# Why can't I write how I want?



## OurJud (Sep 9, 2013)

Let me explain.

I want my writing to be raw. I want it to be earthy. I want it to be seedy. I want it to be gritty. I want it to be real. I want it to come from my gut!

So why, when I start typing away, does this whole different voice emerge onto the screen? All mealy-mouthed, flat and flowery? Why can't I put down on paper what I hear in my head and feel in my gut?

When I read published authors who write like this, I'm constantly thinking, "I could do this...", so why _can't_ I?

Sometimes when I lie in bed at night, I'll compose the start of a story, and I can hear the voice I want to use when I write, but then I start typing and this idiot's voice comes out instead.


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## Justin Rocket (Sep 9, 2013)

Here's an exercise that might help.  Pick up a pencil or pen (not a keyboard) and develop a habit of writing every day.  Write without stopping.  Write whatever comes to mind.  If you can't think of anything, write "I can't think of anything" until a thought comes to mind.  Write "this is stupid" if that 's what you're thinking.  Just DON'T STOP!!!  Set how long you'll do this exercise before you start the exercise.  Work up to doing it an hour a day.


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## Jeko (Sep 9, 2013)

Same here.

The reality? You will never be satisfied. The human heart is never satisfied.

The solution? Take what you don't feel is right and get to the bottom of why it's wrong. Evaluate, edit, learn. At some point find a way ignoring this voice so you can finish the story and then evaluate and edit it once it's done, or listen to it and let it point out your flaws so you can work on them. Either way, you should be looking at your work more, not less, because you don't like the way it reads.


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## Justin Rocket (Sep 9, 2013)

Clarifying the exercise I detailed earlier, during this exercise, do not go back and correct anything you wrote earlier in the exercise.  

The goal is to flog your inner editor into submission.  If you find anything with raw power as you're doing this exercise (and you certainly will with practice), you can always go back (once the exercise is finished) and copy it to someplace you can build on it.


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## Terry D (Sep 9, 2013)

The sort of writing you describe is typically written with very few adjectives and adverbs, few qualifiers, and lots of active verbs. Sentence structure is short; the writing direct (written like your OP). Study the writing of an author you admire for his grittiness and break down his mechanics. That sort of 'real' writing doesn't come easy.

_Carter walked slowly into the bar not knowing what to expect and found it to be almost midnight dark. The air was filled with a mixture of foul aromas: stale beer, unwashed bodies, and the slightly sickening stench of vomit. It reminded him of growing up. His father's alcoholism had given their home the same blend of smells and that memory had become a part of Carter at an early age. It was a part of him he would probably never outgrow._

Or:

_Carter walked into the bar and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He'd never been in the place, but he recognized the stink of beer and puke. It smelled like home._


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## Jeko (Sep 9, 2013)

> The sort of writing you describe is typically written with very few adjectives and adverbs, few qualifiers, and lots of active verbs.



Yes; what you might want to do is try to make your narrator less visible. Focus on description, action and dialogue. Other things make your narrator more exposed.

Maybe you yourself aren't 'raw', OurJud, so what comes from your gut is exactly what should come from your gut.


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## OurJud (Sep 9, 2013)

Terry D said:


> The sort of writing you describe is typically written with very few adjectives and adverbs, few qualifiers, and lots of active verbs. Sentence structure is short; the writing direct (written like your OP). Study the writing of an author you admire for his grittiness and break down his mechanics. That sort of 'real' writing doesn't come easy.
> 
> _Carter walked slowly into the bar not knowing what to expect and found it to be almost midnight dark. The air was filled with a mixture of foul aromas: stale beer, unwashed bodies, and the slightly sickening stench of vomit. It reminded him of growing up. His father's alcoholism had given their home the same blend of smells and that memory had become a part of Carter at an early age. It was a part of him he would probably never outgrow._
> 
> ...




Ooh, yes, I like the second example much more. The problem I would have here is with the overall length of that style. It would take me 90 years to finish a novel if every description could be summed up in so few words.



Cadence said:


> Maybe you yourself aren't 'raw', OurJud, so what  comes from your gut is exactly what should come from your gut.



That's a terrifying thought. Thanks, Cadence.

Justin, I really need to get into the habit of using notebooks more to do as you suggest. I can see how it would be of benefit.


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## Jeko (Sep 9, 2013)

> It would take me 90 years to finish a novel if every description could be summed up in so few words.



Not really. You train yourself to have more to say rather than merely saying more.



