectionist. I don't like what I'm writing, it's not good enough, so then I give up in frustration until I convince myself to take another try at it. I understand it typically takes years of practice to get to the point that what you write is actually good enough to be published and don't think I'll ever get the time to do that at this point in my life.

I had/have the same problem. I eventually gave myself permission to write crap and fix it in one of the rewrites. Sometimes the crap works or almost works.

Anybody else woken up out of a sleep and written things down?


I get some of my best ideas in the middle of the night or while I'm trying to fall asleep (nothing to distract me from the voices). I keep a pen and sketch pad (no lines so I don't have to turn a light on) next to my bed.

[DeepPurple]

I've wanted to be a novelist since I was about 9. I've written/started about 20-30 stories and never finished a single one. A couple of times I have gotten my ideas from dreams, they never went anywhere though. It seems like once I'm 30-40 pages in a story I get severe writers block and everything else I try to add sucks. I was trying to do Nanowrimo silently this year and I failed. I think I am going to do my own version of Nanowrimo in January. It's so frustrating because I am so full of ideas, yet they never translate to paper. At least not the way I want it to anyway.

As I get older I can't seem to find anyone in real life who likes talking about what they read as much as I do. One thing about high school, is that everyone would talk freely about what they read or was interested in.

[Booko]

I've done plenty of non-fiction writing over the years. I know better than to spend my time on fiction. It's not something I do well.

I'm currently procrastinating on an article concerning practical ways to prevent cancer. :irked:

I probably have too much time before my deadline. 1000 words is not a lot of space to fill. Meh, I'll do it the 2nd week of January probably.

[Emma]

As a child, my dream was to become a novelist. I wrote some poems, tales, and a novel when I was in my early teens.

Then, before I started high school, I read it all and felt utterly lame for the absurd sentimentality of my writing. The technical flaws, the over-dramatization scarred me for life and I swore to myself I would never ever write again unless I did it "well".

I spent highschool working for my studies, with very ambitious goals (getting into a good college, passing selection exams...), and resisted to the very strong urge of writing whenever I felt it.

Now in college and bored to death, I was getting really depressed when a friend introduced me to the world of fanfiction. I was unaware such a thing existed. I tentatively wrote my own stories on others' characters, twisting and throwing them into silly plots, but it helped me a lot and made me realize how much I had missed imagining insane, complicated plots above all. Perhaps one day I won't get cold feet while trying to begin my own novel (it's the easy way out, playing with other's creations...)

Of course it is far from being perfect, but I know I won't try again to suppress my "creative" side, because it may be irrational, but it is one of the few things that make me happy on this world. I resigned myself to the thought that I probably won't become as great a writer as the ones I admire- because perfection in Art is hardly attainable.

I've got one question for you guys: do you think sometimes that being an INTJ may tamper with the emotions you're trying to convey through writing? (like, our rational mind and the way you make the characters act can be misunderstood by the readers, or the writing will feel too "cold" to an outsider? the latter is so frustrating!)

[Doppelbock]

For those frustrated INTJ's who would like to become novelists, I suggest looking into the "Snowflake" method of planning and writing a novel, created by Randy Ingermanson. Go here:

To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

INTJ's should love this because it's all about planning out your novel in ever increasing layers of detail before you actually start writing it. Yummmm, planning....





Doppelbock added to this post, 4 minutes and 39 seconds later...


Of course it is far from being perfect, but I know I won't try again to suppress my "creative" side, because it may be irrational, but it is one of the few things that make me happy on this world. I resigned myself to the thought that I probably won't become as great a writer as the ones I admire- because perfection in Art is hardly attainable.

I've got one question for you guys: do you think sometimes that being an INTJ may tamper with the emotions you're trying to convey through writing? (like, our rational mind and the way you make the characters act can be misunderstood by the readers, or the writing will feel too "cold" to an outsider? the latter is so frustrating!)

Ha, your experiences echo mine. Thought my writing sucked, but I'll be damned if I want to stifle my creative urge. That just hurts. (Hey, look, a feeling!)

