I had a great reader question in by email, from Mark:
I have struggled with motivation for many years. I find it difficult to create characters, plot, conflict. I wonder sometimes if fiction writing is just more than my talent will
allow.
What can I do to create vivid characters with their own voices who genuinely want something? How to create a story that is interesting and fresh and not derivative? (I have found Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey to be very useful).
I'd love to say – to Mark, and to anyone else with similar struggles – "I'm sure you're talented enough! Go for it!"
But
...
I've been writing fiction and non-fiction for years ... and I still find fiction much harder to do well. It is a challenge: you need a lot of different writing skills, from big picture ones like creating real and engaging characters to the nit-picky ability to use just the right word in just the right place.
Non-fiction is, generally, far easier. Readers aren't expecting to be transported into a different world through your
flawless prose ... they're just trying to learn something.
I believe that any writer can become talented enough to write fiction well ... but I also believe it takes a lot of time and effort to really master the different skills involved.
As Mark mentions, it can be tough to create characters who seem to live on the page: who sound authentic and distinctive, and who have their own goals. There are plenty of
techniques you can use here, like filling in character questionnaires, or "interviewing" your characters – for me, though, it's always a more subtle process of living with the characters for a while, exploring them through draft material (even if you might later end up deleting it), and giving them events to react against.
In terms of creating a story that's interesting, fresh and not derivative ... I think all stories are inevitably
a bit derivative. At the very least, you'll find them falling into a standard story structure (which is a good thing!) – with a beginning, middle, end, and ideally key plot points along the way. K.M. Weiland's book Structuring Your Novel is great on this.
Hopefully, you'll find that if your characters are interesting, unique people, the story they're in will be interesting and fresh too – even if the fundamentals of the
plot are fairly well-worn.
It does take time, and a lot of words, to get to grips with writing fiction. I've written five novels now (the first three abandoned, two self-published) and I still feel like I have a lot to learn!
Of course, there are plenty of writers who don't write fiction. If you don't have a story that you're burning to tell, or a character you're itching to get to know better, you
might choose to focus on non-fiction (or poetry, blogging, whatever form of writing you like) for a while. You might find that you come back to fiction – this is what happened to me! – or you might stick with non-fiction for years. That's a perfectly fine choice (and, incidentally, it's a lot easier to make a living from non-fiction).
Wherever the writing road takes you, the very best of luck. I firmly believe it's worth persevering: every word you write takes you a
little further along towards your goals.
