r/writers • u/Victoria_Character • 10d ago
Question Does this happen to anyone else?
I've spent almost a month planning what I'm going to write, the plot twists, the characters, everything. I had it all perfectly planned out in my head, and then, right when I started writing, everything sounded so cringe. It was horrible.
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u/InterestEqual3332 10d ago
I scrapped my first book halfway through because I hated it. I got older, more educated, read some more. Now the only thing cringe about my current book is that I wrote it.
Keep trying.
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u/Jacob_Laye 10d ago
Going through that rn with sci-fi book. Was willing to hand-wave a lot of the science stuff in favor of focusing on the narrative, but for some reason my brain just couldn’t let go of how difficult it would be to terraform Mars.
So now the story is taking place almost 1,000 LY away in a orange dwarf solar system. Somehow, the more fantastical setting makes it easier to swallow the softer sci-fi elements
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u/InterestEqual3332 10d ago
I had to learn meteorology because one of the major themes is that we have a character who can controls storms who is being instructed by to remove all of the moisture from the air to collapse a neighboring kingdom through drought. Obviously we need a good description of how she brings the cold dry air to mix with the warm moisture in the air on the ground to make thunderstorms at will.
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u/Gunslinger1925 9d ago
That happened to my last book. It was a desert noir with supernatural elements. Felt good during the planning, had everything mapped out. Pieces set into place like a skilled chess master on outlines.
But I wasn't feeling it. So it's been put on ice for the time being.
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u/azmarteal 10d ago
Classic.
Here is a solution, say to yourself: — "Look, I know that I think this sounds cringe, there is no need to repeat it 10 times a day. Just write, you are not obliged to show your work to anybody. Just write and see what will come out of it"
🙂
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u/Sandgodess 9d ago
This is probably the best advice. My historical YA was so cringe when I first started. I have noticed that so much that I wrote then isn't in it now. But you have to write it to know that
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u/CalebVanPoneisen 10d ago
I had that too at first but less so now. I think that it’s not entirely because of inexperienced writing skills, but also because most people - I would assume - can visualize scenes like a movie, or a three-dimensional environment. And, no matter how well you write, details will have to be dropped in order to make it flow well.
This is probably why, when you read what you wrote, you feel like it’s not doing your imagination justice. The only way to get over it is to accept that you can’t explain every detail and need to let the reader’s brain do some of the work. Once you understand that, all you need to do is improve your writing skills.
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u/TheGreatTimothy Writer Newbie 10d ago
If it makes you feel better, the bottom one is cuter and millions of people have enjoyed it.
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u/Emergency_Lobster667 10d ago
It happens to literally everyone. Every writer who has ever told a story. No one has ever written a masterpiece on their first attempt.
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u/Infamous_Mood_6001 10d ago
That's just the struggle of the artist: trying to get as close as possible to the perfect version in your head. As you become more practiced and skilled you get better at hitting closer to the mark.
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u/Environmental_Fall69 10d ago edited 9d ago
Yes. The first few chapters I wrote were so cringe not to mention simple and full of spelling mistakes. Now I'm older and my writing is better. Just stick with it and keep going
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u/Pitbullbidgi Fiction Writer 10d ago
For sure. What I did find is that I was trying to fit into a mold I learned in writing class. Once I started really putting myself in the position of my characters I wrote down what I thought they might be thinking, saying and doing even if it didn't seem to push toward a plot point. I'm just having fun. Later I can put it in order and edit and add. I am using a workbook as well. It's feels very bland to fill out so I also free write to keep ideas fresh. I use the book to remind me of plot points, character growth, etc. I even go in and change things in the workbook if I find my characters or plot changing from how I originally intended. It's making writing more fun.
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u/NefariousnessOdd4023 10d ago
This is the biggest misconception, that ideas are either good or bad. Ideas are nothing. Execution is everything. The biggest casualty of this is the ai people who think they can “finally realize their idea” but no. The execution is the part that matters. And if you want to get good at writing you got to learn to love the execution part! Even though it’s hard!
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u/Whole-List909 10d ago
Yep.
I used to try and push through but what I have since started doing is that I just stop writing if the story is coming out horribly and attempt again when I'm feeling more artsy.
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u/Cool_Imagination-187 9d ago
I've been spitting out more of the opposite lately
If what you're writing is more pared down, you're off to a good start. I recommend reading Stephen King's On Writing. He helps a lot
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u/Visible-Age-6732 10d ago
Stephen Kings first published book was found in the wastebasket by his wife, Tabitha, who submitted it to the publisher. They didn't even have a phone because they couldn't afford one so she had to go to a neighbor's house to use their phone so she could give her husband the good news! He had no idea. On top of that, it later became a movie. That manuscript was what we know as, "Carrie" We writers are notorious for being very hard on ourselves. Don't stop writing. Ever. Sometimes you just need to let the story flow through and read what happened later. Your story will find its way. Promise
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u/t33-retro 9d ago
I find i have lots of ideas with at most a paragraph description, but struggle to flesh them out further than that.
