Petite Choux said:
Just starting Ext 2 this year.. and FREAKING OUT just slightly as to what in the world im going to do...
Step 1: Don't freak. The best way to writer's block.
Step 2: Relax... You seem to have an idea of where you want to go, now it's about getting there. Dare I say "Journey"? HEE HEE
Petite Choux said:
I was thinking a philosophical idea that I could submerge into sci fi (just because it's so much fun) and I could use it to comment on our current society...
Well Sci-Fi is the perfect genre for the what-if. There was a great Sci-Fi TV series once called "Max Headroom". It was a bit "Bladerunner" but a bit funny. Google it. It was certainly a "What if...?"
Petite Choux said:
however, im not sure if sci fi is the right way to go, and I love creating characters, however my characters become too elaborate because I want them to be everything and more... I generally put too many aspects into them.
The trick to good writing is having a GREAT backstory BUT only including about 2% of it in the actual story. It is a short story, so you can't put in a lot of back story, but you need it to understand your characters and how they would react in the situations they meet. Hint at some stuff and leave other stuff out. You know it but it's not necessary for the progression of the story.
Petite Choux said:
And, dialogue scares me. =| I don't like it, I can't ever make it sound real - prefer stories with strips of direct thought...
And direct thought can get really, really boring to read, because direct thought can be too reflective, too philosophical. Dialogue brings action! And that's what you want to move your story forward.
Don't be scared by it. You talk, don't you? Then you can do dialogue. Just write down the conversation that your characters are having. Leave out the "he said" "she said". Then read it through. If you need some direction, to indicate how people are saying things, pop it in. DON'T, WHATEVER YOU DO, USE ADVERBS! (Read Stephen King's "On Writing" for his comments on how it is bad writing.) Don't tell me how someone is feeling, show me by describing their actions and reactions. eg. Not "He was nervous." but "He crossed his legs and bit his bottom lip. His voice wavered as he added,..."
Then, you can group some dialogue into one statement and cut out a lot of back and forth tennis dialogue (because story writing dialogue is slightly different from script writing and real life in that way).
Give it a go.
Hope that helps.
