I cannot. CAN. NOT. write teenage romance.
I have been trying. I even made the love interest interesting, at least to me. But every time I try to write a scene with the two of them it makes me feel like I ate some really bad cheese. I try and try and it all feels so cliche.
Much of this has to do, I am sure, with my own experience with teenage dating, slash the complete lack thereof. (Hey, I went to a private school.) The Keeper definitely has some heart spark scenes in it, and yes it took work, but seriously guys, old people are SOOOO much more interesting.
This does not mean I'm totally abandoning this idea. I still really like the idea in general, and actually still really like my characters. I just don't think I'm even remotely doing them justice. I'm not trying to delegitimize teen romance. Teens emotions and experiences are just as valid as any once else's. I hope to come back to them when I feel like I can handle it better.
This DOES mean that for now I am back to the drawing board. I'll go back to old people. Or maybe go younger. Middle grade? Hmmm. Or a rest home? We'll see.
But yes, this is where I ask you that very cliche and horrible question: how do you get ideas? Particularly with plot, since we all know I have plot issues. How do you decide what is actually going to happen in your novel?
I appreciate the advice :)
Sarah Allen
10 comments:
I definitely outline and brainstorm. I just write down every idea that comes to my head, expand upon some and then pick the one I like the best. Plot is super hard for me too, so I think that's why it's good to write down everything even if it's cliche, because I may still get an idea from that.
Also, I tagged you in the Be Inspired Bloghop Meme! Info on my blog!
You'll figure it out. I've come to the conclusion that I'm prolific. I have a hard time stickingto one genre.
Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly
http://www.shellysnovicewritings.blogspot.com/
I have HUGE plotting issues, and it all seemed so random and chaotic until I read a book called "Wired for Story" by Lisa Cron. It's brain science for writing, and it's awesome.
Basically she talks about how the main character should be struggling with one main internal issue. The character wants something super bad, and this internal issue is preventing her from getting it.
The plot is the events that force the main character to confront the internal issue in pursuit of her goal, or fold up and go home.
So start with the main character, and their main goal. Then think of what internal issue they are battling with. Now, think of all the things that could prevent the character from achieving said goal. Voila, plot.
This was a eureka moment for me. It keeps the events relevant while making them interesting.
Hopefully this will help you!
As you seem happy to write a variety of ages, I'd be inclined to write the story and let the characters figure out how old they are. You might be trying to force a certain age on them when they want to be a little bit older, or even a little bit younger. Good luck!
Haha, got to love private school. ;) If you like the idea enough, I'm sure you'll find a way to make it work. I always like reading the news and such and wondering what it would be like to be a person involved in the story, and what it would be like if this happened instead. And so on and so forth. Good luck figuring it all out!
Sometimes with a plot idea, it simply writes itself, and it's just the matter of writing to get it where it needs to finish.
Confused?
Example, my upcoming debut, the plot centered around a young lady who goes into adult movies in order to raise money to pay off her debts. The underlying theme is that she has one week to get it done.
Thus, I have a plot and ending. I spent the rest of the time guiding the plot to the ending.
As for your other question, on where one gets ideas, I've gotten mine from simply observing the world around me, or from people I've met and shows/movies I've seen, or even songs that I've heard.
Oh I feel you on the private school and the not dating thing. Yikes.
I think teen romance is REALLY hard to convey without it being cheesy, so I admire you for stepping back and admitting that it's not working.
Keep pushing through, you'll get there somehow.
I think every emotion is heightened when you're a teen, especially romantic ones, simply because teens aren't used to these feelings and everything seems daunting and terrifying when it's new. It can be hard for adults to describe that in a way we feel isn't hokey and hammed up.
It takes a lot of guts to say "this isn't working" and try something else.
As for getting ideas, I think I'm constantly working on new ones. I spent years watching movies, reading books, looking at art or interesting buildings and listening to music, all the while asking myself "how would this fit in a story I could write?" I've been doing it for nearly 20 years now, since I was just a teenager myself. Now it's instinct. I listen to a piece of music that touches me, and scenes will creep into my head. I'll look at an old building and see characters interacting with it. Once a couple of scenes have grown in my imagination, I start asking questions. Who is this person? Why are they here? What are they doing? Who is trying to stop them? That then becomes the foundation, the keystone, for the story I'm about to create.
Personally, when I feel like I can't write or do something artistically, what I come to realize (usually much later, so I suspect this much earlier nowadays) is that I am holding something back, hiding something that I am afraid of putting out there for some reason.
And its usually a stupid reason.
And when I finally get over myself everyone usually goes OMG! BRILLIANT!
A lot of thinking and note-taking. Eventually, I may outline, but by then I already have the plot hammered out in my head.
But to be honest, I usually think of plot as the least of my worries. I'm usually more concerned about character development and the storytelling. The plot usually just consists of the pieces that keep all of it together. But even then, plot isn't always necessary.
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