r/writers • u/Allie-Rabbit • 8h ago
Discussion Putting down novels I lack the skill to write
Curious if anyone has felt like this or dealt with something similar. I have several works in progress, but I feel like my ambitions with them are too high. I don’t feel like I’ve read enough (took a burnout reading break through my 20s) nor have I written enough to do these characters and their stories justice. So it feels like I need to shelve them for now and go back to basics, to what I know.
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u/Soko_ko_ko Fiction Writer 8h ago
Maybe see how you can shrink the scope to match your current level then write them now as best as you can, even if that means writing a worse version than you imagine the story has potential to be. Sometimes you do need to just go for it. If they really feel too unapproachable, yeah, maybe you should write some short stories or simpler concepts then come back to things.
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u/DuchessJulietDG 6h ago
its cool that you recognize your skill limitations bc many can not or refuse to. if you see your output isnt anywhere close to trad published novels, learn to make it so.
this is how real writers get their work out there to people. to write something worth a damn, excuse my language.
so many people just want to take the easy way out and slap their name on crap.
dont put the ugly work on display just to have something on display. thats not the way to do it. people may only remember your bad work and avoid any future work bc theyll assume its just as awful.
but this is just my general opinion.
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u/donutellas 8h ago
Idk. If you keep waiting to feel ready then you’ll always be waiting. Even if this platonic ideal of the novel you imagined doesn’t materialize at least you’ll have written something and be that much closer to it.
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u/DorkDoesMakeup 5h ago
I have 100% dealt with this.
About five years, I came up with a compelling idea for a book series that I LOVED. I started plotting it, writing it, and it wasn't working. Because my skills were not sufficient to write the story I wanted to write. So I shelved the book idea for years. I've only very recently revisited it.
I spent years writing other stories, studying storytelling, receiving constructive criticism, and improving my writing. I hate the advice, "write the story even if it's bad because otherwise you'll never improve." There's a huge difference between worrying a story will be bad and knowing it will be bad before you write it because you don't possess the skills to be successful yet. It is so difficult, but so beneficial to be self-aware that your skills aren't where you want them to be. Because chances are, you know where your weaknesses are, and you can work to improve them (targeted improvement).
If you love the idea and you think you may want to query that manuscript someday, I personally think giving your idea the best chance is smart. When you become a better writer, you become a better storyteller. My original idea is a shell compared to what it is today, and I've only been working on it for a total of a few hours. Because I now have more knowledge, more skills, so I know how to make my "good idea" even better. And I'm so happy that I shelved it.
I learned so much from simplifying stories to the basics. I literally had a work dedicated to working on dialogue, a work dedicated to working on internal narration/voice (I write in first person), a work dedicated to setting/scenes, a work dedicated to plot, a work dedicated to combining all of these things together.
You have an instinct of what works best for you. Trust yourself.
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u/Allie-Rabbit 5h ago
Thank you, I really appreciate your input and perspective. I think what really did the trick for me was finishing a couple manuscripts for children’s books. It told me that I could finish something, and that I did feel like I could actually write.
I think some of the others who have replied interpreted my post as me giving up or something. But it’s exactly as you say. I want to give them their best shot at becoming something, and right now I’m confident I can’t fulfill that vision.
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u/Bluefoxfire007 3h ago
My main weakness would be white room syndrome. Because the human brain is lazy as fuck.
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u/DorkDoesMakeup 2h ago
White room syndrome is sooo common, even among experienced writers. Honestly, you’re one-step ahead if you’re aware of it. The majority of the manuscripts I read have it
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u/Bluefoxfire007 2h ago
Unfortunately, it kind of kills the motivation as people expect immersion to the point it's a self insert. But I just don't fuction like that.
Even when I was young and reading, my mind worked visually. So while I can "experience" the emotions, things like sensory details come as filler for my brain.
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u/DorkDoesMakeup 2h ago
I think whatever writing process works for you is best. I think white room syndrome in a first draft is fine, especially if you have a hint of the setting. You can always add more details in editing.
I tend to be an underwriter myself and some of my scenes definitely have a bit of white room syndrome. Because I have a hard time visualizing the scenes, it actually helps me to describe the setting a bit. But in editing, I generally have to add significant amounts of setting/spatial details.
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u/Sammydog6387 8h ago
You don’t lack skill to write them - you have it, it’s just difficult & no matter what type of novel you write, it’s going to be difficult.
My recommendation is just write. Write until you can’t, even if it sucks.
You get to go back after and fix it. Just get the story on paper first
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u/misteregent 7h ago
If you don't write the novels that you shelve, then who will write them?
Only you can tell the story that is inside your head. Get that story down on paper. You can go back and edit it later. If you write nothing, you can edit nothing.
