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Author Topic: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?  (Read 5582 times)

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Offline a

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Just curious, are there a set of fundamentals i can learn to help with creative writing? I'm pretty crappy at being imaginative.

Offline MK

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2015, 01:02:10 PM »
Hmmmm, I never really thought of anything when I write, it kinda just flows in your head.  I'd generally think of the main character and create a situation where they need to do something.  I guess some people have actual steps for creating stories but I just let it flow out of my head...

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2015, 01:27:14 PM »
Hmm. Perhaps i'll just practice till i get it then :/

Offline Akane

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2015, 01:52:54 PM »
From one noob to another, you should fill your head with imagination. 400-1000 books at least, some 1000-8000 episodes of anime should do the trick. Then, perfect your grammar and expand your vocabulary. If, by then, nothing comes out, it means you don't got it.
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Offline Vio

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2015, 02:04:23 PM »
One of the fundamentals I follow is to figure out the begining and ending before working on the middle. Of course, both can change as the story becomes polished.

Offline Aozora

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2015, 02:59:03 PM »
Your question is a bit ambiguous because I'm not sure whether you're inquiring about the storytelling aspect of creative writing or the actual writing aspect of it. When it comes to storytelling, the answer to your question is absolutely yes. There are fundamentals to storytelling and I'd implore you to watch these two ted talks to get an idea of what those are:
https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_stanton_the_clues_to_a_great_story?language=en
http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/The-Mystery-of-Storytelling-Jul

The first talk is by Andrew Stanton, the dude who wrote Toy Story, Wall-E, etc. He provided some cool tips and guidelines for creating an amazing story:
1. the inclusion of personal experiences and values that you hold dearly
2. the ability to invoke wonder - the most important aspect according to Stanton
3. the conveyance of a powerful message or theme
4. the confidence to break away from the norm and do something unique
5. the ability to construct anticipation and make your readers want to know what will happen next
6. the inclusion of an inherent goal/purpose for your character, something that drives them to do the things they do
7. In the beginning itself, show the readers that this story will be something that is worth their time and they should get invested in

The second talk is by an agent. I'm not exactly sure what that is but I think he basically works for a publishing company or something like that. He says that there are three fundamental components to a story: pity, fear, and catharsis. You start by having some unfortunate and undeserved event befall the character that makes the audience feel pity for him/her. Then, you invoke fear in the audience by having the character go through even tougher, scarier, more painful situations. And then finally you have the catharsis when the character finally overcomes these obstacles. 

With writing, the answer is not so simple as it is with storytelling. Yes, there are fundamentals to writing, which is basically whether or not you're literate. Can you write a complete sentence with proper grammar? Of course you can, so that means you already know the fundamentals. It's similar to drawing and painting. Everyone can draw lines and put something together but the end product may look like utter crap. In that same sense, anybody can write a couple sentences and slap them together but will they sound as good as George RR Martin's or Tolkien's? Probably not. So just like with drawing and painting you've got to just practice, practice. Read and write A LOT because writing is an art just like any other form out there. I should probably practice what I preach though because I haven't been doing much writing lately. Some guidelines you can follow with creative writing are things like 'don't use adverbs' and 'alternate the length of your sentences.' You can find more with a simple google search.

Sorry for my rant. I've been doing some research lately and I just wanted to share it with everybody. Hope this helped!

Offline MK

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #6 on: July 13, 2015, 03:02:54 PM »
Well I definitely got #4 down... Considering I write stories on pencils and microwaves

Offline Akane

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #7 on: July 13, 2015, 03:14:15 PM »
Well, #3 is the easiest for shounen writers. They're message is just, Never give up, never betray your friends, and when in doubt, refer to [insert catchy superpower move here] and you're good to go. Almost forgot, the one with the katana is a badass, full stop.
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Offline legomaestro

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #8 on: July 13, 2015, 03:22:10 PM »
Read. Enjoy reading then try writing your own stories. Rinse and repeat are the fundamentals.

While they're fun avoid how to write books like the plague. Specialized character sheets unless you absolutely need them and general hacks. If you can write 'The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog' then you have a chance that you can write.

Other fundamentals will of course include proper spelling and grammar. I'm a hypocrite by saying this but be wary of depending on autocorrect and spellcheck for your writing life as you'll end up not knowing how to spell the words. Read short simple fiction rather than always tackling huge books of you're a beginner and if possible write a little every day.

Offline NO1SY

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #9 on: July 13, 2015, 03:49:34 PM »
I'd say a couple of important things to do is read A LOT and think critically about what you've read (after you've had a chance to enjoy it). Work out why an author has written what they have written and why they have used the techniques that they have used.

Also, just write. Put pen to paper and start from nothing. You'll be amazed where you can get with that. Also keep going back to what you've written to rewrite and improve it. Apply new writing techniques you have learned and flesh it out. Starting with a skeleton and building on it makes for a much more full bodied and impressive piece in the end than one that has just been written first time.