And yes, I've wondered if being an INTJ inhibits my ability to write. I find it almost embarrassingly painful to try to create characters with any feelings and emotions. But there are INTJ authors. Dan Simmons, for example. I've read a few of his books, just to prove to myself that you can be an INTJ author. He's pretty good, too.

[Cosmic Celery]

I write a lot of short stories, poetry, and a few short plays. I have started work on a novel, but I'm not sure I'm up to that amount of complexity. It's just a lot of stuff to work through...If I don't like part of a poem, I take out a line. If I don't like part of my novel, a whole chapter could come out. It's very disheartening.

[DeepPurple]

Then, before I started high school, I read it all and felt utterly lame for the absurd sentimentality of my writing. The technical flaws, the over-dramatization scarred me for life and I swore to myself I would never ever write again unless I did it "well".

Now in college and bored to death, I was getting really depressed when a friend introduced me to the world of fanfiction. I was unaware such a thing existed. I tentatively wrote my own stories on others' characters, twisting and throwing them into silly plots, but it helped me a lot and made me realize how much I had missed imagining insane, complicated plots above all. Perhaps one day I won't get cold feet while trying to begin my own novel (it's the easy way out, playing with other's creations...)

I've got one question for you guys: do you think sometimes that being an INTJ may tamper with the emotions you're trying to convey through writing? (like, our rational mind and the way you make the characters act can be misunderstood by the readers, or the writing will feel too "cold" to an outsider? the latter is so frustrating!)

I know what you mean about past stories. I used to be extremely proud of a couple of stories I wrote about 4 years ago. I actually reread it and it was horrible. No real plot and no character development. No wonder I didn't get many readers. It was actually a fanfiction. I find writing fanfiction to be much easier than writing an original story. Does anybody go on fictionpress? I usually read stories based on reviews and recommendations. I find that many of the stories have a very basic format. Rich popular guy meets loner girl and loner girl becomes popular and they get together. There is a bunch of different variations. Or maybe it's just the people's profiles that I'm viewing.

Do you think sometimes that being an INTJ may tamper with the emotions you're trying to convey through writing?

I don't think I do writing certain emotions well. I have a problem in general putting down what I'm thinking. I can write a setting very well. It's dialogue, character development and deep inner thoughts that stop me in my tracks. I also make my characters slightly opposite of me. I'm pretty sure that the bulk of my readers will probably be young adult females and I want to appeal to them. I was just on amazon reading a book review and one of the reviewers complained about the main female character. I don't think my characters appear cold at all.

I was on the nanowrimo forums quite a bit and the main thing people said was, "Write what you know." That could be where I'm going wrong at. When I try to write a character who is my virtual opposite. I can only guess how the other half thinks most of the time.

I sometimes wonder if I could ever write a full length novel. Sometimes I wonder if I am better suited at writing short stories.

[Solaris]

I write quite a bit. My prowess lies in short personal essay. Oddly, my writing can be very emotional, I think it's just an easy emotional outlet for me. I wasn't able to do this until I started journaling however, and dealt with my own emotions. I've always been a strong writer though. I'm thinking of trying to do some freelance writing for magazines or websites or somesuch.

[HarleyQuinn]

Thanks for the link, Doppelbock. Briefly skimmed both how to write a scene and the snowflake method and both look like they could definitely be useful.

Now in college and bored to death, I was getting really depressed when a friend introduced me to the world of fanfiction. I was unaware such a thing existed. I tentatively wrote my own stories on others' characters, twisting and throwing them into silly plots, but it helped me a lot and made me realize how much I had missed imagining insane, complicated plots above all. Perhaps one day I won't get cold feet while trying to begin my own novel (it's the easy way out, playing with other's creations...)

It's funny because I was the same way, in that I would look back at my writings and not like them. It wasn't until I too got into writing fanfiction that I've developed a comfort level with my writing and the ability to improve my writing from story to story (esp. dialogue).

