So what's the bane of your authorial pursuits? Do you have a hard time coming up with believable, memorable characters? Perhaps creating names is something that wieghs you down. How about the plot and originality? Or maybe you're of the rare breed that has no trouble whatsoever in any aspect of writing. If so, can I learn your secrets?

What are your thoughts?

My biggest problem with writing is continuity. Partially within a single volume (though I have written books where character's change age when they aren't supposed to ), partially within an entire series. I also have a problem with editing and being satisfied with my stories. I would much rather completely start the story over than have to go back and change things, then make sure the continuity works throughout.

I answered "characters", though I also have a horrible time trying to come up with names, writing good dialogue, and everything else pretty much.

Right now, I'm having difficulty coming up with a title, character names, and the research behind my upcoming novel.

One thing I usually struggle with though is creating a distinct personality for each character. Something--a mannerism maybe? a way of speaking?--that separates them from the rest of the characters in the book. That's why I envy Mr. Dickens.

Well, I think for me, I struggle with the battles. Not so much in describing them, but in coming up with clever battle strategies and figuring out how to work it into the book and showcase my characters. See, that's part of my problem. I don't want a battle just because in the end of a trilogy you have to have this epic battle. I want the battle to showcase the themes of the book and the characters who have been struggling to survive and make a better life.

*Seconds Airi* What you just said is the story of my life...

One of my main drawbacks in a nutshell. My characters often seem one-dimensional and dull, but that's my own fault for not taking the time to breathe creative life into them and give some attention to detail when developing them. One thing I've heard people say that might be of use is that they develop their characters' personalities while they're writing the book, using the various ways they act in given circumstances to build a list of traits.

I have glimmers of hope in creating diverse and interesting characters, but maintaining that uniqueness in mannerisms and speech across an entire series is difficult.



I love writing battles! In fact, that's typically one of the easiest parts for me. I have a very strategic mindset when it comes to that, sometimes so much so that it becomes a detreiment and I got lost in too many details. As time goes by, however, and the number of battles I've written climbs, it becomes challenging to come up with fresh material.

I voted description, but characters is a very close second. My characters are often one dimensional and unrealistic and I have a really hard time working in descriptions without it sounding cheesy.

I voted name creation, since I find that the most difficult out of the list, but at the moment the thing I'm struggling most with is outlining/planning. It's a necessary evil.

The hardest part of writing?

The writing part.

Actually, a popular author told me yesterday that writing is only %10 of it. The rest of it is working out what to write.

That's quite possibly true, but the writing part is (for some of us) the hardest part.

How do you know a popular author?

I know two, actually. However the one I'm speaking of is Gabrielle Lord, an Australian writer of a YA series of books that have gone international. She was at a library author talk yesterday that I attended.

I have plenty to write, it's just the writing part that I'm stuck on.

That's an interesting thought though.

I put in plot. Everything else is not very hard at all. I absolutely love dealing with characters, and spend a little too much time on them than I ought to. Originality...I don't bother about very much. I love making up or finding names. I have to force myself to stop writing. I worldbuild more than is good for me. I come up with dialogues in my sleep. I describe things constantly, all the time, everything. I like coming up with unique creatures.

But plot... * scratches head * Let's just say that it was practically non existent for the first two thirds of my writing career. I still struggle with it.

Would that I had such a problem.

To keep going. I come up with ideas, characters (I LOVE creating characters; I spend my free time writing up character profiles...), the whole shebang.

Finishing the darn thing is a whole nother kettle of fish entirely. I usually stop halfway through. If not, I never finish editing it.

That's so interesting to hear, because I have exactly the opposite problems: worldbuilding and creating characters. Those are the areas I plan on improving for my next series.

I put in originality since I can come up with neat plot ideas that I personally like and that works for a good plot, but stuff that isn't on it's own original enough to have some really interesting taglines and stuff for query letters since I'm hoping to try to get them published once I'm done working with them...

