How do you write? A writers' workshop for new and established writ

[David McLeod]

Dolores Esteban and I have read and enjoyed each other's work on this site. In discussing our work, we found that different people have diverse ways of starting and developing their stories and their characters. We both found that this serious discussion has helped us. We would like to expand that discussion to others, and have agreed to start this forum for that purpose.

 

The first question we offer is this: When you write, A. do you write from an outline, knowing where the story is going and where it will end, or B. do you have in mind only a beginning, and then allow the story to flow from that point without further planning?

 

In addition to answering the question, would you describe the process by which you write. If you have an example, preferably on this site, of something you've written that you especially like, please tell us a little about the experience of writing it, and provide a link to it.

 

Dolores and I look forward to hearing from you.

[Dolores Esteban]

We found a serious exchange of thoughts might help writers improve and develop their skills.

 

Please share your thoughts with us.

 

[Mark Arbour]

Well guys,

 

You posted the question yet neglected to post your own thoughts and ideas. But I won't let that stop me from rambling on anyway, which is kind of how I write. I tend to write from a very informal outline, one that I sketch out in my mind. I call it "The Idea", and it usually evokes a situation and a character type. Then I start writing, and just go with the flow. Usually "The Idea" is vague enough that I can change my mind if I want to.

 

Then again, I'm different than most authors except Dolores in that we write historical fiction. So to a degree, "The Idea" is ultimately molded by events. For example, my first story, Chronicles of an Academic Predator, took place in 1962-3, an era with lots of activity, so I guided the plot around those events kind of like a ship navigating shoals. With 1968, the next story, the events were so fast and furious it almost dictated the story, and I felt more like I was leaping from stepping stone to stepping stone. Now that I've gotten into the 80s, intense events are less prevalent and I find that lets me focus more on the story and the characters.

 

The other thing that I find is that sometimes I'll create a character and not like him or her. In that case, even if I had planned that character to be integral, I'll get rid of him/her. On the other hand, sometimes I'll develop a peripheral character that I end up really enjoying, and he/she ends up with a much bigger role. Isn't that how they write Soap Operas? There's a sobering thought.

Edited January 5, 2009 by Mark Arbour

[Dolores Esteban]

lol

 

Thanks, Mark, for reminding us.

 

I usually have a sudden idea that I can't get off my mind. I then do the research and slowly an outline of the story forms. In previous years I wrote without an outline. I wrote chapter by chapter. Rereading these stories I found they often are somewhat confused. I lost track of what I had in mind first.

 

Of course, I do not always stick to the outline. I also sometimes get rid of a character or develop a peripheral character.

 

However, I found that I need an idea first, what you call 'The Idea'.

 

A question perhaps others can answer is: What do you do when your muse is asleep? What do you do when you feel the urge to write, yet nothing comes to your mind?

 

Edited January 6, 2009 by Dolores Esteban

[Graeme]

I generally won't start something, no matter how much the idea nags at me, until I have worked out a ending for the story. That applies to both short stories and novels. That doesn't mean the ending won't change while I'm writing, but I'm very conscious of how many stories I've read (including print novels) that have disappointing or weak endings.

 

I get an idea for a situation, then work out how it's going to end. Then I start writing. The middle part of the story is the adventure for me -- finding out what happens as time goes on. After the initial set up, I try to keep the number of extraneous events impacting on the plot to a minimum. I like most of my stories to flow as a logical consequence of who the characters are, and what they've done.

 

I don't write regularly. With a busy job and a growing family, I write when I have both the time and the motivation. Too often, I have one but not the other....

[J_Ross]

The first question we offer is this: When you write, A. do you write from an outline, knowing where the story is going and where it will end, or B. do you have in mind only a beginning, and then allow the story to flow from that point without further planning?

I write outlines quite often, but I think I've only ever used an outline to write the story once. The story was a bore, imo and I ended up taking it off the internet. It might have something to do with the fact that I get bored easily and I don't want to know exactly what's going to happen - if that makes any sense. Now, it seems like I only write outlines when I'm 'stuck' and only to look at 'possibilities'.

