Wanting to write a book (Either creatively or to publish)

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Hey guys,

I am in a period of depression in my life and I want to create a new hobby to occupy my mind, creative writing comes to mind. I have been told I write ok or pretty good and I want to write a book either creatively or to publish. I have some stories in my mind but I curious to know what kinda of setting interest you guys in a novel? I was going to write a crime novel and I have included a sample of that story below. I included it because that story line is too close to other novels and wanted to avoid plagiarism so I am not using it even though I thought of the idea myself. It was pointed out to me afterwards that there is a book with that story already.

What kinda of settings should I use for a story? Medieval? Fantasy? Futuristic?

Also is my writing good enough to write creatively? Below is a sample. Please be honest, if it sucks, I can handle it. I would be disappointed more if someone lied and said it was good. Anyway to give some context to this story, the man in it is a criminal and is murdered by a serial killer that kills criminals he views as less righteous than himself. That was premises for this story but I abandoned it when I realized there are millions of stories with that story line, Dexter as an example.

Your writing isn't half bad. I couldn't help but notice you write in the present tense rather than the past - there's not a thing wrong with that, and if that's your style, go for it. Most writers tend to use the past tense, but hey, that could be your signature style.

If you have to make a decision, you're not ready to make it.

If you were ready, you would have made the decision.

Asking what decisions you should make implies you aren't ready to make those decisions yourself - otherwise you wouldn't ask

If you wanted to write a book, you'd write one.

My advice is to write whatever interests you most. Medieval, fantasy, futuristic... there's a market out there for all of those. I prefer writing either fantasy or science fiction, since I like creating my own worlds and letting my imagination run wild. My current project would be best described as a sci-fi fairy tale for children, set on a post-apocalyptic terraformed Mars. Don't be afraid to mash genres together in creative ways, some of the best of our culture emerges that way (e.g. Star Wars, pretty much martial arts/wuxia in space)! How about setting your crime drama in medieval times, or in the future for example?

Also, since I've seen other new writers concerned about this before, I'd say you shouldn't sweat too much about original ideas. Obviously you shouldn't take the whole plot of an existing book and just dump it in a slightly different setting, there's no harm though in taking characters and plot devices from works you already like and mixing them up in an original way. There must be millions of novels, television shows, films, video games out there, it's impossible to create anything completely unique!

Write what excites you. Write what's fun. If it's helping with your depression, that that's reward enough.

If you want to get better at writing, then write. Also read. Read books about writing, about grammar, about pacing, about story structure. Internalize them and then ignore them whenever they're in your way. Read books you like. Try copying their style. All fiction is fan fiction on some level.

You'll reach a point where you're skills at identifying good writing will exceed your skills to writing good. You'll know what you're writing sucks. Keep doing it anyway. Write your first Cr*ppy story, so you can write your so-so second one and your awesome third one.

Oh. and one other thing. DON'T buy into the myth that your depression fuels your writing. That you need to stay depressed to write well. There were plenty of amazing writers with mental illness. None of them did they're amazing work while they were suffering. If you feel you need treatment, get it. And keep writing all the way through.

Good for you, dcj! I'm writing a book as well [a fantasy epic]!
What Phemto said. When I'm depressed I can't write, because writing is [usually] fun for me.

Best to write about what you feel and what you know.

Show don't tell. The intro would be more compelling with quirky factual details instead of some of the adjectives and explanations.

i'd read that book. the writing is crisp (not over-fussy) and clean. the story gives me questions i want answered so i'd likely keep on reading. there are a limited number of plots, all repeated in many good books. no reason for you not to give your own take on one of those plots. i question the trench coat as perhaps a cliche for a mysterious figure. everything else is positive.

Is your writing good enough to write creatively? Yes. Everyone's is. Write to express yourself, not to impress us, or your imagined audience.

If you don't have your big idea yet, set yourself mandatory writing tasks with set goals, like 1000 words on a jungle explorer, or the shortest horror story you can imagine. Hopefully these will spark something which you can build and mould into something you want to write a lot about.

You have a defined writing style, though it's a little machanical at times (the phrasing "fabricated stories to their peers" really jumps out at me). And personally, I'm not over-fond of being told someone is mysterious - can I not ask my own questions? "Why did he do that? He's just mysterious, I guess. We'll never know." Show, don't tell.

Most ideas have been used before (if not all). The trick is making it yours. I was talking to someone about this the other day: stories are the same, just the settings are different. The Martian is just Castaway. Make it yours.

Go for it! I used to write until I realized that I suck at it.

I say, go for it! I have had chronic mild depression for years. Doing creative things has been a great way to make life feel more worthwhile- I honestly think writing songs has saved my life. You've clearly got some talent for narrative writing already, so that's a head start.

Word of caution (also from experience): if you're depressed, beware of thinking that all your writing has to be perfect or all part of one huge ambitious project. If you take that attitude and hit a patch when the writing isn't going well, you risk it becoming one more thing to be depressed about.

But if you do small side-projects (such as short stories or flash fiction), they can be experimental or a bit daft. That allows you to try things out, fail and try again without any pressure.

Good luck!

Should you write? Yes.

Is your writing ready to be shown to the public? I tend to be a harsher judge than most people, so I'll stay out of that.

The best advice I can give you is to grow some thick skin. Once your stuff goes public, criticism is going to come no matter whether you want it or not. Not all of it will be positive, or even nice. I'm not saying this to discourage you, but seriously: if you're a sensitive person who lets other people's opinions dictate what you think of yourself, you probably should keep whatever writing you do to yourself.

Also, even if your writing DOES suck, the only way to get better is to keep doing it. Just keep that in mind.

It's about the need to tell a story. Or just to have fun.

I write creatively, and the first serious novel I started writing a few years ago was written in first person, and it was a dystopian futuristic noir cyberpunk crime novel. So I agree that you should do something that interests you.

You really won't know until you start writing. I knew the setting for my novel and the two main characters, one general idea...but once I started writing, it took on a life of its own. There's nothing like it.

Also, a note on...depressive creativity? I am only able to write poetry when I am depressed. I've tried in better moods and it just doesn't flow. I do it to make myself feel better. So even if your motivation is negative, try to do it for a positive reason. If that makes sense.

Michel Houllebecq once stated that the role of the artist is to “put your finger on the wound in society and press down real hard”. Why not? What have you got to lose?

Here's the link for "To stay alive - a method". It might be of interest to you.

https://www.houellebecq.info/popdivers.php?id=13