Action is pretty hard for me though, despite it being one of my favorite things to write. I can write battle scenes pretty easily and don't have much of a problem with that, but I have trouble figuring out how to write good epic duels or chase scenes without saying the same thing over and over again (He blocked the blow and attacked. His opponent blocked and struck back. Not to be outdone, he slashed again and, etc.) I'm hoping to try and do some exercises next week to try and figure out how to write good duels and chase scenes... But, yeah.

Another thing I struggle with is jumping the gun. I manage not to, but it is hard.

As in delving into the project before you've laid a sufficient foundation?

No.... as in, I've made all these plans and have established a timeline in which they are to happen, but I'm so excited about them that I want to make them happen earlier. *wry smile * I'm pretty good at holding myself back, because I know it will pay off better where I originally designed it to go, but sometimes it is hard.

Me too, except I'm bad about holding myself back.

Ah, yes. I've suffered from such eagerness before.

I answered plot. When I listen to music I let the characters flash through my mind like a movie trailer. There's lots of action, but there's not really any chain of events. I have trouble connecting those scenes together and then creating a story arch.

For me I think it has to be characters. I always feel like they're flat, if that makes sense. All too similar. It takes me a while to work them out until I am happy with them all.

I do not know how to describe the problem I have. It has to do with the fact that I can not pick what is and what is not, I have to find out. It is difficult to search.

But this applies to everything on the poll, so I had to choose "other."

Another difficulty is that I have picked things before, and I have to undo all that and find out what I picked and what I knew. I am still tempted to fill in the blanks instead of going on searching, but I am getting better.

I'm not exactly sure how to explain what the hardest part is for me. It's not characters exactly, because my characters always seems to come alive for me and I'm able to know them well. It's also not plot, because the same things happens here as with characters and I can easily have a whole story planned out in my mind.

Somehow, it's like it's the actually writing that is what's really hard, in that no matter how good everything is in my head, it doesn't transfer onto paper well. The characters kind of die on paper (not literally), and the plot becomes stretched out and dull no matter how good the idea originally was. Short stories work fine sometimes, but anything longer than a couple pages... Does that makes sense?

Yeah, that makes sense. I feel the same way, too, sometimes. Having a great idea is one thing, actually executing it is another thing altogether.

It makes perfect sense...in a way that happens with all my writing. All my stories are so much better before I write them...

Why don't they have an "all of the above" choice?

Sorry. But how can they all be the hardest part? You must be better at some things than others.

I struggle most with staying dedicated. When I get stuck in a part I'll often just quit writing for awhile. ( Bad writer, I know, right?) I've been pretty consistent the last few months though, so that's nice. . .

Well I meant at different parts of the book. Y,know, plot and character issues?

I thought of a problem I have that is also not on the list. Often my best ideas appear in extremely small images or quotes (like C. S. Lewis's image of a faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood) and they do join together into greater ideas.
But I sometimes am hesitant to develop out from any one of these ideas for fear they will be prevented from joining with the other ideas, which I also want to develop.

Ugh, me too. Completely. It's like the signal between my brain and my fingers suddenly goes static, and the story I end up with on paper lacks the vibrancy I see in my head.

Ah, yes. I know the feeling.


I have sort of the same problem, in that I come up with a lot of good ideas, but I'm hesitant to use them all on the books I'm working on, so I can have a stash for future planned works. I know you're not supposed to do that, but I can't help it.

Definitely dedication to writing.

I really, really, really want to make my story come to life, but I find it hard to just sit there and write.

It's like... I have it all so planned out and carefully detailed in my head that I don't want to put in on paper in fear that it will come out horrible.

Am I alone on this one?

I doubt it. Personally, I'm more easily distracted than afraid I'll ruin it by writing it, but I have definitely had moments where I write something and say "...that was a thousand times better in my head" and then delete it all, so I understand the feeling. XD

Same here. Focusing is NOT one of my strong points.

Which one in the Poll has: Writing, literally as in writing with a Pen & Paper and the Computer & its Keyboard.

I guess that would fall in the "Dedication to Writing" category, since it's the writing itself.