> That's a terrifying thought. Thanks, Cadence.



You might have misunderstood me; I meant that different writers have, through living different lives, different things they can 'get out' when they put pen to paper. Grittiness is something like that - it's an artistic expression, an outlook, a perspective on the world that colors everything differently. It's what makes the film Kick-Ass far better than its sequel.

Trying to imitate the style of another author is always difficult, and not worth the time IMO. You're a person as much as your favourite authors are people, so you're developing your own style. Let it grow. If you want a plant to grow, you can't yank it upwards or it'll come out of the soil.


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## OurJud (Sep 9, 2013)

Cadence said:


> Trying to imitate the style of another author is always difficult, and not worth the time IMO. You're a person as much as your favourite authors are people, so you're developing your own style. Let it grow. If you want a plant to grow, you can't yank it upwards or it'll come out of the soil.



Funny you should say that because I've just dusted off Kerouac's_ On the Road_ and came to the horrible realisation that all I'm doing with my current WiP is trying to re-write that book. It even has the same opening (guy decides to go on road trip and ropes in friend to go with him).

As a consequence I've now lost what little belief I had in that story and have mentally scrapped it as another failed attempt.

I don't think I'm cut out for this game, quite honestly.


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## Terry D (Sep 9, 2013)

OurJud said:


> Funny you should say that because I've just dusted off Kerouac's_ On the Road_ and came to the horrible realisation that all I'm doing with my current WiP is trying to re-write that book. It even has the same opening (guy decides to go on road trip and ropes in friend to go with him).



Not unlike The Lord of the Rings, or The Blues Brothers, or Of Mice and Men... Two guys on the road has been done many times, but your take on it, your perspective with your characters never has. That's why an idea cannot be copyrighted. Ideas are a dime a dozen, the execution is unique.


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## philistine (Sep 9, 2013)

Going from my own experiences, I'm simply going to say that it's a lack of practise (you haven't developed the skills fully). 

I remember, before I had conceived of my novel, reading an Osamu Dazai novel. The simplicity of the story, the straightforward, no-frills language, and everything else it had- I felt as though I could do the same thing. I'd be thinking it constantly whilst reading. And yet, when I went to write my own work, it rarely lived up to expectations.

Skip forward eighteen months later, I don't just feel as though I could write a novel like that, but I already have done. 

Effortlessness requires tremendous effort.


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## OurJud (Sep 9, 2013)

philistine said:


> Going from my own experiences, I'm simply going to say that it's a lack of practise (you haven't developed the skills fully).



Lack of practice, certainly. I write (seriously) in fits that last a few months, but then I stop completely for many many months on end, maybe even years.

Wanting to be a good writer and achieve a goal - in my case finishing a novel - but having to accept you don't have the heart, determination, discipline, dedication, inspiration and will-power to do that, is a very hard pill to swallow.


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## Justin Rocket (Sep 9, 2013)

Never worry about the rough draft.  Train yourself, using the exercise I detailed earlier, to beat your inner editor into submission and write raw, from the place where all your emotions hide because you're afraid to look weak/vulnerable/scared/in love/etc.  No degree of editing skill can create diamonds from weak sauce.  You can't polish a turd.  Do the exercise I detailed.  Get good at it.  THEN learn the editing tricks.  Once you can create a lump of coal, you've got something that can be turned into a diamond.  Let go of the pressure to write beautifully until after the rough draft has been written from the heart.


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## InkwellMachine (Sep 9, 2013)

I think I've said this before, but it's worth saying again: visions are for chasing. It's incredibly rare that an artist should see something in his or her mind's eye and manifest it to look the same in reality. It's a good thing. It gives you something to pursue.

I think the best thing about this is that it's self-perpetuating. I can almost assure you that your vision will change every time you come close to achieving it, staying forever at arm's reach. This means you'll be chasing it forever. It's a type of progress that never dies. 

It's a good thing.


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## escorial (Sep 9, 2013)

Could it be down to our own inner feelings..

- - - Updated - - -

Could it be down to our own inner feelings..

- - - Updated - - -

Could it be down to our own inner feelings..


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## OurJud (Sep 9, 2013)

InkwellMachine said:


> It's a good thing.



Is it? Will you please tell my brain that cos at the moment it hates writing and doesn't want to bother doing it.


