Forum I need a little help, please?

I have been writing a story but it feels empty to me.
When I read everyone else's story I usually feel what they are trying to potray through the words they use. But for me I don't feel any thing from my writing like its cold or empty. If you understand what I am trying to get across to you good people than please reply with some help.
Thank you for your time in advance.::biggrin::

Hmm, it would help if we could see an example so we can possibly see what would help.

Trust your writing. When you write and you feel empty or that you are not being fulfilled by it, ask yourself why. Ask yourself if the story is drawing the right emotions out of you or if you want to go deeper. Try to get an intuitive feel for your writing. Look back at your memories, your thoughts, your worries, and your sense of self- who you are. Understand your likes and dislikes. Experiment with words and images as you write and get use to trying to feel what makes you feel satisfied, what blows your mind away. I even recommend sometimes just letting your fingers go, typing without too much thought to warm up your mind and see what comes out. A scattered stream of conscious writing may reveal some subjects or ideas to work with in your writing.

The characters you write about are just like you. They define themselves, the world around them defines and affects them. Feel them as you would feel a friend or another person, this time completely revealed through your words. You may even find the more that you write, in places where you once felt there wasn't enough, there was plenty. Your whole perspective can be turned around and its worth it.

Don't forget to use the five senses, especially when describing the setting. Simple things, like the way something sounds or smells, helps to drag your readers into the story and create atmosphere. That, and remember to communicate everything you see in your mind to the text. If the idea seems great in your imagination, but doesn't work on paper, it might be that you're leaving out a lot of important information which you already know (because you created it) and therefore take for granted that your readers do, too.

Of course, it always helps to continuously work on improving your arsenal of words and the turns of phrase you use. Experiment with sentence structure.

As they say, the devil is in the details. ::smile::

What really helps is clustering when you are at an intense level of emotion. Free writing when you are upset or really excitied can sometimes help. With anything it is important to put your energy into words. In a way you have to write yourself in your poems and stories. And remember you can always play off emptiness...

mabey your writing about the wrong things, like a historian wrighting a fantasy novel. and choose your words carefully, make every sentence read like a line in a poem, when it comes down to it, its the words that make the sentance, paragraph and chapters. so experiment with words and sounds. LIsten to music which reflects what you are writing, that helps me alot, music can bring out your own emotions.

[quote=Rei Suzuki (steph's Honey)]I have been writing a story but it feels empty to me.
When I read everyone else's story I usually feel what they are trying to potray through the words they use. But for me I don't feel any thing from my writing like its cold or empty. If you understand what I am trying to get across to you good people than please reply with some help.
Thank you for your time in advance.::biggrin::[/quote]

Hi steph's Honey,
Find something you are passionate about and the words will flow with a life of their own. Writing poetry to me
Is to open your soul and let the beauty spill forth.
Debby

I know what you are trying to do. If you can send me a part of what you have I can tell you what you might need. I went to school for this. i learned a lot so if you can send me a piece of what you have i'm i could help.
Andrew

Hello,

If you want to email it I would gladly take a look and see if I can give you a few suggestions on trying to move forward with a more fullfilling story line. I know sometimes I get stuck when writing and I get friends/family to read my work and make comments suggestions and it helps me move forward.

Nicole

[quote=Rei Suzuki (steph's Honey)]I have been writing a story but it feels empty to me.
When I read everyone else's story I usually feel what they are trying to potray through the words they use. But for me I don't feel any thing from my writing like its cold or empty. If you understand what I am trying to get across to you good people than please reply with some help.
Thank you for your time in advance.::biggrin::[/quote]

What usually works to fill up your scenes and make it fuller is to write to the theme, the plot and the character. For example, everyone says stuff like: "The moon beams draped across the bedroom floor, casting the room in a dull haze." It's just description. The problem is so what? Let's say the theme is about God's ever watchful eye on the character, then the line works better as: "The every watchful eye of the moon stared down, sweeping every corner of the room in dull light." Let's say the character is pining for love, then the line works as: "Moon beams swept the floor in a dream-like glow, filling me with hopeful thoughts of you." Let's say the plot element is about the last night of a condemned man, plot device might be: "The cold moon stabbed my eyes with its grace, as if I could be saved now, and I closed these dead man's eyes to prepare myself for sleep."

