Please help me

[Disneyfangirl23]

I’m thinking of writing a story/book but I don’t know how to/forgotten how to start. I have autism you see so I forgot sometimes so can someone please help me. Your help will very appreciated thank you

What’s the difference between a story and book?

 

[Alolan_Apples]

A story can be a telling of anything, while a book is a physical set of pages. Not all stories are books (short stories are usually part of collections), and not all books are stories (like textbooks).

 

[Disneyfangirl23]

A story can be a telling of anything, while a book is a physical set of pages. Not all stories are books (short stories are usually part of collections), and not all books are stories (like textbooks).

How long can a story be?

 

[AccfSally]

How long can a story be?

It depends on what you're writing.
Here's an article on it.

How Long is a Short Story or Novella? (Updated for 2024)

Find out how long a novella, novelette, and short story are supposed to be.

blog.reedsy.com

Novella: 17,500 – 40,000 words
Novelette: 7,700 – 17,500 words
Short Story: Less than 7,500 words

Also, I believe it also counts with what genre you're trying to write.

 

[Disneyfangirl23]

How else can you help me?

 

[CylieDanny]

I'm not an expert writer. I've written a few stories but none to publish.

First thing I can give, that alot of people forget is that you do not have to start your story in the beginning. On terms of you don't have to start with the intro. You can even start from the end and write how it came to that.

Several of my stories were written like that, and some started from the middle of it. Then I just started to come up with other parts to connect, and they eventually it came together.

It's honestly one of my main ways to write, start from the end and work my way back.
--
Don't force yourself to write stuff you don't like or, are against. It won't be enjoyable for you as a starting writing. Writing is an expression on one's self, and a way to show an inner feeling off.

I'm no master, but if you want more tips I'm more then happy to give

 

[Disneyfangirl23]

I’d love more tips please

Post automatically merged: Dec 30, 2023

I'm not an expert writer. I've written a few stories but none to publish.

First thing I can give, that alot of people forget is that you do not have to start your story in the beginning. On terms of you don't have to start with the intro. You can even start from the end and write how it came to that.

Several of my stories were written like that, and some started from the middle of it. Then I just started to come up with other parts to connect, and they eventually it came together.

It's honestly one of my main ways to write, start from the end and work my way back.
--
Don't force yourself to write stuff you don't like or, are against. It won't be enjoyable for you as a starting writing. Writing is an expression on one's self, and a way to show an inner feeling off.

I'm no master, but if you want more tips I'm more then happy to give

How would you start a story? Write down a lot of ideas? think of characters?

And how would you start at the beginning? Just once upon a time or are there other ways it can be begin?

 

[CylieDanny]

I'll do my best,

Stories can take many different forms in terms of beginnings, I'll use some Disney Movie examples,
-
Theres stories like say, *Finding Nemo* where it shows a dark past, and explains why Marlin is so protective. It's a good character building arch if that's your goal.

But stories built souly on character development, and strictly about them alone as they age. Such as the *Lion King* Seeing how Simba changes from how he was from a cub, to a fully grown adult.

A tragic back story can lead into those. The majority of my stories start this way.
--

Stories like *Inside Out* have two primary characters to focus on, which is shown in the very beginning where Joy first meets Sadness. Then as the intro continues we see how their relationship hasn't changed, and as the conflict begins it gradually begins to change over time. Though doesn't completely change until the conclusion.

Sometimes for the good, and sometimes for the bad. If you have two characters you wanna focus on their relationship, good starting arch.
--

Theres also World building beginnings like in *Treasure Planet* and *Tangled*. In both we get a view into the main conflict, and meet the main character's at the same time. Meeting both Jim, and Repunzel as kids and see how they were, and act which effects the overall story. We get an eye into the over all world that they are currently in, and it world builds into how they are now.

It serves as a good point for wanting to give your reader a view into what the main story is, and an eye view into the characters themselves as well. Seeing the current situation, while also giving a view into the whole direction the story is going in.
--

There are many variations, it really depends on how you wanna tell your tale. So those are just a few examples.

Watching movies, or reading books can give you ideas on how you wanna start your story.

 

[Midoriya]

Cylie did a really good job of explaining things, but just wanted to add that most stories follow The Hero's Journey formula. It's basically a chart that shows the beginning of a good story, the steps in-between, and the ending. It's what I usually follow when I write something fictional of any great length.

You're definitely not restricted to writing this way when it comes to fiction, but it is how a lot of fictional stories are structured.

EDIT: And the most important thing about writing a story that others will read is that it comes from the heart. Put your own take on it, your feelings, your soul, everything. People won't read something if it doesn't sound genuine. That's just my two cents though.

 

[kiwikenobi]

The best advice I think I can give to an aspiring writer is to read a lot. Read a lot of what you like to read, lots and lots and lots of books, and you'll wind up learning what a story is like, how they begin, ways to put words together, all kinds of things. Reading is the most important thing you can do to help you learn how to write, in my opinion, other than actually writing.

And that's the other advice I can give: just write, even if you don't finish what you start, every word you write is practice that helps develop your skill as a writer. You'll probably write hundreds of not-so-good pages before you get a feel for it and develop the skill to write better. That's part of it. It's a skill like any other. You have to practice and make a lot of mistakes before you learn how to do it. Nobody starts off as an expert, they have to practice and fail a lot before they can succeed.

You also don't have to show what you write to anyone, so it's okay to make mistakes or write things that don't make sense or that you wind up not liking. It's all just practice. It doesn't have to be good yet. It will be good later, after you practice enough.

If you're really not sure where to begin at all, there are a lot of books about how to write. Probably your local library has some. If you ask the librarians, they'll probably be happy to help you find the kinds of books you'll need to learn more about it. If you can't get to the library physically, you could probably try calling them on the phone, and they might be able to help you find websites or something that will give you helpful information.

 

[LadyDestani]

There's been a lot of great advice already given, but I'll add my thoughts.

I find that it's easier to write if I care deeply about the subject or my characters. So I suggest thinking about what it is that you want to share with others. Everyone has a story within themselves: a physical, mental, or emotional journey they've been on that helped them become the person they are today. Think about what your personal story is, how you view the world that may be different from others, and what is your unique voice or message. You don't have to write about yourself (unless you want to), but you can insert parts of yourself into your characters and share your perspective and experiences through the story you decide to tell. To me, that's what makes reading so worthwhile. There are worlds and stories inside of you that no one else could ever imagine. Writing is about sharing them with the world.