: Re: How to overcome the fact that I can't write? My problem is that I basically suck at writing. Especially prose. Part of it is basically because I don't practice as much as I could. Part

@Murray831

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"The need for self-expression". That is the important bit. If you have that need, and that is what marks the great writers (honestly, and I'm not the first to say so, if you want to become a writer to become rich and famous, forget it and looks for another job), it will find its way.

Now... when an idea for a plot enters (forces its way into) your mind... do you just see plot ("X does Y in such a way and this leads to Z and the butler is the murderer") or do you also see scenes. If you see them before your mind's eye, then... write them down. Then rewrite them until they match what you see. I'd say (and I'll get flamed for this) if you see a scene, in detail, then writing that down is all that's needed. No editing, in some cases. Yes, sometimes the first draft is the final version (compare to film: some directors use the very first take of a scene, some do few takes, some shot a scene umpteen times before they're still unsatisfied)

I'm not saying that editing is unneeded. Not for a whole novel, at any rate. But some scenes are just... perfect at first attempt. Trust me on this. Or don't.

I do see someone else suggested looking for a partner who does the actual "putting the idea into words" bit. That could be a good idea. If you really only see the plot, and no details. But if you do see details... even if you only see your characters (cf Rowling who's on record that the first time she thought of Harry Potter, he was there, fully formed, in her mind)

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