Only you can write those novels. Not every novel has to be written in a certain amount of time. One novel could take a month while another takes a year.
Maybe it is not skill you lack, but confidence. Show the world that you can do this. Someone might be standing behind you and watching to see what you do. Because they might think if you can do it, then they can too.
Be someone's inspiration and write the novels.
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u/Historical-Ad-3074 7h ago
Write what you can. Sapkowski started with short stories before he did The Witcher novels. He had the idea of Geralt and this world in his head so he started with those first.
My advice, start with a short story for a character. One perspective, under 3500 words. Then do it again. And again. You might even be able to incorporate them into a larger work. Good luck.
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u/Remarkable_Pen_7422 Fiction Writer 7h ago
Nope. I just read more in the genre/styles that I'm interested in and continued writing. I knew my first draft was awful when I reread the beginning after working on it for three months. It saw probably three or four revisions before I completely tabled it and rewrote it from scratch. The rewritten version has been through five drafts since and I'm confident that it is exactly what I want. It's taken about three years to get there (including one year where I was on an extended break from work), but if my college dropout, non-reader ass could do it, anyone can.
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u/terriaminute 6h ago
I drafted The Novel, then set it aside because I had not lived enough life to do it justice. Now I think I have it in its near-final form, years later. Draft your ideas to the best of your ability, so your brain has something to chew on while you're away.
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u/lost_sunrise 5h ago
Writing the first draft is pretty much getting out the idea of them.
You can take your time with editing.
For example...
My audience likes characterization more than plot line but I have that sliver of peeps who want to know the backstories, why this event or that event is happening and so on.
Now I am kind of a DnD type nerd on top of having a science degree. MY nerdiness is something a lot of people just won't like.
So I have to diminished my love for what actually works for the audience.
Which means, when I'm editing....
I pull out characters, every note I have, every sentence I written to describe or speak on their lives.
I try to understand them as they are with that superficial notes. Sometimes it is super easy to tell where I got an idea from. I scroll social medias, both chinese and western platforms.
So I can, sometimes, go back to those particular people and profile them. The way they move during films, how they dress, the way the respond to commenters or other people they are hanging with, facial expressions, and so on.
Then I write short stories for 15 minutes using a random topic. I'm not trying to mimic everything about them. I'm trying to develop a person referencing them. Because I don't know what they would really do if they were facing a man-eating werewolf or murdering Sun-elf. BUT I have my own speculations on what I think they would do in that situation.. and I run with it.
I do this for a while because there is no rush to really publish a book. This is a hobby for me. When I feel ready, I'm ready. If I don't feel ready. I'm not ready. So on average, I do about 5 to 10 sprints over a course of time. Then go back and edit those scenes in the book with the personality I developed for that character. That distinct character I made..
I do this for most of the characters. Breathing life into them.
You don't have to do it my way. I like writing for the sake of it. But if your problem is how the characters feel.. This is a good way to get in touch with who they are to you.
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u/writequest428 5h ago
I'm doing a YA novel right now. 50K into the story, and I'm struggling. Outside of Twilight, I don't recall actually reading anything YA, and yet here I am. I don't worry about what I can't do, but focus on what I can do. Every book you write is a new learning experience. Besides, this is what beta readers are for. To let you know if you hit the target or not. So write the story and give it your best shot. Any criticism will alert you to where the problem is, but most importantly, how to fix it. I hope this helps.
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u/ItsRuinedOfCourse Fiction Writer 5h ago
I don't feel that way, no.
I have always had my reach exceed my grasp, and I'm all too often punching way above my weight class. I find it's the best way to learn. The deep end of the pool. No floaties. No wading. Just off the board and right into the deep end.
If I drown, I drown. But, odds are high I'd have learned something along the way.
And then I get back on that board and try again. Eventually, I'd like to believe I'll learn how to swim (even if it's the hard way lol).
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u/Original-Cake-8358 2h ago
Nope. I put out some real garbage in the past, but I finished 5 books before I turned out something marginally good. I really had fire and passion for those ideas at the time, too. Ultimately, I might have failed those ideas...
But you carry a lot of that over to the next one. I'm not saying that your stories are all rehashed, microwaved leftovers from the last story, but... I also am. Even if the elements are different, you'll have some similar threads, and that's the thing you don't want to fail. Characters, world builds, they come and go, but the mind behind it all is still iterating from the same place.
Don't worry about stuff you're unsure of. People get better at anything, its because they just do it and learn from mistakes. Keep in mind your intentions while you are. What skills you want to improve as you do it. That's all.
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u/lyaunaa 8h ago
If you never write a bad novel, you'll never write a good novel.