Hey Writers

[Sinnymun]

Okay, so I like to write. I'm not particularly good at it, but I've been on a roll on my story lately. My question today is:
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
My problem is usually self-criticism. When I read back what I wrote all of a sudden I feel like my ideas are unoriginal, my characters are unbelievable, and my writing style sounds exactly like whomever it is I've been reading lately.

EDIT: I'd like to direct everyone here to read this discussion and let me know what you think, or if you'd like to be a part of it.

[Lauren M.]

Wow...are we twins? Were we seperated at birth?

Because that is exactly my feelings.

The hardest part about me and my writing is that I just keep writing....I never get to any plot. It takes forever to get anywhere.

[Sinnymun]

Oh I know that feeling. I'm at a place in my story right now where I know that it's just blabbing and on the verge of becoming boring, and something has to happen, but I can't decide on what!

[Emma]

Great topic, BTW!! :D

[Courtney]

I have all these ideas in my head, and they sound cool when I think about them, but when I start to write, it seems like they don't make sense anymore. And I have a hard time writing down what I'm thinking. I think I explain too much.

[Sinnymun]

Yeah, that's another problem I'm having in my story right now. The concept behind my setting is a little hard to explain, so I keep feeling like I'm going overboard on the descriptions. I wish I could find a way to concisely get the point across.

[Kevin]

The hardest part of writing is completing a project. I can come up with fantastic ideas and fantastic scenes. but when it comes to write a whole cohesive story with a beginning middle and end (or one thats particularly good at least) I have trouble.

[Heather]

I feel the same way. It's coming up with the entire package that takes work. I don't think I've ever actually completed a story.

[Ginny]

I enjoy writing. I'm not sure how much of a writer this makes me but I'll answer anyways. My problem is writing original stories. Whenever I start writing it always ends up being fanfiction. For example, a couple of months ago I started writing this short story about a lonely male that throws himself into work. And then I thought , "Hey this would be perfect for a Charlie Weasley one-shot."

And that train of thought flew out of the window.

[Sinnymun]

Heh... I haven't written fanfiction in a long long time. But that has to be frustrating. I should probably pick up some of my old stories on fanfiction.net... I left one right in the middle, and I think that pissed a lot of people off.

[Lord Frivolous]

I think that the hardest part of writing is making diverse, intensely realistic, and complex characters. Characters kill me. They ARE SO HARD TO WRITE FOR. I mean, being a writer you have to be able to understand how certain experiences will create certain ideas and shape someone and make people the way they are and then be able to write that and have them speak with those beliefs, and everyone is constantly changing. AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! It never ends. It's almost madening.

So, for me.

Characters are the hardest things to write for in the world, especially dialogue. Also because it's so easy to fall back into your own thoughts and keeping it sounding like the characters is a part of why it's so frustratingly hard.

Godspeed to writers.

[Heather]

or that you haven't experienced what they have and you can't get into their mindset and they start to sound like you. I guess that's kind of what you were saying. And I agree.

[Lord Frivolous]

I double agree with your analysis. I get really worried that there is no way in hell that I can write this young because I haven't experienced so many things so I'm really eager to do things so that I can write about it later.