Can create world but not story

bluefoxicy · Post by **bluefoxicy** » 06 Jul 2012, 12:46

I have perpetual writer's block. I can envision a world, a universe, from the supernatural to the technological to the mundane, everything; but I can't write a good story. I can't do the conflict-resolution thing, I can never find that particular spark. I can weave beautiful lands, high technology, magic, gods and devils, aliens, ray guns, completely different designs for toilets, different bureaucratic structures, even people.

But everything is mundane.

Nobody wants to hear about peoples' daily lives as a teacher, a politician, etc. Not unless there's some point to it, some non-typical underlying plot. And in my case I want something epic, not your standard Illuminati crap, no coming-of-age stories or the like.

So it seems I can write, but the only thing I can really write well is erotica (don't ask me why, I'm obviously not a subject matter expert here). I find erotica painfully uninteresting. I want to write scifi or epic fantasy.

tbughi1 · Post by **tbughi1** » 06 Jul 2012, 15:26

So you're looking for advice on writing a story, or just looking for a place to vent?

I'm going to guess the first. So something epic, huh? I too envision a world before I create the story, so heh, at least you have the first half done and that part came easy. Though I am by far no expert, I hope I can assist you.

If you can create worlds in your head and not stories, try this tactic. Think in your head of an awesome scenario, battle scene, or exchange of emotion between characters. Perhaps an astounding place that takes someone's breath away? Now, add a character to that scene. Why is he/she there? What is he/she looking for? Begin filling in the blanks with things that are cool. Essentially, imagine the battle before you imagine the reasons.

I tend to do this with my stories. Would you like an example or was none of this helpful? Perhaps you weren't looking for advice at all.

lanscot · Post by **lanscot** » 19 Jul 2012, 03:10

If you can create worlds in your head and not stories, try this tactic.

ZoeBrooks · Post by **ZoeBrooks** » 13 Sep 2012, 05:45

Epic fiction at your first attempt! No wonder you're struggling. Start small - the story of one character or two. Write a short story. Then you may find that like a jigsaw, it will expand.

East · Post by **East** » 30 Jul 2013, 20:52

I agree with what tbugh1 said. It seems like good advice.

Have you tried just writing down your world? Maybe if you start writing about the history, culture, etc. of the world, you will find it easier to create a plot. In writing about these things you might be struck by and idea. You could also try just writing a fable-like tale about the world's history or something along those lines.

I hope this helps.
-East

Richard Falken · Post by **Richard Falken** » 31 Jul 2013, 04:09

The first thing I have thought about has been to recommend forgetting about writing an actual story. If you have a god world, you can turn it into a setting for a roleplaying game... but I suppose this suggestion is not really constructive.

Searching for an idea to write about has never worked great for me. My best pieces come when I am doing anything, and suddenly, I have an idea and I write it down. I don't start with the world itself, but with an epic scene or episode, and then I try to find how that could fin into a bigger scheme. Only then I develop the world enough to host such a narration.

WriterBLAlley · Post by **WriterBLAlley** » 11 Apr 2014, 13:12

Ask yourself: What if X happened in this world, and how would a specific type of person react to it?

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 11 Apr 2014, 19:06

I think you've set the bar too high. You want to create an "epic" and that's holding you back. Do what others here have suggested, and start small.

I recommend just writing a small, compact, but interesting short story about only one protagonist in your "universe" -- one day's worth of stuff. One small tale of failure or success, it matters not which.

And just a small aside... Science fiction fandom is quite unforgiving, as with most rabid fans. In the hardcore world of science fiction, the term "scifi" refers to crud, such as the SyFy channel junk movie of the week, trash in other words. Legitimate science fiction is called "SF" and there's a big difference. A word of gentle warning, okay? It's fine to write "scifi" if you want, or "SF", but just make sure you know the difference.