Moving past the idea stage

[killerkitty]

I often get an idea for a story, and sometimes the idea will be stuck in my head for weeks or months, but when I actually try to start writing it down and planning it out, I find myself struggling to do so, and wondering how to proceed, and getting generally frustrated and eventually I convince myself that the story isn't really worth telling anyway or that I'll just do a terrible job, and this keeps happening.

I'm wondering, how often do you guys experience this? How do you overcome the first steps, and encourage yourself to keep going? Do you wait until the perfect moment to start, or do you push yourself to write? And why do you write?

[Sharm]

I'm more of a discovery writer than a planner so I often start way too soon and then a few paragraphs in I sit staring at my cursor as it blinks at me wondering what to do next until I give in and make a rough outline. Over-planning takes all the fun out of it though, if I plan too much then I already know where it's going and I have no reason to put it on paper. I mean, I already know everything, there are no surprises to be found as I write. Besides, planning is hard work, just writing what comes to your fingers as you type is really fun.

I write as a way to tell myself the stories that I'd loose track of if I tried to keep them in my head. I stay motivating by finding the part that I find really interesting and want to explore and using that as a reward for getting through the tough spots. If I'm really unmotivated it usually means I haven't planned enough and I'm missing something important, like I'm trying to do the wrong POV character or I can't figure out how something a little later on happens but my subconscious knows that right now is where I'd fix it, stuff like that.

[Whimsy]

This is the bane of my existence besides essays I swear. I'm exactly like this.

This happens pretty often for me, pretty much for anything multichaptered.

The first words are the hardest because you always want to start off perfectly. Obviously that's not going to happen. I've learned to push myself to write within the past year. It's definitely better then waiting for the right motivation to start writing, because that can be never. You just have to push yourself to write, because at least then you're actually writing even if it's terrible. The writing gets easier once you've gotten started. As for keeping myself writing, I write what excites me, whether this is an action scene, world building, character development, or complicated issues. When I get stuck, I tend to jump back and forth in my storyline and write the scenes that I really look forward to. A lot of the time I find that the more invested I am with my story and/or characters, the more I want to write. You just have to find the reason why you're writing this story in the first place, because odds are that is your motivation.

As for why I write, I write because I have characters in my head with stories I want to tell about them. If I don't write they're just going to sit in my head forever and never see the light of day. If you're not going to write your story then who will? That's what I tell myself for motivation.

And in regards to what Sharm said: There has to be a balance between planning and pansting for me. Too much in one direction and I feel lost on what to write, and bored because I know exactly what I have to write. The best way to counteract this is to find the balance between the two that works for you. I work better with a loose outline, key events, maybe a general idea of a scene, and then letting my imagination and characters take over from there. Because I have a loose and flexible outline, I can add in more things later and change things around as I see fit.

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[Revolushion]

A good piece of advice I received from a fellow writer was to always write your idea down when it happens, regardless of what it is or where you are. If you get frustrated, leave it alone. As long as all the ideas you've had are written down somewhere, you can always come back to it. If they're not, then there's the possibility of losing the idea forever.

Another thing to consider is to ask yourself questions. I do this all the time; I'll write down an idea, and when I get to a point where I haven't figured something out, I'll write down the question. for example:

"and she'll be from the north region, but which city?"
(Lame example is lame)

And no matter what, never give up a story because you feel you won't do a good enough job! D: Every idea you have is worth at least pursuing. If it won't work out, fine, but don't think so little of yourself.

[stazzy]

What I try to do is draw a few pictures, write a certain scene, or just try to get a better picture of the world/characters. It also helps to write down where you were when you came up with the idea, or what you were doing. I've often found myself in the despairing writer position, and put on some of my favourite music to try and calm down, only to realise it was that one song that gave me the idea in the first place!
As a perfectionist this is hard for me to say, but it doesn't have to be perfect. At least not at the start, anyway. It's better to have a slow start if you can build it up, than no start at all. Don't obsess over one story - it's good to take breaks or work on other projects. Try to explain it to someone verbally, that can give you a clearer view of your own ideas. Give a few different beginnings a try - don't be afraid to scrap it!
Hope this helped

[superbinka]

I find telling someone about the great idea I had turns it into something better. I tend to improvise as I tell it to get a better reaction, and answer their questions, turning a small idea into a big plot.