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@shadowwriter161 Hey there! Story Embers just released an article about confidence that I found super helpful: https://storyembers.org/5-ways-insecure-writers-can-build-the-confidence-to-be-creative/
A point that the article mentioned is that every first draft is messy – and that’s okay. I think that’s really important here that you flesh out your idea on paper, step away for a few days, and then come back and see what you think. Revision + editing will always have your back, but it starts with you being brave enough to actually put down your idea and see where it takes you.
Something you could also do is share your writing with a supportive friend who you trust. Right now my close friend reads my draft regularly, and knowing that she will look at it is really helpful for me. I can envision the kinds of questions she will ask and the points that she might have a problem with, and that is helping me refine my writing as I go. If there’s someone like that in your life, you might want to reach out to them and try that.
Best of luck 🙂
Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
This is exactly my predicament 😂 because during Nano just yesterday I came to my romantic scene, and, not having the time to revise, wrote most of it pretty terribly and just went on. But I think I learned a few things, which I can share here:
1) Romance looks different in every book, so it can be a minor part of the overall story. I’ve read a lot of middle-grade books where the guy kind of likes the girl, goes on a major adventure, and then she says something sweet to him at the end that kind of sweetens the victory. Or in A Wrinkle in Time, a romance (of sorts) is established by two lines of text: Calvin telling Meg her eyes are beautiful, and Meg blushing in response. Middle grade romance in my experience is very sweet and innocent and you don’t need to experience it to make it work.
2) Do write what you know and what makes sense to you. When I tried to write an almost-kiss scene yesterday, I put a lot of fluff that was probably borrowed from the YA stuff I read in middle school. But then today, I put a line (“She wanted him close to her again, and his arms around her”) that seems kind of cliche compared to most YA, but I think it worked because it resonates with me and what I’ve felt in the past. (And I’ve never had a boyfriend.)
So that’s a little bit of advice from my Nano experience yesterday and today. A lot of it might seem kind of obvious, but I hope you find it helpful!
Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
@sarahfi *looks up cultural appropriation*
I don’t think you need to worry. It’s like doing a retelling of a fairytale, legend, or Greek myth, which tons of people have done in Western culture (and which I am doing at the moment in my WIP). I think people would only be offended, like Archer said, if it looks like plagiarism, or just failing to be original and thoughtful in general in how you use another culture’s ideas. Since you’re already asking this question and wanting to be careful with it, I’d say you’re good to go.
Putting what I said above in a more practical way, I would suggest that you get to the heart of the original story — why it was written and the message that is being communicated through the journey and overall quest. Then build on it or twist it or do whatever writerly, amazing stuff you plan to do.
Also, as a Chinese-American, I’m super excited that you’re being inspired by that piece of literature 😀 I had to read it… in Chinese class… in Chinese… so I’m not sure I remember a lot of it haha. I’m sure you read it in English, right?
Best of luck with your story!
Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
@arindown Haha I’m a long way from that point… but when the time comes sure! xD
I think I came up with the concept of my Beast and was kind of fascinated by it… and then I realized that it was basically the story of Beauty and the Beast, which I also really like, and so I began to base my plot on it.
I think that’s a super cool explanation though! I feel like I already get the vibe of your story 🙂 How long have you been working on it?
Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
@kayla-skywriter No problem! Good luck moving forward 🙂
@arindown Right now I’m working on a Beauty and the Beast retelling that’s a contemporary fantasy. How about you?Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
@kayla-skywriter No problem! I forgot to mention that the section on her website is called “How to Structure Your Story”.
I think a pantser is someone who likes to write spontaneously and do little to no planning beforehand. The ‘plotter” on the other hand, usually likes to start with some sort of outline before writing their story. I don’t think these categories are exactly either/or, but more of a spectrum, because “a lot of planning” or “only a little planning” mean different things to different writers.
@arindown Hey Grace! No, I don’t think we’ve met yet. But it’s neat to know that we have the same name 😁Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
Like Chelsea said, I think it’s super cool that you’re self-evaluating and wanting to take the right steps forward!
This actually happened to me these past couple of years, where I had a historical-fantasy that was too large-scale for me to handle. I started it, revised the premise, and then started again way too many times. Right now I’ve moved on to writing a contemporary fantasy with lower expectations for myself, and I’m nearly halfway through and enjoying myself a lot 🙂
I think that if you’re sure you want to keep this idea around, you can do worldbuilding, character development, plot and even write short stories on it, to kind of get a feel for the background work you’re doing. If your goal towards improvement involves writing consistently, and you find inspiration in an easier project (as I did) then go for it! You’re not betraying your first, grand story idea. You’re just improving yourself so you can get there.
