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I have three different ideas for three novel series , each one of them needs work on plot holes, world building and reasoning.
My problem is that I wish to do them all but I get overwhelmed and I get paralyzed. Where should I begin?
My second problem is that I tend to find motivation when I see people working on their own works.
What writing groups, sites or communities can I join to increase my motivation?
1. I have too many ideas and get overwhelmed. Grossly, writers seem to be clumped together as either plotters or pantsers - those who make outlines versus those who just sit and write, respectively.
I would suggest picking one style and trying it out. Either try to get as many of your ideas together as possible in a coherent way, i.e. outlines, or sit and write page 1 of book 1, not worrying about where it will take you. In the end you want a book. It's hard. Do your best and don't quit. Once you write one book, then you can write another.
2. Are there online resources available for aspiring authors? Stack Exchange has a "Woldbuilding" site. The contributors are top notch, but most of the posts are related to sci fi and fantasy.
On this site, I learned about Critters and Critique Circle. They are excellent resources, especially for the first few chapters. They're both user-friendly, using point systems to encourage submissions. Critique Circle has pay options to get you more critiques and better data sorting. Reviews can be harsh; this is for serious folks often close to submission. Critters is a free, no-nonsense, review site (mostly for beginners).
Just write them!
No story ever sprang perfectly-formed from the virgin mind of the writer. Every last one of them had to write multiple drafts and slave over it. Does it sound out of character for this character to say that? Maybe those words would be better coming out of this other character's mouth? If this happens then why can't that happen? If that happened earlier then why does everybody seem to have forgotten about it at this point in the story?
Get your ideas written down, if for no other reason that if you don't you'll eventually forget them. Then read what you've written. You'll almost certainly dislike the result, but then once you've done it, write the same thing again only this time try to address the things you didn't like about the previous version. Eventually you'll arrive at something you like.
The problem with multiple ideas is that you overwhelm yourself with all the ideas running in your head. Just like homework, work projects, chores, and anything else you have to do multiple things of, you need to set them aside and do one at a time. Start with the one that has the most ideas, and start doing your research.
Some times, the story you want to write the most is the one you want to do last. Sounds counter intuitive but for those of us who are new to writing or are not sure of ourselves, it would be better to start with a warm-up. Allow your writing voice and skills to develop so that when you get to the book you want to put all your efforts into, you have the experience and practice to make sure you put your best into it.
Break them down in chunks. The hardest thing is to remember that you cant write all 3 books. Sit down, take a deep breath, and do it in segments. If you need to put yourself on a schedule then go ahead and do that. Say that this week you will research and write 4 character bios, and the next week you will research and create part of your world and so on and so fourth. Make sure the goals are small and obtainable.
As far as sites that you can join, I am not familiar with writing groups or communities but I know some people recommend some out there. Try googling for it and facebook probably also has a writing group. I know reddit has a writing prompt section as well.
Good luck to you and remember to slow down and take it each section and each story at a time. As the saying goes... Rome was not built in a day.
Take a deep breath and repeat after me. It is okay to put something in the trunk and forget about it.
Some ideas are better off in storage. I started a book, but it was based on an existing franchise. Maybe I could have come up with a new twist. Doesn't matter now. Fan fiction is only good for practice. The fragments of that first book went into the trunk. It's still there.
I started a second book. Same thing, different franchise. This time I stayed with it longer and gave it more twists.
You see where this is going? I finally wrote a book that didn't copy anything from anyone. It still needs a little work, but it will get done.
Do as much work as you like on your books. You will keep having ideas. If they're derivative, you'll abandon them, and you'll get some valuable experience in the bargain. One of the things you'll learn is how to distinguish a great idea from a good idea. A great idea is its own motivation. A great character insists on seeing the light of day. A great story can write itself.
You may be paralyzed because you fear your idea won't last all the way.
We have a tendency to "label" ideas as good or bad in our minds but that label has nothing to do with reality. So, our ideas must be tested in reality in order to determine if they are good or not.
So, just pick one and work on it.
If you get stuck, pick another and work on it.
Do you have a deadline? Otherwise just keep working on your ideas until you get stuck and do something to get unstuck. Perhaps writing on the third idea.
Sooner or later you will either realize an idea doesn't work, or have three novels.
There is no rule that says you must finish one novel before you can start another. Writing being such an organic activity just has to take the time it needs, and follow the paths it needs to follow.
For a community, you might want to look into NANOWRIMO. You're not really meeting people in the flesh, but they have twitter tags and possibly forums and it's one intense month (November) that a lot of people are doing the same thing (writing a novel). It might be the perfect thing to get you to write your first 50 000 words...
If you really want to, you could possibly find people to keep interacting with after NANOWRIMO ends.
I have this problem too sometimes. I actually asked a similar question about a month ago if you want to check it out and see if anyone's answers to that help you: How many books do authors tend to write at once?
What I do is I write down a short summary of each idea just so I know more or less what is going on in the story. From there, I could simply choose one and expand on it. But don't let go of an idea just because you're working on something else. You'll end up regretting that.
You could also divide everything into smaller portions. Work on the world building for Project 1 on Mondays, character development for Project 2 on Tuesdays, and outlining for Project 3 on Wednesdays, so you don't have to do everything all at once.
However, the problem hits when I want to write more than one story at once. I found that I used to work on more than one novel at the same time, but never more than three. Now that I'm older, I usually just work on one at a time. Maybe two, if I have the motivation.
I believe it's entirely upon personal choice--and the amount of time and patience you have on your hands--if you want to work on more than one project at once. The reason why I choose to only do one at a time is because I can give my undivided attention to that project and make sure I don't skimp out on it. But some writers may benefit off of writing more than one novel at once. For example, if you're working on two projects, sometimes an idea for Project 1 might actually fit better in Project 2, so therefore it ends up in Project 2.
I find writing groups very helpful, especially when I need to work little things out or are unsure about what to do. Unfortunately, I don't know any writing groups other than Writing SE, but RE Lavender did recommend Wattpad and I heard that one is very popular. Be careful, though, as your uncopyrighted ideas can be stolen.
It's always good, in my opinion, to be inspired by other writers to write your book. Motivation in any form is essential when working on something as intimidating and needs as much dedication as writing a book.
I hope this helps!