 

I like to be surprised and...figure out where the story goes as I'm writing it. At first, it was a problem especially with longer stories because it's easy to get sidetracked and/or forget where the story was going and where it's been. So, I started writing outlines after the fact - I'd write the chapter and then briefly outline what happened to keep track of where I've been. And to make sure that I don't lose focus of where the story is going I, like Graeme, keep an ending/s in mind.

 

Also, as the story develops and I start to really get into the conflict, I've found that in order for me to complete the story, I have to take a step back, look at all the different plot lines, story arcs, or whatever you like, and figure out a way to close each one. A way to solve... or purposely not solve, each conflict, so that I don't end up with a bunch of plot holes.

 

All of that ^^ is the 'process' that IDT has followed so far. But I don't think I've ever written two stories exactly the same way. I get bored easily and I like to try new things, to figure out what works for me and what doesn't. So far, 'outlines' are the only thing I've run into that I really cannot stand. The closest I've come to an 'outline' that worked for me is writing out the beginning, middle and end. Anything mroe than that is going to ruin the fun for me.

 

And, I've never gotten rid of a character just because I didn't like him/her. In IDT, I wrote a character that I intended to keep around and thought I was going to like...and when I found I didn't, I went with it. I gave him a different role in the story but I didn't write him out. And now, while I still don't like his character, I can't wait to have more of him in the story. He's an important part of the plot. Or...he's supposed to be, who knows with me.

 

In discussing our work, we found that different people have diverse ways of starting and developing their stories and their characters. We both found that this serious discussion has helped us. We would like to expand that discussion to others, and have agreed to start this forum for that purpose.

Thanks, both of you. I'm not sure I've much to contribute but it's always good to see what process others follow imo. It gives me new things to try and maybe one day, I'll find an actual 'process' that works for me. I look forward to seeing what everyone's got to say. Cheers.

[Mark Arbour]

lol

 

 

A question perhaps others can answer is: What do you do when your muse is asleep? What do you do when you feel the urge to write, yet nothing comes to your mind?

 

 

I get high.

[David McLeod]

Well guys,

 

You posted the question yet neglected to post your own thoughts and ideas...

 

Yeah, you got me on that. It wasn't until Dolores and I started our conversation that I paid any attention to what I was doing. I don't use an outline, although having had a couple of stories get away from me, I think sometimes I should. I've discovered I tend to write vignettes of a few pages length, and then struggle to paste them together. Continuity, showing the passage of time, and connecting bits and pieces are, I think, my greatest challenge. Like you and Dolores, I have a framework: rather than history, a fantasy world that has established rules, geography, political systems, a quasi-religion not based on superstition, monetary system, etc. So the settings are easy. When I saw a painting, "The Young Beggar," by Bartolome Esteban Murillo (c. 1650), and wanted to write something about that boy, it was easy to select a city, an era, a protagonist, and sit in a coffee shop with yellow ruled pad and 0.5 mm roller ball pen, and write. It took another month to put the pieces together.

 

The picture is (I hope), here:

 

Thanks for posting.

[Former Member]

I can't say that i use an outline either though really i should i once wrote something that was 186 pages long and was just 1 big mess.

 

How i do it now is i get an idea in my head write notes about it i have a folder on my computer where all my story ideas go and some are just 2 3 lines from a poem that i read and thought "hmm that would be something nice for a character of mine to say to someone". I've started actually taking time now throughout the day and try and write if im doing absolutely nothing, I'll wake up even in the middle of the night and write. I'll hand write in my journal then type it out on the computer later if i dont feel like turning on my computer.

 

So far in my vampire story that im working on theres 3 scenes i have planned and am slowing getting to them. I usually listen to soft Music when i write or angry music depends what kind of mood i am in. I learnt from a few people to write your ending first before you write anything else and so i've done that and i must say the last line is pretty cute Sometimes i let my characters get away from me, I try thinking of these characters as friends and that i've known them for years. The other night i was writing away and then BAM! My 1 character had a brother who likes Soccer and was a triplet. I was like "Wow! Do i ever let my characters do what they want" Now the main 1 likes Swimming,long walks on the beach lol.

