Writers struggle to translate imagined scenes into writing
Multiple writers find it difficult to convert the vivid, cinematic details they envision in their minds when imagining a scene into written descriptions. This discrepancy leads to frustration and difficulty conveying the intended impact through prose.
SOURCES (60)
“I know most writing is about a compelling story, not confusing the reader, and not bloating a scene. That being said, for a story that has only a handful of action scenes, I feel like visual media can do so much more when it comes…”
“Asking because I’m stuck in one at the moment, and I cannot get through it no matter how much I try to brute-force my way through. Anybody got any methods for beating a block? submitted by /u/PJRama1864 [link] [comments]”
“i feel some some scenes in my first draft are genuinely so good and some are so messy but still get the point across if a bit melodramatically. but it still gets the job done you know? is that okay for a first draft? also i feel like my OCD keeps getting stuck on the "rules" and they’re so silly, like try to avoid adverbs as much as possible, everything must feel flowy and don’t be ‘abrupt‘ and just so many of those other rules you get told about that your brain tries to stick to like”
“Lately, I’ve been working on a novel that depicts the speculative life story of a male woolly mammoth in the Ice Age, 50,000 years ago. In my last writing session, I got so unwrapped with describing the environment and behavior of the mammoths that I just somehow felt myself sucked right into it. In my case, I had done a lot of research in the process, which gave me a lot to work with. Anyone else ever get that feeling when writing? submitted by /u/AC-RogueOne [link] [comments]”
“For me, a very common mistake that beginner writers make is that they imagine that their story or novel is some 1:1 translation of a “movie” they see in their head. Many, many questions seem to take this for granted. Of course, this makes sense on some level. Many people mostly engage with writing and storytelling through shows, movies and games, and ultimately wish that they could write for those mediums. They imagine their stories through some kind of visual medium and see writing a novel as a”
“I just realized the game I am inspiring my book off of, Blocktales, is a turn based fighting game, but fighting scenes are mostly my weakness when it comes to writing. In roleplay I am fine, NOT in writing. But i want to make this book real fun and like a nice writing experience while I'm not stuck in writers block... helppp.. submitted by /u/Smart-Minute-5069 [link] [comments]”
“On one hand my mind works on visuals. I have my own detailed imagnary music videos for songs I hear. I can see the bright colors and animation flowing. Words are much harder. On the other hand writing a screenplay doesn't allow for such creative expression as thats the directers job, who I am not. BRIANA strums the guitar strings. We hear a lousy buzzing sound. Or Reaching her hand down she strummed the guitar. The vibrations traveled through her body like a conductor, pushing the quivering”
“Sometimes when I think of different scenarios and scenes for different scripts, I get emotional. Depending on the script of course. Sometimes it's frustration that the character would feel, Sometimes it's happiness, and others. Some scenes I've been thinking of lately are between happy and sad tears. By me feeling those emotions, is it because I'm writing it and it's a biased view, or does that mean that it has the potential of actually being good? submitted by /u”
“I'm sure a lot of you have experienced the same thing: You think up little scenes, a few vignettes, maybe entire "trailers" of your story in your head. But that's all they remain. When you sit down to expand on them you get stuck. They become paragraphs on a page with no connective tissue. How have you gotten around similar issues? How? Do you have any resources that might help? submitted by /u/Quantillion [link] [comments]”
“Once I was writing and the last line that I wrote was, “(Person) threw (Person) into a tree.” I swear it was just sleep deprivation submitted by /u/Murdrum_apalindrome [link] [comments]”
“Craft/Mechanics question for fellow writers: how do you approach scene transitions when writing fiction? I used to write scripts (and have my MFA) in screenwriting. Scene transitions are simple. There's a cut and we're in the next scene. But what about fiction? What are seamless ways to move to the next scene? submitted by /u/Dapper-Tie-1700 [link] [comments]”
“I was curious if any of you are currently writing deep literary fiction, sort of along the lines of Gravity’s Rainbow or Infinite Jest ? If so, how are those projects going? submitted by /u/19Sevv90 [link] [comments]”
“It's all about imagination but imagining within constraints, without getting distracted seems to be a bit tough. I love writing, I love being in that imaginative, creative state but due to this distraction it's taking longer days. submitted by /u/Impressive-Event-865 [link] [comments]”
“I'm working on the opening to my portal fantasy novel, and I want to know people's thoughts so far. It is compelling? Confusing? Are there are parts that seem unclear or that don't flow very well? Any and all critique is appreciated. For extra context, this is technically chapter two - chapter one is from Kyler's POV, and he's actually her guardian angel (of sorts) but she has no idea. But for the sake of this post, it's chapter one lol. submitted by /u/Cute-L”
“So finished my manuscript a few weeks back. Standard historical fiction that keeps the world pretty realistic. I was happy with it. But it felt like it needed something. Well took a look at it today and went “damn what if there were just like…dragons in it”. So that feels like a huge jump. Anyone else ever have a big jump from draft 1 to draft 2? submitted by /u/fishunfan [link] [comments]”
“I’m curious to hear about other people‘s writing process! I just think it’s interesting how everybody completes a book in their own unique way. For me, any type of book idea starts out as just one little scene and then I build around it (ex. My friend was telling me about how she met a guy at a bar, and I thought it would be a super cute idea for a romance novel. That one little scene was all I had to go off of but it’s so fun to create the rest of the story!). Usually the outline comes next, an”
“Hello! My first time posting on here So I'm working on writing a novel or screenplay, not sure yet which one. Novel would switch between 3rd person limited (prob separated by chapter). I haven't finished a piece of writing longer than 10 pages since I was in elementary school. I'm 23 and I know I'm young but I feel too old to be so inexperienced with plot and structure. I am great with language use, dialogue, and the flow of my writing - basically all the "small" stuff.”
