I am so mad at myself....is there technology that helps with COMPELLING storytelling???

[CdnWriter]

As the title says. I'm so mad at myself and it's spilling into my work. I have bursts of creativity and then months long dry spells where NOTHING I write...umm, "flows"? So I get depressed, stop writing and start reading again - newspapers, books, books on writing, etc - hoping for inspiration and then the cycle repeats.

I have tried pen & paper, Epilisus software, and thinking but I keep going off on horrible side trips. For example, I'll develop two, three characters, the places the story takes place, how a criminal organization turns illegitimate cash into legit cash, all background information, nothing wrong with that....

BUT, BUT, BUT,..........

I now have 10, 20, 30 pages of research information FOR a story....AND no story to go with it!!!!!!!!! I even commissioned a map of a town the crime is going to be set in and I haven't done anything with it.

I know exactly what the stories (3 total) are, I know how they intersect with each other through a trilogy but getting the actual words down on paper or a screen in a format that compels people to read the story......it's JUST NOT WORKING!!!!

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!

Is there a software that exists where you write a chapter, like you tell the software you're writing a crime novel, about a hitman and then the software during the writing - if you turn the feature on - will prompt you with cues like, "Did you plant a piece of evidence in this chapter?" Or "most crime chapters are 10 paragraphs and 300 words (example), yours is now 1,000 paragraphs and 10,000 words...maybe edit???"

Most of the software I am familiar with has grammar, spell check automatically on, there's various sections for plot, character, story, but I have not seen anything that is specifically designed to guide the writer in writing the story with tips like "did you plan clues in this chapter?" or "word count for a chapter is really high/low for this genre." Something where you tell the software what genre the story is, whether it's a novel or a short story, and the software helps the writer WRITE the story.

I do NOT want AI to write the story for me, but more a software that will assist me in staying on track so I don't go off into so many rabbit holes while writing.

My alternative is to try and find a creative writing course at the local college but it's not offered right now and while there is a writer's guild in my city, they only offer 1 day workshops on creative writing for like $300 and I'm thinking that won't work. I need the steady structure that an in person class would provide or some type of software that will do this.

So.....a software that kind of pushes the writer into progress. Does this unicorn exist?

 

[Amontillado]

Regarding questions like "did you plant evidence," I found that adding cross references to my outlines worked wonders.

Otherwise, as much as I crave technology, it's when I push the software good things happen. I haven't found it productive the other way around.

Have you considered finding a writing group you could join? It's amazing the advice you can get. One writing group I found ranged from complete beginners to published authors. One member had been a script doctor in Hollywood and worked on shows like Mash and Murder, She Wrote. He gave me some of the best advice I've ever had.

A small writing circle I currently participate in includes beginners like me, a couple of accomplished academics, and a very lauded full time writer.

I'm a nobody, incidentally. Be eager, open-minded, and respectful of guidance and you can find priceless advice with a side order of friendship.

A somewhat impenetrable skin, that's another good thing to have. I write and the words either defend themselves or they go down in flames. All I want to do is learn either way. Nothing anyone says about my writing is personal. Be like Kipling and treat the imposters Triumph and Disaster just the same.

Good luck and keep the faith!

 

[Stuart Dren]

I'm not aware of software that can guide creative decisions without it being LLM powered, though no one's going to stop you if you think that's the kind of assistance you need. As far as a holistic approach to your story, no software (LLMs included) is capable.

That said, if you've read similar fiction to what you're trying to achieve, and have read instruction on fictional writing, then the information or guidance is there. What remains is the unpleasant iterative labour.

It might help to allow yourself foregiveness in that even a boring novel is really hard to write. Consider that it's okay to start there. Attaining fluent scenecraft is challenging too, but there are lots of great first chapters out there.

I thought I had novels 'figured out' after I wrote one, but progress in my second one has been just as laborious.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

I have bursts of creativity and then months long dry spells where NOTHING I write...umm, "flows"? So I get depressed, stop writing and start reading again - newspapers, books, books on writing, etc - hoping for inspiration and then the cycle repeats.

Congratulations. You are in a learning phase that many writers go through. What I learned from this phase was I can't depend on bursts of creativity and inspiration to sweep me along. The only thing

that kind of pushes the writer into progress

is the writer. Looking for a human, spiritual, or AI muse is just chasing unicorns.

but getting the actual words down on paper or a screen in a format that compels people to read the story......it's JUST NOT WORKING!!!!

Keep practicing and sooner or later, it will work. Concentrate now on consistently producing words, good, bad, and indifferent. Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way, is a proponent of writing three pages of words every morning with no regard for the value of those words. The goal is consistent practice. I'm not a big fan of some of her other work (she gets a little preachy), but TAW is worth a look if you're looking for a guide out of the mire of frustration.

Whether or not the words one produces will compel people to read the story is beside the point in this phase, and writing with an imaginary audience peering over one's shoulder is damned near impossible. Write to entertain yourself and let your future readership go hang for a while.

Now, having delivered sage and measured advice, I need to take it myself and quit waiting to get in the mood to produce today's scheduled number of words.

 

[ps102]

It might help to allow yourself foregiveness in that even a boring novel is really hard to write.

You nailed it. The answer lies there.

I know exactly what the stories (3 total) are, I know how they intersect with each other through a trilogy but getting the actual words down on paper or a screen in a format that compels people to read the story......it's JUST NOT WORKING!!!!

It's easy to imagine a story but very hard to write it. This applies to pretty much every writer you can imagine. The difference between a writer who completes a novel and one who doesn't is that they learn to get past this through discipline and a process that works for them.

I said this on the now-dead forum, so I'll say it again. Imagining and "knowing" a story is just fantasy and nothing more than that. When you sit down to put it on paper, you're met with the harsh reality of writing. Even if your skills are badass, the story simply won't turn out as you imagine it. That's because you will come across hurdles and challenges that you didn't imagine, forcing you to go off-plan. Because surprise, surprise—the brain is prone to imagining a perfect reality that simply doesn't exist.

I've found this to be true for technical and non-technical projects. When I sit down to write code, I have a plan laid out in my mind. It's perfect and seemingly unbeatable. But then I'm met with obstacles that my non-perfect mind didn't predict in its seemingly perfect visions. Things quickly turn into a mess and I struggle badly until I eventually do arrive at the solution after much pain.

The same is true for writing. I've been writing my novel lately (after a long break) and I'm learning to put words down even if they aren't perfect, and even if they don't quite make sense. Before that, I was careful with every word choice—every scene I wrote. I put meticulous care. But all that achieved is stalling, disappointment at myself, and slow-as-fuck progress. I've been trying to write this novel for three years.

In short, while you claim that you know exactly how your story works, the reality is probably the flipside of that. If you want to write your trilogy, you'll have to accept that what you're claiming here is probably false. You'll also have to accept that your writing skills need work—this is true for most of us. You will then have to accept that it's okay, and that there is nothing to be ashamed of.

There is no magical software that can help you with this. It's discipline that you learn through practise and perseverance (always coming back in spite of failure). The good news is that you have this one down. You didn't give up on your trilogy; you tried to find a solution. That's excellent. Many aspiring writers give up as soon as they are met with reality and never come back. So, keep trying and always come back. You'll write it someday. And if it's trash, that's okay. You can write it again. Or you can take your new founded experience and write another project.

Signed,
Someone who wrote two trilogies and has been struggling to write a single novel for the past three years, partly because he forgot all of the above at some point, and partly because a lot of s**t happened.

 

[Amontillado]

Some golden advice here, referring to posts after mine.