How to start training as a writer?

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Ughubughughughughughghlug

Ughubughughughughughghlug

kiwifarms.net
Joined
May 14, 2019
When I was a little kid I wrote stories a lot, and they were pretty shit by adult standards but were really high quality for a kid. By the time I was in high school I had gotten lazy and pretty much stopped, and stopped reading too. I only very rarely wrote after that, but when I did rarely produce a chapter of something I knew I'd never even properly start, much less finish, I'd get good compliments on my prose (not just from family, family doesn't count).

I want to start writing, but it seems like trying to just jump in and write a novel is too much. At the same time, I don't have any subject matter in mind that's short story in nature. For any of you who write fiction, how would you go about starting if you hadn't written any (meaningful amount) as an adult before? This is purely for a constructive hobby, I'm not so naive as to think I can just set out to be a professional author.

Genre-wise, my interest (and the main stuff I read) is historical fiction.
 
1. Read a lot of well-written books (then figure out why they are appealing.)
2. Varied and interesting life experiences.
 
My mom is a published fiction writer, and she always gave me the advice to get as much out as you can and worry about structure and editing later. I guess it's all about flow. Get an idea of what you want to happen, and connecting dots will come more naturally as the story progresses. Obviously read a lot, and pick up on the tricks and story boarding elements in those books. But yeah, just getting as many words as you can on paper is the first step. The worst thing you can do is sit and over analyze every sentence.
 
Write every day.

Wayneright said:
1. Read a lot of well-written books (then figure out why they are appealing.)
Click to expand...
Also this. And this means you read for the "how" that the author has used to write, rather than the "what" of what the story is actually about. This also works for reading stuff you think is shit, and being able to say why it's shit.

Also character is greater than plot
 
Wayneright said:
1. Read a lot of well-written books (then figure out why they are appealing.)
2. Varied and interesting life experiences.
Click to expand...
1 is something I already do, of course not knowing what books will be appealing, but mostly its stuff that was well-reviewed and is of interest to me. Some writing that stands out to me especially is James Clavell's Asian Saga novels, and I like Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth.

2 is a lot harder, and one of the things that makes me real hesitant about writing. Lot of good writing has been done by people who never had any connection to the things they write about, but even if not that, I see a lot of good authors are able to really capture complex, real personalities that feel like they've spent a lot of time with people and really understand the diversity of human thought.
 
I'd say focus on writing shorter stuff first. Even if it isn't exactly the grandiose story you have in your head, writing shorter bits can help you get back into the groove. You can even just write simple scenes and stuff if you really can't think of any shorter story ideas.
 
How to start training as a writer?

Push ups. Pull ups. Move up to free weights. Dumb bells. Bench presses. Squats. Running. Agility courses. Take martial arts classes. Drink plenty of juice.

Eventually all you have to do is beat up the weaker, more successful writers and steal their stuff.

Like taking candy from a baby who writes really well.
 
Do drugs that make you stay awake for days, and then scribble the elaborate lore of your newest idea for a novel all over your walls. If there is even a square inch of wall not scribbled on with deep plot points, you're not gonna make it as a writer, bro.

Also using your blood as ink helps better.
 
Try writing fanfic. Seriously.

Get hardcore con crit thrown at you. Ask for the con crit.

Get hundreds if not thousands of people giving you advice.

Not necessarily the best way, but, I’ve seen some excellent writers developed from shit beginnings, due to the under-rated, ancient art, of fan fiction.
 
I like to write, this does not mean I am amazing at it, but I enjoy writing.
That's tip number 1, if writing becomes nothing but a chore you'll find it very difficult to overcome any writer's blocks and difficulties that may crop up later on.
Other people have said to read a lot, this is a great start. While everyone has their own style of writing (overtime you find you'll recognize what that is), understanding what makes books compelling is a must. If you write 500 odd pages of boring shit you may as well not have bothered.
The first draft is always shit, at least compared to what it would be when finished... Accept this becausd it must be written. If writing is to result in a finished piece then you must write!

Personally I enjoy doing little writing exercises, I give myself like 5 minutes and just type some shit and see what happens, that's a good warmup and as close as I come to 'training'. I also enjoy trying to describe a scene in whatever fancy prose I can, concept chapters, character "what ifs"... Over time you'll develop little techniques you might enjoy to further look into your story's inner workings. Although this is not always useful, it can be easy to just write about so much shit that isn't ever helpful but sometimes doing some writing exercises helps you develop your story if you are stuck.

Characters are personally my favourite part of writing, watching these totally made up people develop into something believable, overcome challenges and ultimately have an arc (for better or worse) is something I very much enjoy. It's also one of the reasons I had some minor interest in the idea of RP when I was younger... I dodged a bullet there.
I would caution against reading those thousands of articles giving "top 10 tips on writing a novel" because almost all of them consists of 80% useless filler and 20% of the same basic advice. I can sum it up from memory at this point.
-fInD yOuR fLoW
-write
-write some more
-get inspired by going for a walk
-write
-edit
-git gud
-don't cry when publishers reject you

But fuck all that. You need to find what works for you. Being inspired is very good but it won't carry you through a project. Ultimately you must be disciplined and dedicated while also being flexible enough to not get bogged down with writer's block. For me one of the biggest things that stops me from really sitting my ass down to write something more than a short story is real life, work and obligations. It's a balance really, over time even with a busy schedule you are still able to make something!

They also say that it is best to write what you know. But research never hurts. As for history, there is so much interesting topics there to inspire some writing, perhaps the first step is delving into a few history books, no one said you just had to read fiction. Getting something historically accurate or close enough to be believable is very important for this sort of thing. Either that or make your own rules and try your hand at fantasy. But personally I see that as a rather oversaturated market.
 
1. Learn the rules of grammar and stick to them; a well-constructed sentence is worth its weight in gold.

2. Get a good editor and take every suggestion they make seriously. If you CAN'T construct a decent sentence, they can do it for you.
 
To create great works of art you must learn the basics first. I'd suggest getting a manual typewriter (computers make people lazy) and repeating one sentence of your choice until you get a solid grasp on how to string those little letters together. For example 'All work and no play make Ughubughughughughughghlug a dull goy' would make for a great starting sentence to write 100 0000 0 0 times before murdering your entire family with a dull kitchen untensil .

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Read alot, study the structure of your favorite authors and understand their style, read alot,
 
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