 

Oh another weird thing i do is i'll type so much in one color and then when i get bored of that color i switch to another font and another color so then it turns out looking like Skittles or Smarties lol. Ha ha it's pretty wierd i know but sometimes it actually helps me write more.

[David McLeod]

...wrote something that was 186 pages long and was just 1 big mess.

 

...folder on my computer where all my story ideas go

 

...write if im doing absolutely nothing...

 

...write your ending first

 

...characters get away from me

 

...type so much in one color and then when i get bored of that color i switch to another font and another color

 

Mattie,

First, thanks for some good thoughts. I've sort of culled the key words, just to keep this from getting too long, but I encourage others to read the entire post, above.

 

I know where you've been with the "1 big mess." There have been times when I'll look up after an hour at the computer and hope that the auto-save function didn't work...I don't even want the CPU to know what I've written. This is where some sort of outline...even if only mental...might help me.

 

I, too, have a story idea folder. Mine contains quotations that I think might serve to introduce a chapter or scene (and, which, in many cases, serve as inspiration for a scene). It also contains almost every deleted scene (even the ones I don't want the CPU to read ) just in case they might come in useful.

 

The notion of writing when you're doing nothing (else) is, I think, smart. Great art, including great writing, comes from the subconscious. It's pretty hard to write when you're distracted. I seldom write with music, but when I do, it's almost always classical. Love the Classical Music Archives...lots of free downloads (said to be in the public domain...and I think they're being honest; they've been around for a long time). The downloaded music can be sucked into iTunes, easily, too.

 

I've heard the suggestion to write the ending first...and perhaps I need to try that. (I think that Stephen King lost that ability in his later books...it seemed he couldn't write an ending, either.) As I found out recently, "and they lived happily ever after" doesn't work, even in a fantasy story.

 

I wish a couple of my characters would "get away from me." Perhaps, then, they'd be a little more real and interesting.

 

Your notion of changing color and font: if it works, it's great. Unfortunately, I'm entirely too anal retentive for that to work for me! It took me a long time before I'd even use a different font for titles.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Be sure to let us know any time you post a story.

[Dolores Esteban]

I have a draft folder also. I recently cut my '1 big mess' novel into pieces. The pieces went to the draft folder. Lots of stuff there now ;-)

 

 

I also listen to music when I write. I usually listen to one specific song. I sometimes listen to the same song for three or four hours. Poor neighbors! But so far no one complained.

 

 

I was thinking about writing the ending first. You're certainly right. It worked well for me with two of my stories. I started a new story a couple of days ago. 'The Idea' came to my mind. However, I have not yet worked out the ending. I ought to. Else I produce another '1 big mess'.

 

 

Thanks everybody for posting. I appreciate your thoughts.

Edited January 9, 2009 by Dolores Esteban

[myself_i_must_remake]

i'll contribute because mine's weird.

 

actually it's a little embarrassing.

 

i explained it to my friend stephanie once two years ago in joke form because i didn't know if it was normal or not. ideas (not just for stories) just kind of happen to me and sometimes they appear already fairly-developed. anyway, my explanation to her was that i suspected a blind, deaf, paralyzed man in Utah thought of interesting things all day long and broadcasted them to me so i could engage with them or write them if i wanted.

 

i don't really think there's anyone in Utah broadcasting to me. but that's what it feels like.

 

ugh. it gets more embarrassing. there's kind of like a voice thing that goes on and it says things i don't think i could think of.

 

(by the way, i'm literally already blushing.)

 

so the other day i was at work and the voice said, "maybe she should stop stuffing sandwiches in her twat."

 

i swear it. i can't prove it. but that sentence just happened in my head, unprovoked, with no contextual antecedent for "she." i laughed when it happened because when a sentence like that happens by surprise it's funny.