“Does anyone else worry their writing comes off as pretentious, corny, sentimental or flowery? I think I got a 'purple prose' comment and got called dramatic once. Sometimes I wonder if my writing is worth reading one day. I just naturally like making analogies and metaphors to drive the point home, I guess. I get insecure about my writing, but I still want to write! submitted by /u/Mundane_Berry_0431 [link] [comments]”
“I typically write sci-fi/fantasy or dystopian stuff, but after a recent fit of inspiration I have apparently decided that I want to write realistic fiction. I have the whole idea planned out, but every time I actually try to write it, it sounds either cringe or completely unrealistic, so I end up deleting everything and starting over 😭 Does anyone have any tips/resources for writing a novel like this? Synopsis below: A multi-POV coming-of-age novel following four girls, Maya, Leah, Audrey, and”
“So, recently, I’ve been writing a Novella and I’m nearing a scene that I’ve been planning ever since the start. Problem is, I’ve been thinking about it so much that now, since I‘m about to write it, I just can’t. Any advice? Edit: I meant that I thought too much about it so now it feels almost unnatural to write. submitted by /u/Murdrum_apalindrome [link] [comments]”
“I was writing one of the major emotional scenes in my book the other day, and I was genuinely close to tears because I’ve kind of realized what emotional damage I’ve put these teenagers through. So I was wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this? submitted by /u/Murdrum_apalindrome [link] [comments]”
“I'd say I'm pretty good at coming up with characters, settings, premises and concepts for stories, but I often struggle with writing the story itself. Coming up with where the characters start and where they'll end up usually goes smoothly, but figuring out the in-between is an issue. I'll use the story I'm writing right now as the example since its why I'm looking for advice. In this scene in my story character 1 needs to earn character 2's trust. I know how they'”
“Hello, a beginner writer here, I think I'm losing my skill of writing a fight cheographically, and I can't help but to discontinue my writings for now and take a break thinking how I can write it with enjoyability and cheography. I wanna know how you guys write down a fight with cheographics, please take this seriously so I can improve. God bless. submitted by /u/Xenon5761 [link] [comments]”
“Hiii so I'm starting to write again and I realize I've completely forgotten how to write stories. Mainly description and pacing. But I want to get better at writing in general. Any courses or resources that helped you? I feel like I'll get better with practice but I need to know what I need to practice with exercises and stuff. Ive seen a few people saying about YouTube lectures but I feel like I really need writing exercises. Thanks so much! submitted by /u/Keisfrog [lin”
“I was working with another person on a scene for a class on Wednesday, and we had a minor character mumbling for one part, and they wanted to write what the character was mumbling, and I didn't get why, my argument at the time being it'd be funnier to not know what was being mumbled, and the other person said it's a script, it's being read not heard, and that was the end of that argument and we moved on. But just now I thought that it doesn't make sense to have a mumbled word”
“Hi is that ever happen to you? I almost finish to write the skeleton of my book. And yesterday I had the revelation for my ending and damn it made me want to cry. 😅 I then began to try to change it. But I think the first is the best ending. But I don't want to do it, in a way. It hurts. I hope this is clear, I'm not billingual. submitted by /u/Dry_Discussion3080 [link] [comments]”
“I don’t write stories but mess around with hypothetical world building which i’ve spent days coming back every so often to update and mess around some more. But eventually the ai (chatgpt) starts forgetting stuff and says “i can’t see in the current context” how do you combat that?”
