stormseer
I'm new to writing. I just wanted to know if anyone had advice as to how someone should start a piece because I have a bunch of ideas however I am unable to put them to paper. I am always stopping because I am uncertain if I should continue even though I do not have any writing background. Should I look at writing books or do research so my stories have more detail? Again I'm new so please any advice would be helpful.
smile
I know you really already got some advice, but I just couldn't resist putting in my two cents.
The fact of the matter is, you can't just ask someone how to write. Everybody has a different writing style and trying to copy someone else's may end badly. Some people plan their writing more than others, and some people need it more than others. I tend to make a very detailed plan of what I want, start writing, and end up with pretty much the complete opposite of what I had in my head.
Getting back on topic: You have an idea in your head. Just grab pencil and paper (or your computer if it has a word processor) and start your story. It's really easy. Write until your hand starts cramping. Then, if you want, you can look back over and revise or edit, or you can continue writing. Not every start actually goes somewhere, and you're probably going to waste a lot of paper, but in the end you will find something that works as long as you don't quit. THIS PART IS REALLY IMPORTANT. If you doubt yourself, look at what you have so far, fix it to your heart's content, and then present it to someone with good literary judgement -that is, an adult, preferably your language arts teacher. If your story is geared toward teenagers, you can show some teenagers your work, but adults (or anyone who's mature and/or has writing experience) will have more experience with this sort of thing and they'll be more likely to focus on the actual writing, plot, and characters, instead of "OMG this character is so sexy you should put me in your story so I can have his babies," which is the gist of what one of my classmates told me upon reading one of my short stories.
Okay, where was I? Um... well, just showing it to your language arts teacher will probably teach you a lot about development, writing style, conventions, details, etc., but a really good personal resource that I find surprisingly non-boring is
Springhole.net - dip into the well of creativity! Click on "Writing and Worldbuilding" up at the top and you can read some helpful articles (though I have to say this now- I don't think there's anything to actually help you start putting down your thoughts on paper. For that, sadly, you're on your own).
So there you go! Jeez, that was really long... Once you get started, if you'd like any constructive criticism from a complete stranger, PM me!
biggrin