What I find is most people write bare description to describe the setting or whatever, but they don't tie it to story elements. It's just there -- like wallpaper.

You have to develope the ability to seperate yourself from your work. Your work shouldn't have any sentences that don't have conflict or are building to conflict. That constant action/reaction is a key part of building emotion and empathy. Make us care about the character then put him through hell... you do that and you'll "feel" about your work.

[quote]What usually works to fill up your scenes and make it fuller is to write to the theme, the plot and the character. For example, everyone says stuff like: "The moon beams draped across the bedroom floor, casting the room in a dull haze." It's just description. The problem is so what? Let's say the theme is about God's ever watchful eye on the character, then the line works better as: "The every watchful eye of the moon stared down, sweeping every corner of the room in dull light." Let's say the character is pining for love, then the line works as: "Moon beams swept the floor in a dream-like glow, filling me with hopeful thoughts of you." Let's say the plot element is about the last night of a condemned man, plot device might be: "The cold moon stabbed my eyes with its grace, as if I could be saved now, and I closed these dead man's eyes to prepare myself for sleep."

What I find is most people write bare description to describe the setting or whatever, but they don't tie it to story elements. It's just there -- like wallpaper. [/quote]

I disagree with part of the above reply. You're telling a story. The more description you put into it the less story you have. Some of your most sold authors use very little description. Fight the urge to write your story in an arty way. Tell your story. Describe only what is important to the story, it should be almost all action/reaction. I read in another thread a painful comparison between two versions of the same paragraph. In all fairness I don't know the story, perhaps the description is important. However, I couldn't imagine a reason for that paragraph. Why? It had no story value. Why describe what is important to the story? You want your reader to take a journey with you. In order for that to happen you have to leave room for their participation in your story. It's ok for them to envision a blue room where you saw green as long as that room needs to be green for a reason specific to the story.

hmmm well that's rather difficult some people have these complexes where they belive they writing just sucks and everyone else's is better even though theirs is really good. i don't think you have that problem....but what kind of genre do you do that way we'd know what kind of flare we could give you. each genre has a different technique so we need to know what technique is best for you. anyways please tell us :) and good luck!

I always want to err on the side that if you are unfulfilled by a piece then maybe there is something about it that is not natural to your style.

But thats just me.

What i usually do is close my eyes and let my mind follow a path; i don't do anything but watch, because it seems that my subconscious knows best. Then, while it's still fresh, i write it exactly how i saw it.

Read a lot of books. And when doing so, rather concentrate on how the author has used his words to describe. I'd recommend Jeffery Archer.. =)

i find that when i write i have a reason to write or an idea to explore. and thats what guides my stories. So my advice to you would be to find your reason and just let your inspiration guide you.

 

it could also be writer's block. If it is, then take a break for a few days then come back with a fresh perspective.

 

Hope this helps. :)

Every writer battles with this. So first, you must know you are not alone! You've already been given plenty of sound advice on combating and questioning the said problem, so here is something completely different to consider. 

When I set imagery, I close my eyes and play out the current scene like a movie, taking in every detail of the characters, props, colors of things, what they are doing, etc. Then I write down the most important or interesting things on a scrap of paper and keep it in my mind while I write.

Hope it helps!

My novel took such long time and had to be rewritten and reedited. I was really excited when I started by now I feel empty because I've been going over and over it until it's like a chore. I know I will feel excited again once I start writing the sequel. While I was writing it, it was great. I felt all the emotion and everything. Editing for a fourth time is really dull.