That's just two quick bits of advice that I can think of off the top of my head :)
« Last Edit: July 13, 2015, 04:23:06 PM by NO1SEY »

Offline Coryn

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2015, 05:49:13 PM »
Well, contrary to popular dogma, watching other people's animes and reading other people's books is not going to make you a better writer (at least it won't make you a more creative one). You can learn a lot about structure and proper style, but it won't actually help you in the creative department.


The key to creativity is actually deprivation of stimulus. Watch 1000 episodes of DBZ, and your ideas will naturally be influenced by it. You've got to separate yourself from it all if you want to get something truly original out of your own head. (I attribute this fact to why we get so many stories about kids whose European style village gets burned down by the evil king and so they must take their revenge! *bleh*)


Go for a walk, don't take any music. just wander with only your own thoughts.



A secondary tip: Take inspiration from everything. Try imagining objects as other objects, see where the train of thought takes you. I once created an entire character after swinging around my earbuds. And another character after thinking about the mechanism behind scissors. Just start out small, and start adding pieces, compliments if you will, to the original thought.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2015, 05:51:58 PM by Coryn »

Will review stories upon request. My latest arc: http://goo.gl/KYgsfF

Offline Vacant

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2015, 06:01:19 PM »
Yeah for the Creative standpoint. Brainstorming is your friend. I recommend keeping a notepad, or a document on your phone that you just jot random ideas down into. A lot of my ideas come from my daily commute to work/day dreams.

It's even good to forget an idea and come back to it later. Chances are you approach it from a new angle, which can spiral off into even more possibilities.

Another way to get inspired is, like Coryn said is to take something you enjoy and putting a twist on it. From there you can evolve that idea so much that it looks nothing like what it was originally based upon. For example, when watching the new Charlie and the Chocolate factory film, theres a scene where someone has a palace of Chocolate. I thought about it and came to something more conventional, a palace of Gold. From that idea I ended up with a whole Nation, devoted to an Alchemist Order, who transmute metal into Gold to become the richest and most arrogant country imaginable. Not the most original of idea's, but it shows how one image can take you to quite far.

Offline legomaestro

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #12 on: July 13, 2015, 06:04:28 PM »
^Just want to say the notepad thing is legit. Thing is people just never do it. Dunno what to call that phenomenon but you read about such advice online, think and know that its a good idea and just never bother to do it. I was totally doing this for like forever and a half

Offline a

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #13 on: July 14, 2015, 08:11:23 AM »
Spoiler
Your question is a bit ambiguous because I'm not sure whether you're inquiring about the storytelling aspect of creative writing or the actual writing aspect of it. When it comes to storytelling, the answer to your question is absolutely yes. There are fundamentals to storytelling and I'd implore you to watch these two ted talks to get an idea of what those are:
https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_stanton_the_clues_to_a_great_story?language=en
http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/The-Mystery-of-Storytelling-Jul

The first talk is by Andrew Stanton, the dude who wrote Toy Story, Wall-E, etc. He provided some cool tips and guidelines for creating an amazing story:
1. the inclusion of personal experiences and values that you hold dearly
2. the ability to invoke wonder - the most important aspect according to Stanton
3. the conveyance of a powerful message or theme
4. the confidence to break away from the norm and do something unique
5. the ability to construct anticipation and make your readers want to know what will happen next
6. the inclusion of an inherent goal/purpose for your character, something that drives them to do the things they do
7. In the beginning itself, show the readers that this story will be something that is worth their time and they should get invested in

The second talk is by an agent. I'm not exactly sure what that is but I think he basically works for a publishing company or something like that. He says that there are three fundamental components to a story: pity, fear, and catharsis. You start by having some unfortunate and undeserved event befall the character that makes the audience feel pity for him/her. Then, you invoke fear in the audience by having the character go through even tougher, scarier, more painful situations. And then finally you have the catharsis when the character finally overcomes these obstacles. 

With writing, the answer is not so simple as it is with storytelling. Yes, there are fundamentals to writing, which is basically whether or not you're literate. Can you write a complete sentence with proper grammar? Of course you can, so that means you already know the fundamentals. It's similar to drawing and painting. Everyone can draw lines and put something together but the end product may look like utter crap. In that same sense, anybody can write a couple sentences and slap them together but will they sound as good as George RR Martin's or Tolkien's? Probably not. So just like with drawing and painting you've got to just practice, practice. Read and write A LOT because writing is an art just like any other form out there. I should probably practice what I preach though because I haven't been doing much writing lately. Some guidelines you can follow with creative writing are things like 'don't use adverbs' and 'alternate the length of your sentences.' You can find more with a simple google search.

Sorry for my rant. I've been doing some research lately and I just wanted to share it with everybody. Hope this helped!

Thank you so much Aozora! this was exactly what i was looking for! :)

Spoiler
Read. Enjoy reading then try writing your own stories. Rinse and repeat are the fundamentals.

While they're fun avoid how to write books like the plague. Specialized character sheets unless you absolutely need them and general hacks. If you can write 'The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog' then you have a chance that you can write.