“I know what I want from a certain point onwards, but the beginning of this novel has me stumped. So I’m pointing in a placeholder and coming back to it later 😅 submitted by /u/Luckyduckling007 [link] [comments]”
“Hello. Im struggling with figuring out a obstacle course for my fantasy novel. I’ve been looking at military and ninja warrior and I’m not sure they are the right fit. Would love some suggestions on what some of the obstacles could be. I want them to be practical for a sword wilder and work on things like agility, footwork and dodging. I already planning on an over and under, stepping stones, wall climb and balancing beam. Thank you for any help. submitted by /u/New_Ocelot9911 [link]”
“Is it just me or do yall have those random moments too were some sick sentence a character could say just pops up in your mind out of nowhere? submitted by /u/Perfect_Box_3169 [link] [comments]”
“Do you ever reach a point in your book where you know exactly what needs to happen next… but somehow you just can’t write the scene? That’s been one of the strangest parts of writing for me. The story is in my head. The characters are ready. The scene makes sense. And yet the blank page wins. 😅 What’s the one part of writing that slows you down the most? submitted by /u/Tyler-knots_11 [link] [comments]”
“I'm not talking about just for the sake of being lazy. Though tbh describing two combatants fighting in a god-like manner is hell of a lot easier than choreographing such a fight (shout out to Simon Crane who had the choreograph the fights in Troy 2004 based on such vague instructions). But also, and I'm going to use an example here. I have one character in another story who's image is very vivid in my mind. She wears the white military dress uniform of the Royal Guard, with black an”
“I am working on a scene right now involving the main characters taking psychedelics. Specifically shrooms. I have never personally taken any sort of hallucinogenic, so I’m hoping for some insight on ways to describe the trip. I’ve been doing lots of research on the science and watching videos that explain it, but would love to hear some real world experiences from fellow writers if anyone is open to share their advice. Or even links to videos or articles that accurately describe it. submit”
“I’m working on an alternate history trilogy of books with the first set in early 5th century Egypt. Point of divergence from our own history is eight centuries earlier and I’ve mapped out a lot of what it took to get there; suffice to say this Egypt remains under independent Ptolemaic rule instead of becoming a Roman province, the Mediterranean powers have circa-1960’s level technology, and there’s something of a Mutually Assured Destruction dynamic forming — in order to maintain the balance of”
“I thought Novels are all just describing, so I thought, what if they have sentences that aren’t considered describing, Sorry I don’t know the word for Non-Describing, what’s the difference? (I’m asking a simple question) submitted by /u/kenjiehere [link] [comments]”
“This might sound stupid but I'm trying to write a short, romance story in third person and I feel like I am saying he or she every sentence and it is extremely repetitive. Please can I have some tips for third person. Thanks! submitted by /u/Large-Video5823 [link] [comments]”
“I can not for the life of me imagine a realistic fight scene in my head. HOW DO YOU GUYS DO IT? The problem is my novel has a ton of them and they always take me days to get through! Help. submitted by /u/PlentyActuary6181 [link] [comments]”
“I’ll have a scene planned out in my head. I know what’s supposed to happen, what the characters are supposed to say, how the scene should end… And then I actually start writing it and suddenly none of that happens. 😭 A character says something I didn't plan for. The conversation goes in a completely different direction. Sometimes the entire mood of the scene changes. And somehow the unplanned version is usually better. 😂 I used to think this meant I wasn't planning properly, but now I&”
“I'm writing a story, the title is pretty important to me, but I feel like it has very little genre signals going on, so I'm running this little experiment, when you see: > " The Day The Pools Were Emptied" What's your immediate thought, what do you expect to find in that story, and what genre you'd lean towards only with the title? I will reveal the genre in a spoiler comment please don't look it up before answering, thanks! submitted by /u/No-Candy-4”
“So I'm working on my first novel, about an eighth of the way done and I just want to know if this is something that a lot of writers experience or if it's my weird non-standard-issue brain doing weird non-standard-issue brain things. So I'll just be going about my day and randomly a thought will appear out of literally nothing and then if I lean into that, a scene will appear in my head and i start to sketch that out, but then I feel like I'm basically sitting in a group therapy”
“I’m currently developing a dark supernatural story. I already have the core premise, characters, major events, and overall direction planned, but dialogue is the part I struggle with most. I usually know what a conversation needs to accomplish, but I have trouble turning that purpose into an exchange that feels natural. Sometimes it feels like the characters are only talking because the plot needs certain information delivered. I want conversations to contain interruptions, deflections, differen”
“Hi! Writing as a hobby and just wanted to know what books you recommend to learn about how to write good prose. Particularly been struggling about keeping physical descriptions concise and interesting and avoiding overdescribing something. So far, the fiction that I've read are: Song of Ice and Fire books Chronicles of Narnia Silmarillion A few Warhammer 40k books Percy Jackson series (as a kid) American Gods Any tips as well to learn? Only new to writing. Other written media I consume are v”