I've got one question for you guys: do you think sometimes that being an INTJ may tamper with the emotions you're trying to convey through writing? (like, our rational mind and the way you make the characters act can be misunderstood by the readers, or the writing will feel too "cold" to an outsider? the latter is so frustrating!)

I rarely write characters that feel "cold". As far as emotions, dialogue is my strongest suit when writing fiction and the ability to parlay dialogue into explaining the budding emotions/feelings has helped me a lot, but at the same time I've also had people reading my work and misinterpreting my dialogue to mean something that wasn't intended.

I actually find writing emotions/feelings somewhat easy, but that's more because I'm able to really visualize my characters within the scene and "look through their eyes" but at times, I do find myself struggling a bit with certain emotions.

[ankeshkothari]

I'm a part time writer and get paid to publish a newsletter that goes out twice a month. I also blog.

I love writing on esoteric topics. (The last article I wrote is on strategies to win playing rock-paper-scissors :thumbsup:)

I think NTs are usually better at writing. Because they can connect two different fields fairly well. And are masters at creating metaphors.

[BadMojo]

I'm currently writing on several projects. But my main project is a humoristic fantasy novel.
Haven't published anything yet.

[Pinkie]

I really, really love writing, and I've started quite a few things but they're just never good enough for me to be proud of them. So now I write poems. They also are very bad, but because they're shorter the pain of the reader doesn't last as long.

[Paul V]

Writing a D&D story atm, wondering if I'll finish it, and hoping for that with all my heart.

Thank you for the Snowflake link. I'm going to study it carefully.

[LJB]

I have completed one screenplay that is yet to be optioned, have several others started and am hoping to complete one this week. As an INTJ writer, my greatest challenge was learning a "system" that worked for me that I felt would lead to some sort of success. Just diving into a novel or short story time and time again was not for me. As soon as I learned "how to" write a screenplay, I found the creative energy simply flowed within the formulaic confines of the script rules.

[iamnotspock]

Another writer here. I wrote poetry in college. Short stories in my twenties. And I've mapped out a couple of novels now. But I plan to retire before writing them b/c I don't have time to juggle the writing and the software development.





iamnotspock added to this post, 7 minutes and 52 seconds later...

LJB,

Your comment about a "system" strikes a chord. After working on a novel for awhile I started to see the need for plot planning and character development "tools". This lead me to designing some software (unwritten) to create story structure by modeling character personalities and predicting realistic outcomes. Which basically means I never got around to writing the novel ;-)

However, I also realized that this not "real" writing. I started as a poet. Poet's wake up in a trance, write it down, and find it ties into some deep psychological archetypes that were fulminating in their hind-brain. I wrote short stories in similar ways. It seems that this writing was like INFJ stuff emerging from my suppressed F side. But when it came to the big Kahuna, a novel, oh boy, bossy INTJ takes over and needs to create "a big system" to control things.

I wonder if you had a similar experience? Did you start with "creative" writing from an artistic side and then move to screenplays and formulas in order to produce a product?

[prometheus]

I wrote several thousand words to "The Great American Novel" my story. Had awesome feedback, and have lost all interest in writing now. ??? ??????????

I kind of wish I kept it private, and I am dreading the day friends ask me ........and..............

[quizicsr]

I've been writing a book for 12 years. The title is longer than the book. After learning from other writers how difficult it is to get a publisher, decided on an e-book. Six months ago I hired an INTP editor who keeps me on track... well sorta. In the meantime I post short articles on my blog. Short spurts work best for NTs. So many things to explore... So much to learn... So little time.

[Dreamer]

I am currently writing an action/fantasy novel,on and off(more off than on however).I wrote a 15 page fiction piece for my school journal and then my teacher encouraged me to expand upon it and publish it as a novel.

Well,I figured,if I can make $$ out of spewing whatever weird taughts I have unto a piece of paper...

I don't think being unemotional in general puts the INTJ at a disadvantage.If anything, it helps writing in a factual manner, allowing the reader to decide which emotions to experience for themselves.

Just my 2 cents.