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## Tettsuo (Sep 9, 2013)

OurJud said:


> Let me explain.
> 
> I want my writing to be raw. I want it to be earthy. I want it to be seedy. I want it to be gritty. I want it to be real. I want it to come from my gut!
> 
> ...


I think this occurs when the writer inserts too much of themselves and less of the "voice" they want to portray.  How about you identify the voice and write the creation's perspective?  What's important in the scene to the voice?  Not you as the writer, but the voice the story is being told from?

What I'm saying is, act.  Designate, name, design the narrator you're speaking as.  Create the alter-ego and see the story through their eyes.  It's no different than making a character and speaking as the character would, telling the story as the character would.

If you're not that gritty person, create a persona for yourself that is.  Then, allow them to tell the story without your help.


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## Myers (Sep 9, 2013)

OurJud said:


> Wanting to be a good writer and achieve a goal - in my case finishing a novel - but having to accept you don't have the heart, determination, discipline, dedication, inspiration and will-power to do that, is a very hard pill to swallow.



OJ, if you've accepted that or you are willing to, then that means you've given up, and I'm not really buying that. And if you have, why are you starting all these threads, asking people to spend their time and energy trying to help you? Something's not adding up, buddy.


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## Apple Ice (Sep 9, 2013)

OurJud, you really need to either get on with it or admit defeat. There is absolutely nothing anyone on here can do for you anymore, you've asked many questions and people have given you many answers but you keep moping around acting like you don't know what to do. You're substituting writing time to ask others to write for you on here. 

Write, and keep writing until you either end up with something you're happy with or realise it's time to move on and write something else. Or nothing at all if you don't like writing. Just make up your mind, no one here's going to do that for you.

This may come across as an attack, apologies if it does.


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## Lewdog (Sep 9, 2013)

Why can't you write like that?  It's because you are trying to write like that.  It's not in you to write like that, because you weren't taught to write like that.  Take a look at a lot of writers who have that type of style and you will find many self-taught men and women who had little to no technical training.  I would almost qualify these writers as minimalists.


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## Morkonan (Sep 9, 2013)

OurJud said:


> ...When I read published authors who write like this, I'm constantly thinking, "I could do this...", so why _can't_ I?
> 
> Sometimes when I lie in bed at night, I'll compose the start of a story, and I can hear the voice I want to use when I write, but then I start typing and this idiot's voice comes out instead.



I think you have not yet taken naturally to "writing." In other words, you can write, but you can't find your "voice." Even then, your "voice" might not cooperate, but you still need to know what it looks like on the page. 

To get "Earthy", "Seedy", "Gritty" and to have your writing obviously coming from your "Gut", you need to get used to using the written word as an emotional toilet bowl.... In other words, you've got to make that connection between "Emotion" and "Emote." (Or, "E-Motion)

Are you really the Earthy, Seedy, Gritty expressionist that you desire to be? You might not be that sort. But, in order to find out, you need to start doing some invoking. You need to get your blood up, raise your blood pressure, break your heart, have a canniption fit or something... Then, you need to write about it. You need to write about it not because you're going to have anything worthy to say in such a state. You need to write about it in order to become used to the idea of channeling this demon you wish to harness. You need to learn how to conjure it when needed. You need to learn where it is, what it looks like and, most importantly, how it feels. Learning how that connection between "feeling" and "writing" actually feels is going to be critical in understanding how to evoke that energy when you most need it.

I generally poo-poo on the idea that someone has to be "inspired" to write something worthy of being written. I think angsty writers worrying about whether or not they have the emotional energy available to write something worthy of being written are missing the point, entirely. Sure, being emotionally tied to your work can have great results. But, it's not entirely necessary to have a love-fest with your manuscript in order to do a good job writing.

I think you'll end up finding your "Voice" and will end up learning how to harness your emotions, eventually evoking them, yourself, simply through practice. Practice, practice, practice. Take some time to find subjects that interest you and that move you, emotionally, in that Gritty, Seedy way you're looking for. Then... write on them. If the writing sucks, start over. If it still sucks, start over again. That's what writers do - Writers are not one-trick ponies and may be called upon to perform even when its not convenient.

So, write something Gritty and Seedy and Gutwrenching and then keep re-writing it until you think you've gotten it right, in the Voice that you believe that you most want to use. Then, post it.


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## Leyline (Sep 9, 2013)

I long ago (seriously, like 20 years ago) gave up on trying to make any given story conform to preconceived notions of what it _should_ be. That, for me, was pronouncing a death sentence on the poor ephemeral thing before the first word was written.