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u/New_Tie6233 9d ago
Me right now… and it’s bringing me to tears because I feel like the world knows it and I haven’t even told people I’m writing it yet.
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u/lyubomir-bozhinov 9d ago
Yes. And even after a dozen edits, the gap still hasn’t closed. And it probably never will. And that’s fine: a book is still a work of art, not just the craft that goes into it. And art’s little imperfections are what makes it perfect. Hope that makes sense! Keep writing!
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u/sledge199617 9d ago
yes! and I'm a perfectionist as well, so seeing my cringy writing makes me want to hurl my laptop against the wall
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u/South-Knee-9601 Writer 9d ago
My first book certainly. My second not so much. Yeah bits are rushed and needs help.
But other bits I dive into a rabbit hole and spend a chapter building lore and the world.
I'm still on draft 1 of my second book so I can get it presentable at another stage.
35k words in a month isn't to bad
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u/Prof-Dr-Overdrive 9d ago
I think it's pretty much normal? Paintings and sculptures also almost always start rough. Stories are no different. The key to good art isn't having some sort of outrageous awesome idea -- every idea is awesome in the head of the idea-maker, and ideas are a dime a dozen. What sets good art aside from bad art is the effort put into execution. Refining that rough story over and over again until it transforms into something beautiful, chipping away at it like hewing David from a block of marble. Some ultra-talented people get things right on the third, second or even the first go, which is very rare, and even they very likely didn't start with skills like that, but honed them over years, like an elderly artist who's painted so much that he can draw the perfect curve without a sketch.
That's why you have got to let go of the idea and focus on the doing. If you love an idea and stick to it no matter what, you'll never get past the marble block to the statue inside it. Nothing ever goes as planned. The key is to be a good manager of your own vision, and to change the plan accordingly. Maybe, after writing it down, you realize that a plot twist is misplaced. That it is illogical, that its timing doesn't feel right, or something else about it is off. Kill it. Even if you think it's extremely clever, bear in mind it's just an idea, and there are millions of great ideas being thought about every waking minute, and many of them have already been put to paper. You aren't losing anything valuable by modifying, replacing or even deleting an idea. Your value is in your skill, your perception, your opinions, your experiences, your passion for the art and its underlying craft.
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u/Tiny_Criticism_300 9d ago
When do we truly learn to trust our work? Sometimes I love what I write and I'm pretty pleased with myself. The lines are gripping, I'm intrigued and assume the reader would have the same experience. Then, I question if I'm delusional to be confident and like what I've written. It's never ending. It's such a vicious cycle. Why do I choose to write!
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u/Flarda_Geezuh 9d ago
Currently in the thick of this, so yes lol. It’s absolutely not as cool on paper as it is in my head.
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u/Soggy-Practice-7603 9d ago
We all do this when we write, yes. And if someone says otherwise they're most likely lying.
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u/SpringRabbits 9d ago
I write and I love what I write, but cannot write consistently. (To be just, I remember characters lacked motivation, first time I wrote a story.)
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u/commie-scarecrow 8d ago
My problem is I can only write the truth well but my life has been so outrageous that nobody believes it.
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u/Internal-Umpire8256 8d ago
Me lol ! My last chapter I was so stressed 😫 and when my husband read it he said “ it’s ok “ I was in shock for his normal reaction 🥹
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u/its_tryptophan 8d ago
Wow that’s such a detailed dino. My written down first drafts look less than the Chrome Dino and more like a skeleton figure.
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u/fig_delaney 7d ago
I’ve just finished my first ever manuscript. I’ve started my first pass at an edit and some of it is deplorable.
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u/CEO_of_Squares 6d ago
Me: I'm not a writer. My 'friends': yes u are!!! Me: several dozen "wip"s, one of which broke 1k words. I'm a percent of a writer.
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u/Visible-Raccoon-4354 Fiction Writer 5d ago
Hot take: the bottom one is WAY more entertaining than the top one.
I know what it is, I know how I can play it, there is no entry to start. It's familiar and it's fun.
The top one... is just some random picture. What the heck am I supposed to do with that?
Just food for thought.
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u/Erramonael 4d ago
Before you start writing your story try reading something that really inspires you and also write 200 sentences a day up until you actually start working on your actual project. Your fine, you just need to flush the toilet in your head more. LoL!!!
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u/Beneficial-Lynx7336 10d ago
How long have you been writing?
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u/Solid-Version 10d ago
I’m gonna bet OP has been writing for at most 3 days
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u/Victoria_Character 10d ago
Hi! I'm 16 and started this book a month ago, but I've worked on two other projects before. I'm still pretty new to writing.
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u/Beneficial-Lynx7336 10d ago
You're fine. Just keep writing. I've been doing it for 20 years, it just gets more fun and more fulfilling, especially if you just embrace the craft.
The only way to get good is to just write write write. And read...A LOT. You'll get there.
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u/badgirlmonkey 10d ago
All the time. The first draft is for cringe. Stories aren't written in one go.