Writing a Story

Something that's come to mind as of recent is my novel. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out. The overall progress has been rather slow, mostly because I tend to wind up with writer's block. I'm trying to figure my way around it every time, and so far it's just about taking a step back from the story and letting it simmer. Eventually, I do get back into the mood for writing, and usually it's easy to be super eager and want to write an amazing idea down for the current chapter. I still don't really know how long I want the book to be, but as of right now it's 103 pages and 7 chapters. Granted that page count is due to the page size based on fiction novels which I chose the 6"x9" trim, as it seeems ideal for the design of the cover I want.

One of the things I tend to do is really just let my writing flow naturally. Everything I've typed is practically improvised without a second thought. I've gone back to re-read parts of previous chapters, and it genuinely flows well. When it comes to editing, I don't usually go back and change things unless I think a specific part is rushed and needs more detail, something is out of place, or from feedback I get.

Another point I rely on is the story doesn't take itself too seriously all the time. There's obviously going to be bits of humor in books, but depending on the story it can be too serious, I think. Really though, this point is more about showing your characters actually are human. They do something stupid and something funny, awkward, or different than normal may happen. One example of this is in Chapter Two, The Sorcerer where in the middle of the chapter, the main character's curiosity gets to him and as a result, gets hit over the head by another character.

However, the hardest thing with writing a story is the concept of time. Sometimes you can get away with saying one scene happens in a few hours, but when time should shift to the next day or a couple of weeks--it just never seems like it works properly. It's about timing, I suppose.

Anyways, I might start sharing some favorite bits from the story in a few blog posts in the future. Not entirely sure if it'll be from every chapter, but be prepared for spoilers.