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## Arcana (Sep 9, 2013)

If there's something that inspires me to write, I usually re-read the novel or piece that inspired me, and use that author's voice as reference. But don't stay in your comfort zone when writing. If you do, you will become slower at productivity and will refuse to accept change. Try reading the book or watching the movie that inspired you while staying out of your comfort zone, and learn the different elements used to create the voice. After using this technique for a year while writing a novel, I learned to use the voice I wanted without reference. Hope this helps.


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## OurJud (Sep 9, 2013)

Myers said:


> OJ, if you've accepted that or you are willing to, then that means you've given up, and I'm not really buying that. And if you have, why are you starting all these threads, asking people to spend their time and energy trying to help you? Something's not adding up, buddy.





Apple Ice said:


> OurJud, you really need to either get on with  it or admit defeat. There is absolutely nothing anyone on here can do  for you anymore, you've asked many questions and people have given you  many answers but you keep moping around acting like you don't know what  to do. You're substituting writing time to ask others to write for you  on here.
> 
> Write, and keep writing until you either end up with something you're  happy with or realise it's time to move on and write something else. Or  nothing at all if you don't like writing. Just make up your mind, no one  here's going to do that for you.
> 
> This may come across as an attack, apologies if it does.



Not at all. I really needed a couple of posts like this.

I'm eternally grateful for the help and patience everyone here has shown me. It has been above and beyond really.

I suppose these self-pitying posts of late have been a cry for help, and that sounds far more dramatic that it's meant.

I was diagnosed with depression at the age of 18 and as any fellow sufferers will know it never leaves you. I don't doubt for one second that this is a contributory factor to my problems with writing.

All I can say, with absolute certainty, is that the passion to write - like my depression - will never leave me, but what I can also say with the same certainty, is that I don't have what it takes.

Imagine you're in a room, stood in front of wall, and on a shelf too high for you to reach sits an apple. You desperately want that apple, but the room is empty and there is absolutely _NO_ way you can reach it. Other people, the same height as you, can come into that room and get that apple, because they have stools to stand on, or sticks to knock it off its shelf... they have tools that help them get that apple.

I don't have those tools, and yet I want that apple just as much as the others.

I'm rambling now, but I'll just say I'll quit with the threads and try to contribute in other ways.


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## ppsage (Sep 9, 2013)

Personally, I'd lay off the Kerouac. But if you can't, try writing some spacey, auto-biographical haiku and chanting it in basement coffee-shops accompanied by struggling sax players. Pretend you're Buddhist. Do it for three years, then take another shot at your novel, typing non-stop. Repeat as necessary.


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## Myers (Sep 9, 2013)

I didn't mean you should stop with the threads. They've spurred some pretty interesting conversations. I just meant they're an indication that you're not ready to give up. 

I read a little thing of yours and I think it shows talent. Keep posting. Keep writing. Maybe post some things in the workshop. I think you have something to offer, so keep at it.


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## Leyline (Sep 9, 2013)

OurJud, here is the best advice I can give you:

Look at a first draft as merely the beginning of the crafting of a story. Write it. Don't worry about style or mood, flowery language or gritty, blunt or oblique. Make the purpose of the first draft the basics: exploration of the idea, establishment of character, and completion of specific narrative drive. Dialogue coming off flat? Don't worry about it. Characters feeling lifeless? Don't worry about it. Theme not apparent enough? Don't worry about it. Tell yourself: "This is mine, and it's not perfect, but nobody has to see this until I'm ready to show it to them."

Save it. Then copy the text, save it as a separate file and start to play with it.

Literature is a multi-faceted endeavor. It's an art and it's a science. It's work and it's also -- on a fundamental level -- a form of _play_. Have fun with it. Change anything and everything on a whim. Create multiple versions. Switch the roles of the antagonist and the protagonist. Alter motivations. Rearrange the structure. Introduce or eliminate characters.

_Play_ with it. I currently have a story entering _eighth draft_ and I've yet to do what I consider a 'polish draft' to prepare it in a technical sense. I'm still exploring who the characters are, what they sound like, what they want and what they are willing to do to get it. I've vastly altered the ending several times, changed the beginning, created and cast into the abyss several supporting characters and altered the style greatly with each iteration.

Your story is your private universe and you are its implacable and all-powerful God. The only rules set in stone are the rules that _you_ decide to set in stone. You get to decide its finished form when others finally see it -- if you decide to let them see it.

