Writing a book

TheCatWoman said:

I know I'm terrible at writing dialogue

So I noticed that about my writing as well, but then several years ago I found out that I’m not terrible at it, I just was doing it the wrong way. Quoting characters in-paragraph - like “Bobby, please do the dishes” said the mother - just feels really uncomfortable and wrong to me. Instead, I’ve switched to a more script-like method of:

MOTHER: Bobby, please do the dishes.
BOBBY: Okay, mother.

But I still write the rest of the book like a normal novel. It has totally transformed the writing process for me. If you ever want to take a whack at writing fiction, maybe try that out?

Gordon-not-Ramsay said:

I'm hoping for some therapeutical benefits.

This is exactly why I write. I generally don’t like tons of attention anyways, so when I write stories or music I do it for myself. I have found that not only does the process of writing feel good, going back and reading/listening to the end product can pull me out of dark thoughts and situations by gently reminding myself “Oh yeah, I can make stuff. Really cool stuff. I’m worthwhile.”

My remix music is out there for free and if someone likes it, cool, but that doesn’t really concern me. I did it for me.

Gordon-not-Ramsay said:

i occupied myself by using a streaming site on shuffle (with about 1,000 songs) and writing about each track

That’s actually super cool and that sounds like a great personal project.

Thanks for the advice. I know getting published is hard. I know there's a flooded market for real life stories, plus I don't think my life story woukdl be particularly interesting in itself.

Instead, I was aiming for something framed around my life but with embellishments, touches of humour, more dramatic situations. I'm still going to write though. I'm hoping for some therapeutical benefits. Getting it out there would be a (pipe)dream come true, so if by any chance I get to that stage it will be a bonus. I'm not going to delude myself on that one though.

But, your advice on writing sites is interesting. I might give that a whirl, so I can hone my writing skills and gain a bit of confidence in myself.

And I understand what you mean about not giving too much away. I've written some short pieces which would be interesting to gauge.

A few years back, I had a long stay in a hotel, and i occupied myself by using a streaming site on shuffle (with about 1,000 songs) and writing about each track: sometimes a personal story linked to it, sometimes information about the artist or the tune specifically. It depended upon what came on next. It was random (they were songs I actually knew, by the way) and i tried to give myself the length of the tune to write in (pausing the player on an 'I've started so, I'll finsh" basis.) Recently I discovered what I had written, and it wasn't too bad. It was handwritten fast, so some bits needed translating. Maybe, i could do something like that on Medium or Substack, and then see how it goes.

Thanks again. Now, where did I put my laptop?

I like your idea :-)

If you are writing to get published, you will struggle in the autobiography world unless you are already well known and have a following (traditional publishing). Self publishing requires a lot of self marketing to sell even one book and it's a big outlay. If you are writing for your own therapeutic reasons then I fully recommended it - worked for me!

If you want to get your story out there simply to tell it and not to earn money, you could write on websites such as Medium or Substack, this way you can also build a following if you do plan to publish one day. Be careful not to publish chunks of your book though - don't give it away if publishing is your aim. If not, write away!

Saying this as a fiction writer myself who is building up a portfolio on various parts of the internet! 

Sounds good. I need to prep mine a bit better. It's all in bits, written in notebooks, on A4 paper and some stuff on a laptop and this phone.

It's a bit like assembling a jigsaw, which us appropriate I guess.

I've got a note book with chapter headings sectioned off, a bibliography at the back and notes for the chapters from various other books that I shall cite in the course of mine.

Well, there is nothing fully formed. There's just bits of chapters and stuff handwritten, and names and other sensitive details are written in, waiting to be altered at a later stage. So, nothing us ready to be read yet.

But if I get something down on my laptop, I may take you up on that offer. Early days though

Sounds good. It's never too late to revisit. One of my sons is getting into D&D at the moment.

Answering your two questions.

i have only recently discovered I am autistic and can probably think of a number of things that were not my finest hour. One thing ive always felt guilty about was on my 18th birthday I had made plans to play D & D with my friends. My mum was not pleased and said something along the lines of can’t you take a day off for once, it’s your 18th. I had a bit of a meltdown looking back now and ended up giving up my presents back amongst other things. Resulting in giving my mum a migraine. 

in terms of writing this is my number one passion, having always written things since infant school. I really only write fantasy stories and spend a lot of time building all the of the necessary details. The world, people, characters, magic systems, religions etc etc must have wrote thousands and thousands of words in my time but not managed to finish anything yet! One book I was mega into was over a 1000 pages long and still not finished….

No thank you Iain, I'm quite capable of structuring a book and keeping control of my material.

Im currently writing some short sci fi stories and was going to go along your lines....... i know its frowned upon but i use some A.I to construct my stories and word my thoughts a little better. I would love to read anything you write if you want any feedback?

TheCatWoman said:

I'm in a stalled phase of writing a book on some of the forgotten or ignored aspects of medieval history, I've stalled because it's summer and my energy is outside in the garden rather than inside studying, I think study is a winter passtime

Would you like some advice on how to structure the writing plan in a way that helps break it down into smaller, more managable chunks that are easier to work on?

I thought it best to ask as I know you sometimes like to vent rather than ask for help.

TheCatWoman said:

when I told some friends I was met with silence before they started talking about something else.

It was probably a mix of them knowing little about the subject matter or the process of writing a book and being afraid to show their ignorance. Either that or they were afraid of info dumping from you.

I've started my own plan for a book of childrens stories long ago and planned out the arc of the stories plus lots of sub plots to make up a smallish book, but I doubt there will be any sort of market for it so never get round to writing more.

Maybe this is my wake up call to Just Flippin Do It and write another chunk of the book to see if I can get the inertia going. It isn't as it I'm going to leave any other sort of legacy.

Lol I get what you mean about summer. I recall those stuffy classrooms and sweaty kids, waiting for the term to end.

I too am doing it for me. I want satisfaction from it, maybe a little clarity of thought. I've also mentioned it to people in the past and been met with disinterest, so I don't say anything now (apart from here obvs). And I don't know about sending it into the wider world. I'll do it anyway, just for me, then take it from there.

I'm just setting the framework up at the minute. I write little phrases down in a small book which I may or may not use.

Thanks for your response. Hope you get your history book finished. 

I'm terrible at creative writing and wouldn't know where to begin, I know I'm terrible at writing dialogue. I was always bad at it even at school, but I've found I can write non fiction, I'm in a stalled phase of writing a book on some of the forgotten or ignored aspects of medieval history, I've stalled because it's summer and my energy is outside in the garden rather than inside studying, I think study is a winter passtime. I don't know if my book will ever be finished, let alone published, but then I'd doing it for me, for pleasure, rather than for outside validation. I've learned not to expect outside validation, quite the opposite in fact, when I told some friends I was met with silence before they started talking about something else. I realised I'd created an invisible elephant in the room, so unless I end up on telly because of it, I think it will remain an unmentionable subject.