“My friend said this was weird. I didn't think it was that weird, as some of my stories sound better with different writing styles. I also think its fun to experiment around. Is this wrong for me to do? Should I just stick to one writing style? Just seeking other peoples opinions. submitted by /u/Actual-Menu7130 [link] [comments]”
“When writing spice, how many words would you consider a good length to dedicate to the scene? Most I've read in books are fairly short it seems. submitted by /u/Miraimotekiku [link] [comments]”
“In this story that I'm writing the MC is going to a job interview and I'm starting to worry if I'm writing too much dialogue for it. I'm wanting to use the interview to help establish insight into how the MC thinks. I'm approaching it like you'd go to a job interview tomorrow with the back and forth of it if that helps. submitted by /u/TheLazyRedditer [link] [comments]”
“I’m a big fan of superhero/anime style fight scenes and would love to write some of my own (I can’t animate yet), but it also feels like the one thing I struggle with. Whenever I try to write a fight scene the choreography just feels off, I‘ll imagine a cool and fast paced exchange and it’ll be a slog to read when I finish. Does writing just not lend itself to the type of scenes I want to make? submitted by /u/ServiceTemporary2453 [link] [comments]”
“Is there a merit to this claim? submitted by /u/Bright_Lake_5527 [link] [comments]”
“I’m a new writer and I had some ideas for what I believe could be an interesting novel. What are some tips you would give someone who has never undertaken that kind of writing experience? For example, do I just start writing? Do I start with the characters? Do I map out the plot first? Just some examples of questions I have. Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/Mountainbear593 [link] [comments]”
“I’m working on some puzzle dungeons for a story arc in my book and I’ve been combing through dnd puzzles for inspiration. I figured I’d ask fellow writers for some fresh ones. What’s your favorite puzzle setup? submitted by /u/Emriii [link] [comments]”
“Hey, i need help. I’m a struggling writer. I have many interesting book ideas but i have a hard time coming up with ideas for things to happen in between major scenes. For example i have a scene at first and a scene in the middle but what comes in between is all blur. It’s super frustrating especially when i’m very passionate about the project but don’t know what’s supposed to happen. Any advices? submitted by /u/Useful_Tell8295 [link] [comments]”
“I'm going crazy because I feel my story (dark fantasy, medieval setting) lack a punch but I'm not sure why. I don't want to drop this because if I can't get myself unstuck it will happen again with the other stories I have in mind, and I will never write a damn screenplay. Here it is: a failed warrior is given a second chance to show his valor when he is brought back from the dead to defeat a mysterious necromancer who wiped out everyone in his island, except for his fellow villa”
“I have what I believe is a really good idea for a story. I'vve never seriously attempted to write a novel before. I am much better (well, more confident) with dialogue than I am with description. At present, I'm writing a scene set in a study - picture windows, dark-wood paneling, a fireplace, rows of books. I feel like I'm walking through quicksand trying to write an interesting - or even competent! - description of this study. I simply don't have much of an eye for detail, and”
“Drop your opening sentence or paragraph in the comments! I’m really curious to hear about the creative process behind the first words of a story. Why did you decide to start exactly like that? Were you trying to build the world, drop the reader straight into the action, or set a specific mood? Did those words come to you naturally on the first try, or did you rewrite them a hundred times until they felt right? Share your excerpts and the reasoning behind them! submitted by /u/mth_col”
“Let's get a round robin of comments to introduce your WIP or book with your opening line. Its always a hot topic to know just this one line should hook your reader or not. So this could be a cool experiement! If you would like to give more context about your book then we can also do that! I will give my current WIP to start out, but it will be subject to change: "The most disappointing thing about living forever is that you'll never meet the devil." Mine is a dark fantasy set i”
“Hi all. I’ve got three characters with deep kinda raspy/gravelly voices (Liam Neeson threatening people type thing). I’m trying to mention them infrequently because no one wants to read a bunch of poetic descriptions of dudes talking, but I’m still struggling to come up with ways to explain what I mean. So, first question, if I say gravelly, is it clear what I mean? Because maybe simpler is a whole lot better here. The other part is, if you have any suggestions for descriptions, I’d love to hear”
“Hello everyone, hope you're having a lovely day. My writing goal right now is to write microfiction, flash fiction and short stories. I rarely think in terms of plot though, and i get bored VERY VERY easily, so even something like a vague summary outline can render an idea predictable to me and i wont write it, once i have the gist of a situation my motivation to hash it out evaporates. What i DO write right now are sort of literary fragments and vignettes that come to me out of nowhere, ima”
“I haven't been writing fiction for very long. Recently, I showed someone a draft scene that was heavy on dialogue, and they remarked that if the names and speech tags were removed, it would be impossible to tell who was speaking. At first, I thought the comment was a bit harsh, but upon re-reading the scene, I realized it was true. Most of my characters used similar vocabulary and modes of expression, and their reactions often mirrored my own. For example, this is close to one exchange I wro”