Writers are guaranteed almost nothing when they sit down to write. They aren't guaranteed a sale or a positive reception. They aren't guaranteed that a hypothetical reader will even take from the story what they want them to take from it.

But they are guaranteed this miniaturized form of divinity. Revel in it.


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## OurJud (Sep 9, 2013)

Leyline said:


> OurJud, here is the best advice I can give you:
> 
> Look at a first draft as merely the beginning of the crafting of a story. Write it. Don't worry about style or mood, flowery language or gritty, blunt or oblique. Make the purpose of the first draft the basics: exploration of the idea, establishment of character, and completion of specific narrative drive. Dialogue coming off flat? Don't worry about it. Characters feeling lifeless? Don't worry about it. Theme not apparent enough? Don't worry about it. Tell yourself: "This is mine, and it's not perfect, but nobody has to see this until I'm ready to show it to them."



I understand the basic concept of writing a first rough draft, but if I could truly let go like this and just get the thing down, it would be about 15,000 words in length. What use is that if I'm aiming for a 90,000 word novel?


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## Leyline (Sep 9, 2013)

OurJud said:


> I understand the basic concept of writing a first rough draft, but if I could truly let go like this and just get the thing down, it would be about 15,000 words in length. What use is that if I'm aiming for a 90,000 word novel?



Aiming for a word-count, especially in first draft, is asking for trouble in my experience. But you really can't see expanding it in further drafts? If your basic plot and character trajectories will not sustain a 90,000 word novel, do you think simply adding more words is going to produce an end-result that you're happy with?


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## Lewdog (Sep 9, 2013)

If you want to write raw and from the gut, you can't limit yourself with a word count.  Raw doesn't have structure.


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## Kevin (Sep 9, 2013)

To the o.p. : bring a tape recorder to bed. The others in your flat might get a little annoyed and tell you to keep it down when you get really involved in an exciting part (I just tell them to get some earplugs and get over it) but you won't have to switch modes, _and_ you just might get what you're after.


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## OurJud (Sep 9, 2013)

Leyline said:


> Aiming for a word-count, especially in first draft, is asking for trouble in my experience. But you really can't see expanding it in further drafts? If your basic plot and character trajectories will not sustain a 90,000 word novel, do you think simply adding more words is going to produce an end-result that you're happy with?



Well no, but theoretically I can keep them on the road for as long I like.

I dunno, it's all a game now.


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## Justin Rocket (Sep 9, 2013)

Leyline said:


> Aiming for a word-count, especially in first draft, is asking for trouble in my experience. But you really can't see expanding it in further drafts? If your basic plot and character trajectories will not sustain a 90,000 word novel, do you think simply adding more words is going to produce an end-result that you're happy with?




Publishers are going to require a word count.  So, an auther does have to write to it.  Just not on the first draft.  

As for "just keep them on the road longer", this tactic would destroy the story arc by keeping tension at the same level for a prolonged period of time.  The reader is going to perceive this as a sag in the middle where they'll probably lose interest in finishing the story.


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## Justin Rocket (Sep 9, 2013)

If you're limiting yourself to what your main character observes, but your impact character acts one way in front of the main character and another way when your main character isn't present, are you up to the challenge of conveying to the reader what the impact character is really like 
a.) without providing anything that the main character does not observe?
b.) without reading the impact character's mind?
c.) if your narrator is unreliable?

Depending on your current writing style, adding this challenge can not only greatly increase the word count, but greatly increase the depth of your world.


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## Jeko (Sep 10, 2013)

> Funny you should say that because I've just dusted off Kerouac's_ On the Road and came to the horrible realisation that all I'm doing with my current WiP is trying to re-write that book. It even has the same opening (guy decides to go on road trip and ropes in friend to go with him).
> 
> As a consequence I've now lost what little belief I had in that story and have mentally scrapped it as another failed attempt.
> 
> I don't think I'm cut out for this game, quite honestly._



You need to stop thinking you're an different to an other author who has gone before you or lives today. You're not.

What's wrong with re-writing books? Don't painters learn by coping their masters? Try to replicate something you are familiar with and you gradually add to what you can draw upon when you aren't sourcing off another work. No-one's going to laugh at you. In fact, writers who obsess about being 'original' are the ones that never obtain that feeling.