Other fundamentals will of course include proper spelling and grammar. I'm a hypocrite by saying this but be wary of depending on autocorrect and spellcheck for your writing life as you'll end up not knowing how to spell the words. Read short simple fiction rather than always tackling huge books of you're a beginner and if possible write a little every day.

Thanks Lego! I actually do read quite a bit, but the books i enjoy are usually psychology related. As an example, I'm currently reading - and loving - "The man who mistook his wife for a hat" by Oliver Sacks. Because i don't usually read that much fiction, I was wondering if there were resources that i could jump into before i do actual story research! :)

Spoiler
Well, contrary to popular dogma, watching other people's animes and reading other people's books is not going to make you a better writer (at least it won't make you a more creative one). You can learn a lot about structure and proper style, but it won't actually help you in the creative department.

The key to creativity is actually deprivation of stimulus. Watch 1000 episodes of DBZ, and your ideas will naturally be influenced by it. You've got to separate yourself from it all if you want to get something truly original out of your own head. (I attribute this fact to why we get so many stories about kids whose European style village gets burned down by the evil king and so they must take their revenge! *bleh*)

Go for a walk, don't take any music. just wander with only your own thoughts.

A secondary tip: Take inspiration from everything. Try imagining objects as other objects, see where the train of thought takes you. I once created an entire character after swinging around my earbuds. And another character after thinking about the mechanism behind scissors. Just start out small, and start adding pieces, compliments if you will, to the original thought.

Thank you Coryn! This gave me a bit more hope :P
I often go walks without music, maybe i'll use that quiet time to brainstorm. (I walk my dogs twice a day and my dad walks them once a day for reference).

Spoiler
Yeah for the Creative standpoint. Brainstorming is your friend. I recommend keeping a notepad, or a document on your phone that you just jot random ideas down into. A lot of my ideas come from my daily commute to work/day dreams.

It's even good to forget an idea and come back to it later. Chances are you approach it from a new angle, which can spiral off into even more possibilities.

Another way to get inspired is, like Coryn said is to take something you enjoy and putting a twist on it. From there you can evolve that idea so much that it looks nothing like what it was originally based upon. For example, when watching the new Charlie and the Chocolate factory film, theres a scene where someone has a palace of Chocolate. I thought about it and came to something more conventional, a palace of Gold. From that idea I ended up with a whole Nation, devoted to an Alchemist Order, who transmute metal into Gold to become the richest and most arrogant country imaginable. Not the most original of idea's, but it shows how one image can take you to quite far.

Thank you! I have found that with art, if i already enjoy the source subject, i usually have more fun :P Makes sense that it would apply to writing too!

With a notepad, when i go to university (On break) on the bus, i usually sketch. Maybe every so often i'll switch it out with writing :P

Offline IzayaOrihara

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Re: So, are there any 'Fundamentals' I can learn for writing stories?
« Reply #14 on: July 16, 2015, 12:35:17 AM »
Okay, so pretty much most of the things I can say here have already been said, but I've still got some wisdom I can throw at you.

First off, true originality is dead. Anything you can do will have some element that is similar to some obscure French film or something, there is literally nothing you can do about that. That isn't to say that you can't be unique, but your work will always share some of the same tropes as other works. Take advantage of that. Know what tropes you're using, and play with them. Tropes are devices that can, on the whole, be expected to be present in the reader's mind when they read your work, so you can use that to make it interesting. If a trope appears and that would make the reader think a certain thing is going to happen, you can do the opposite. The TVTropes website a really good site for this, just try not to get too absorbed in it. I did and now I spot tropes in my real life.

Real people are boring. So, so dreadfully boring. Many real people are so straightforward and utterly one-dimensional it's absurd. So yeah, go ahead and base your characters on real people if you want, but embellish them. Take key characteristics and exaggerate them, exaggerate the person, add layers to their personality, without taking away their humanity. Most importantly, know your characters, understand them. Think about how you would act in their situation whenever you write them, feel them, feel their pain. Characters are one of the most important aspects of a story, so take good care with them.

Not every idea is a good one. In fact, most of them are probably going to be utter crap. It's up to you to figure out which are good and which are worth expanding on. I find that if I have a good idea, I can't forget it, and the bad ones just fade away into the nothingness, but then again, it's different for everyone and most people find that writing everything down helps immensely.

Practice! It's been said but I felt the need to reiterate it because it really is just that important. Write as much as you can about anything you can. Write down the bad ideas, because at least you're practicing. You can spot flaws in your technique and in your plotting and in your characters, and it is REALLY helpful to be able to criticise yourself. Practice makes perfect, as they say.

Also, I have some small tips to help you with your prose:
  • The best form of dialogue attribution is 'said', no matter what anyone's English teacher says.
  • The original colour of prose is not purple; don't make it that way.
  • Sentence structure and length should be varied, otherwise it's just boring.

Now, I shall leave you with the first thing my creative writing teacher ever taught me:
Anything goes, as long as it works.
I love humans, but that doesn't mean I like you personally.