Struggling with Exploring a Specific Idea
Hi ya’ll!
Life has been very chaotic lately. But there has been some relief in the past few days and my “weekend” has started. And I really want to write something! I’ve written several essays… but they feel very vulnerable. Well, tbh, nonfiction I find is a very vulnerable subject and I don’t want to bear my wounds, relationships, and the like to people.
I have been interested in writing fiction, but I have no idea what to write. I started a few stories, but they don’t light me up and I’ve abandoned them. How do you guys find a story that lights you up consistently? I’ve thought about forms of stories recently too; how I don’t have to write a novel per se, it could be a novel in verse, short story collection, graphic novel.
I’m reading as diversely and as often as I can to find something that resonates with me… but once again, I am not finding anything to inspire me to write. All I know is that I have something to say. I just don’t know what it is or how to start.
Any tips would be great. Thanks!
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5 comments
• Jun '24 (edited)
I'd suggest choosing a question to explore through fiction. It should be a question that matters to you deeply, and one that will take some real work to answer. Sheila Heti wrote a novel in order to decide whether to become a mother, for example. I'm considering exploring what the line is between hope and delusion in a fiction project. Having a compelling core to your story allows you to choose settings, characters, POV and events through the lens of what will help you explore your question. Of course, you don't need to have an answer at the end—the goal is a story, after all. But I think the process of searching for answers can be a useful way to ground a fictional project.
Hope this helps!
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• Jun '24
Thank you for that tip! It's interesting because I often find myself not having a lot of questions for my own projects lately. I find that the questions I ask are often irritating and the answers don't even answer the question. I guess I'm just struggling on writing a story that is somehow not intrinsic to my own story in some way. I don't want to make my life a subject or much less the details to a story. So maybe I should write a story that asks the question, "What happens when a writer has a story to tell, but it isn't her story? Whose story is it then?" Lol!
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• Jun '24
Here's an adaptation of a writing prompt we did in my epilepsy writing group recently:
Quick write in the vein of a fantasy, Disney movie, anime, video game, or futurism themed.
A fictionalized version of what happens when you're (or fictionalized you) having a chronic illness flare or are sick. Other than necessary medical intervention what and how are you recovering? Is someone care taking you? What are they doing for you? What small thing helps in a big way. What big thing only helps a little?
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• Jun '24 (edited)
You can reflect on what aspect of your own life you would like to explore through fiction and express it through journaling first. Then progressively develop a narrative around it that fictionalises that experience and transposes it elsewhere.
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• Jul '24
I like to start with an idea / thought / sentence / phrase that's bumping around in my head and going from there. Sometimes, starting each sentence or paragraph with that phrase until I've run out of ideas what else to say about it, can be a fruitful start.
Asking "what if..." questions is my favourite start for exploring ideas through fiction.
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Taylor Nunez
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Struggling with Exploring a Specific Idea
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