If part of your concern is that you’ve never written such a large work before and you want resources on planning the plot, I recommend what KM Weiland has on her site: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/. It’s helped me know what to aim for in a novel (or just a story!) in general and the plot points that always make a good story.
Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
Whoaa… this is so exciting. 😉
Personally, I feel like the first sentence could include a little bit of setting, like referencing the land that the story takes place in. Perhaps this could stand in place of “the world” which would help tie the reader’s mind down to a specific place. Also, it would keep the second “the world” from being repetitive.
I would also format part of the bottom half like this (revisions are italicized):
Disaster strikes when whispers circulate of a new god, friends divide, assassins rise, and an innocent people topple on the edge of ruin. Exton is playing a game with no mercy for failure. The world requires a perfect hero–and where others see impossibility, he dares to try.
To me, that reads clearer and is a little less choppy.
I actually haven’t been on this forum in foreverrrrr (hehe) — so take my suggestions with a grain of salt. Maybe it matches up with something someone’s already said to you.
Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
I’m not sure there’s much for me to say, since I personally am pretty uninformed. But I think that in Christian fiction, mental disorders can come alongside spiritual issues, and perhaps a character struggles with both. I say this out of a struggle a few years ago when a period of irrational fears turned into a real soul-searching time that revealed a lot of the doubts that I had towards God. Did I, in the end, have to put my faith in God? Yes, and that struggle for me is a great testimony of how God protected me and led me towards Him. But was there a definite psychological aspect? Yes! Even when I knew the truth about Jesus, it still took several emotionally warped months for me to finally feel better, and the same thoughts kept happening occasionally for the next two years. I think that psychologically, things that influence our thoughts and emotions aren’t always easy to understand, but when they do surface, they can exacerbate our spiritual struggles.
Echoing what everybody else has said, we do need to understand that medically there is a lot going on in people’s lives besides their sin, be it emotionally or mentally. Displaying that in all its complexity is an important direction for Christian fiction to take.
Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
(Taiwan is another island region that regards itself as independent but is also officially part of China… but that is a story for another day).
As someone who hails from Taiwan, I’d say that we are independent, but not internationally recognized (because of pressure from China, a big world/economic power). So to kind of add to what you’ve been saying, political tensions in Hong Kong might have ramifications for Taiwan and Tibet, two other places that have their own controversies regarding the Chinese government. So this event hits a lot closer to home.
I think I talked with you on Kingdom Pen… are you from Hong Kong? I think I get this inkling that you live in Singapore, but I can’t be sure 😛
To be honest, I never really made the connection between mass protests and revolutionaries in fiction. I think that in general the rebel movements I’ve seen in stories have been largely undercover… until they’re not, and then the plot plays itself out at a remarkably fast rate. Of course, Hong Kong is different as it’s like a real-life siege, and remarkably peaceful for the amount of protestors showing up. Maybe it’s a good example to enhance the trope and let the plot unfold in what seems to be a stalemate.
You’ve probably also seen the signs and pictures honoring the woman who was shot in the eye… it’s crazy how much impact one person can have on a crowd who’s angry. If somebody actually dies, it will be an even bigger deal. Martyrs do influence movements hugely, both in real life and in fiction.
Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
@anne-of-lothlorien Yes, it is 😀
And your first one is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
@seekjustice Yes, that’s Warcross 🙂
And your quote is from The Tale of Two Cities — I didn’t understand most of it back when I read it, but it still was touching (particularly the ending!!). I should find some time to reread it.
Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
@kayla-skywriter *raises hand*
This sounds fun! Here we go, one quote per book:
I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope that I have made them right.
So really, children, mathematically, all of light is invisible.
Every locked door has a key. Every problem has a solution.
For you, a thousand times over.
Can’t wait to see what happens!
Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
@bama-rose Ranger’s Apprentice!! *cheers*
@shadowwriter161 The first book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series is The Ruins of Gorlan. He (John Flanagan) also has a Brotherband Chronicles Series which starts with The Outcasts.Some other suggestions include: The Lord of the Rings trilogy/Silmarillion (which are loooong but totally worth it), The Selection by Kierra Cass, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Warcross by Marie Lu (which I just finished and it’s pretty awesome). The Little Prince is also a short and sweet read, if you haven’t read it yet.
(On a side note, all of these except the Little Prince/LotR have various degrees of sexual scenes/immorality, if that deters you from reading them. They’re great stories otherwise.) Hope this helps!
Calvin '25 // The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