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## Justin Rocket (Sep 10, 2013)

Cadence said:


> _Funny you should say that because I've just dusted off Kerouac's__ On the Road and came to the horrible realisation that all I'm doing with my current WiP is trying to re-write that book. It even has the same opening (guy decides to go on road trip and ropes in friend to go with him).
> 
> As a consequence I've now lost what little belief I had in that story and have mentally scrapped it as another failed attempt.
> 
> I don't think I'm cut out for this game, quite honestly._.




It is impossible for you to re-create Kerouac!  You're not Kerouac.  Your life experiences and perspective on life  are different.  As for stories where the traveller ropes his friend into the trip?  There's a ton of diversity there (Lord of the Rings, Grapes of Wrath, Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief, Of Mice and Men, Poseidon Adventure, these are just off the top of my head).  It is one of the oldest tropes.  When you write it from the heart, it will be unique because your heart is unique.


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## Morkonan (Sep 10, 2013)

OurJud said:


> Funny you should say that because I've just dusted off Kerouac's_ On the Road_ and came to the horrible realisation that all I'm doing with my current WiP is trying to re-write that book. It even has the same opening (guy decides to go on road trip and ropes in friend to go with him).
> 
> As a consequence I've now lost what little belief I had in that story and have mentally scrapped it as another failed attempt.
> 
> I don't think I'm cut out for this game, quite honestly.



Ever hear of the genre "Roadtrip Movie?" They're a dime a dozen for a reason - They're very useful sets of mechanics to tell a story with. So, you think you've written "Just another roadtrip story?" Then, make yours different in some meaningful way. Change it up! Instead of two guys, make one a girl. Instead of two humans, make one an alien. Or, two girls and an alien. Maybe throw a dog in there? How about a spy, thief or murderer?

You can keep the Roadtrip theme, just put your own twist on it. Everything has already been written, after all. New novels are basically just twists on very familiar themes.


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## escorial (Sep 10, 2013)

pack your bags an live it man


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## enchantedsecret24 (Sep 11, 2013)

I know this sounds crazy, but BE the character that you are writing. Make yourself be them, think like them, see things like them. I read a quote from an author once (I forget who this was), about how a writer pretty much has to have Multiple personalities when writing. Yes, this sounds crazy, but it's so crazy that it's true. Instead of being yourself writing what you know and what YOU think...BE THE CHARACTER.

Whenever I start writing from a characters POV, I always start thinking like them. "What would she do if..." "What would she think of..." "How would she react to", I don't know if you try to do this already, but try to think like the character. If you want your character to be raw and gritty...then you simply make him that way, and think that way. Learn to turn the "you" switch off, and become the character that you're writing. Maybe I'm just insane...but that seems to be what I have to do. This way, the characters say what they want to say. Sometimes I'm shocked at what comes out of my characters mouths during a writing session, but if it's not the norm. for me, or out of my comfort zone, then I see it as a plus.

I know you're probably thinking I'm insane...but hopefully you can kind of get what I'm saying! lol


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## OurJud (Sep 11, 2013)

enchantedsecret24 said:


> I know you're probably thinking I'm insane...but hopefully you can kind of get what I'm saying! lol



Not in the slightest. I think this is what every writer does... or at least _should_ do.

Having said that, I think I _am_ guilty of not turning the 'me' switch off completely. I think I tend to turn it right down, but on occasion I can still hear him very faintly him in the background.


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## FleshEater (Sep 11, 2013)

I've seen numerous threads started by you asking this or that, and always laced with doubt. So, I have to ask, how long have you actually been writing?

I realize this isn't on topic, but I'll make my point after I hear your answer.


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## OurJud (Sep 11, 2013)

FleshEater said:


> I've seen numerous threads started by you asking this or that, and always laced with doubt. So, I have to ask, how long have you actually been writing?



About 15 years, on and off. More off than on.

And yes, I know what you're all thinking. I sound like someone who's been writing about six months.


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## FleshEater (Sep 11, 2013)

The more off than on could equate to six months. Write steady and you should find a voice you feel is yours. It doesn't even matter if it's garbage. Just keep writing. 

Even better. Write out your thoughts, that might help.

For instance, my thoughts right now are;

Microsoft Word is open. I really need to try and finish this short story. 

I have to paint the attic this weekend. Oh, and it's Friday the 13th this week...sweet...party time! What? The wife sent me another e-mail. Ah, I'll read it later.

What was I saying to OurJud? Oh yeah...

I don't know. Could help you. It seems random, but it is you talking to yourself in a narrative sort of way.


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