How and where do I start writing my novel?

Question

I've been creating stories in my head since I was very young. When I was around 8 I started writing it in a notebook (didn't go anywhere), when I was around 12 I started typing up a story with my brother (got nearly 100 pages) but there was no clear plot line and no character development or depth so I stopped. Over the most recent years I've had 2 very strong and clear stories that I have obsessed over and over and over in my mind with the latest one actually managing to get into the planning stages! I've created tons of pinterest boards and coming up to 70 pages of notes . . . but it's got no further.

Every single time I think I'm making progress with my character or with my plot or I think I've finally put the minature pieces I'ce created together, I realise I don't know my characters well at all, the world building I've done is kind of crap and the plot is flimsy, full of holes and essentially created from song inspiration. I don't think I'm ready to start writing the story cause it feels like I don't have a story to write.
I also have ADHD which may seem irrelavent but to anyone who has it, they'll understand why it's so important - I get excited and obsessive over some new hobby before ditching it a few weeks later. Anytime it gets stressful, I procrastinate and get scared to do it. I fiddle and faddle over the tiniest detail but looking at the big picture scares me and makes me procrastinate further (tricky cause a book is the big picture and when I've tried winging it, it completely flopped). I need structure and routines to support me with large tasks yet the mere idea of creating a timetable puts me off. Most people get what ADHD is, if you don't feel free to research, but the gist is it makes writing almost impossible for me.

I love my stories and it's what I think about when I'm bored. I love my characters, I love the vague ideas and jigsaw pieces I have and I desperately want to write it. I don't want to get rid of it or start from scratch or anything. What do I do!?
I need some advice to get words down on a page and to start feeling like I can or should do this. And where do I start if I should do this? The beginning? End? I have no clue.

Answer 1

One effect of ADHD is a stronger need to avoid unpleasant tasks, especially anything that is cognitively strenuous and requires perseverant focus.

There are two solutions to this conflict of interests in people with ADHD (the need to be productive and the need to follow one's every whim):

• Learn to endure doing unpleasant tasks and to structure yourself well. Cognitive behavioral therapy may help you with learning this.

  Some people with ADHD profit from taking medication such as methylphenidate. I recommend that you try it. (But do see a psychiatrist and take it under their supervision.)

  A woman I know, who didn't know she had ADHD and was only diagnosed with it as an adult, took Ritalin for the first time in her late twenties. She said that for the first time in her life she felt like herself. She was finally able to write academic papers and finished her university studies with great success where before she had been severely struggling with all aspects of her life to the point of becoming suicidal. But I also know people who feel estranged from themselves under medication and don't want to take it, so you need to try what it does to you. There are different kinds of ADHD medication (methylphenidate, amphetamine, guanfacine, and atomoxetine), all with different effects, so maybe try different ones if methylphenidate doesn't fit you.

• Learn how to work with your ADHD instead of against it. Write texts that are more associatively structured. Write short fiction. Work in spurts. Switch back and forth between projects as your impulses dictate.

  Or find a hobby or job that doesn't require perseverant mental focus and provides the stimulation that you seek. Many people with ADHD have good people skills and work well in a social context (versus alone) and in jobs where a lot of things go on at each moment. E.g a friend of mine with ADHD is a fashion photographer and he thrives in the stimulating chaos of a photoshoot.

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As for your writing question, there is no one point where you have to start writing a novel. We all have to experiment to figure out what works best for us. So you need to write a lot and try different approaches, until something clicks for you.

Answer 2

Know where you're starting, know where you're going, let the other details work themselves out

What has generally worked for me is to have an idea of how a story begins, and a (looser) idea of how it ends. This leaves room in the middle to add interesting twists that can get me excited all over again about what's happening. After writing a twist that makes sense for the character, but flips the table for the plot, I can come back to the story all ready to wrestle with the acattering threads. And yet, with that floating specter of the defined ending, I know that the story has to claw back towards that particular resolution, which gives things an overall sense of direction and progression.

From a practical standpoint of being ADD, two things can help (which may initially sound contradictory, but aren't necessarily).

1. Set aside time where you aren't allowed to do anything else. If one day, during your writing time, you stare blankly at the wall, that's fine. You don't get to fiddle with your phone, though, or play a game, or even fidget with a toy. If you're prone to be distracted by the next best thing--during writing time the next best thing is staring into space.
2. Leave something in your reservoir for next session. I like to leave notes to myself about where to pick up, and also little ideas to spice up future scenes, if it'sconvenient. But more generally, it's easier to pick up writing if you didn't leave the story at a lull in action, or a writer's block moment. The worst feeling is to sit in front of the blank page, not particularly unhappy with what's come before, but with no idea what to do next. If the middle of a writing session is you staring, unsure what to do, that's fine--but you should know what you're going to be doing at the start of a session, and should be leaving something for next time at the end of the session.

Answer 3

There are two broad categories of skills a writer needs to learn. One is the craft of writing — this covers crafting sentences and paragraphs. The other is The Art of Storytelling — this is about how to structure a story. From your description of your difficulties, it sounds like this is the area you would benefit from working on.

Fortunately, it’s a skill you can learn. For instance, it allows a writer to tell the difference between a premise and a story. A premise tends to meander whereas stories converge. There a ton of resources about developing an idea into a story and how to work out the structure of your story so its satisfying. I think well-storied.com is interesting and informative. But there are lots to chose from — both for free and for $$

Answer 4

I'm a big fan of the quote "a story has no true beginning, and no end whatsoever, one simply picks somewhere to jump in then decides when to leave" i.e. a narrative only ever takes in a tiny part of everything that goes on in the universe in which it is set. In terms of feeling that you're not ready to write, no-one ever is, the process of writing always brings up issues with your character definition, worldbuilding, story outline etc...

With those points in mind my suggestion is that you start writing something, anything, in-universe; but something not so close to your heart as the two stories you're currently obsessed with. Having started writing you'll find the gaps that need to be backfilled and you can work on the areas where you're actually short. Until you start working you feel like nothing is ready no matter how much work you've put in.