 

i don't feel like i could make up that sentence really (even though yes i know i did somehow) because it just seems so... off. it's weird, but not like the kind of weird people think of when they're trying to think of weird things. i've only heard someone use the word "twat" once that i can remember, and it was three years ago.

 

ugh the more i think about it the more i have voice issues. i have voices for all the authors i read that happen in my head when i read them, and then i start to hear them as my thoughts when i'm not reading, and sometimes the voices are people i know, but the surprise voice is kind of childish. it sounds like a rascally thirteen-year-old boy.

 

a few weeks ago i was at erin's and i slept on the floor and she slept on the couch even though she has a bed upstairs and around 7 in the morning i heard her wake up and get off the couch, which meant i could get on it, and the voice said, "upgrade!" without me really thinking. and again, i know it's not an obscure word, but when you're not trying to be witty or anything and you've just woken up after having been asleep for a few hours, you don't expect your brain (or a voice in your brain) to make you laugh with a word that seems like it's trying to be funny. (i sound crazy. i sound like an absolute f**king nut.)

 

anyway that's like a regular thing.

 

and my writing happens a lot like that. i go through my day and then there's a scene in my head and i know the story behind it some way or other. (recently: i have an image in my head of members of the same family talking about an old man who died, none of whom were very close to him, and they all keep telling my protagonist (who says nothing yet) that they heard the last thing the old man said was their name (but they weren't there when he died). it feels more like a play so i think if i write it, i'll write it like a play.)

 

sometimes it's an idea of wordplay that does it to. toward the end of the semester i learned what dextrocardia was, and then a few days later the voice is like, "his heart is in the right place," and i'm like hey that's an expression, but people with dextrocardia don't have that. i could tie these together in a story! so i did and it was only decent because i wrote it in one night for my workshop.

 

other times a character pops up in my head. madame and stalwart were two characters that were born over the summer. i haven't done much with them, but i like them a lot. at any rate: i have to write what they do to see if a story happens.

 

more often i think of endings than beginnings. it's like a puzzle that way. i know how everything ends, i just need a means of getting there. that's the writing part.

 

this probably doesn't make complete sense but i don't think it should. this is how it feels when i write and think. i have never had a writer's block because i have at least a little idea every day, so whenever i want to write i just pick one i've had recently. if i get a really good idea, i keep it for a while and let it develop itself. again: notice how i worded it. it develops itself. only bad things happen if i try to force it, and when it does happen, i do very little of the work. i consciously do the language (most of it,) but the plot things just happen.

 

which makes it really important for me to learn a lot of words and good grammar so i can get the ideas out and make them shiny.

 

i hope the thirteen-year-old rascal isn't my muse. aren't muses supposed to straddle you at night while you ejaculate semen into them and they ideas into you?

 

i don't think i'm a pedophile. maybe just for the muse.

 

also: i can stop talking about pedophilia and muses.

 

but to kind of gel what i'm saying: ideas happen and i rarely try for them. corollary to that: i can't try to have ideas. they end up stilted. i can only try to accommodate the ideas by working on language and knowing when to let things stew.

 

as for outlines and character maps and all those things that much more effective writers do: i scribble on pieces of paper and make bubbles and try to figure out how to get from a to b, and what fun lines to have in each section would be, and little literary tricks to throw in etc. etc. etc.

 

anyway: that's my story. on how i write stories.

[Dolores Esteban]

and my writing happens a lot like that. i go through my day and then there's a scene in my head and i know the story behind it some way or other. (recently: i have an image in my head of members of the same family talking about an old man who died, none of whom were very close to him, and they all keep telling my protagonist (who says nothing yet) that they heard the last thing the old man said was their name (but they weren't there when he died). it feels more like a play so i think if i write it, i'll write it like a play.)

 

sometimes it's an idea of wordplay that does it to. toward the end of the semester i learned what dextrocardia was, and then a few days later the voice is like, "his heart is in the right place," and i'm like hey that's an expression, but people with dextrocardia don't have that. i could tie these together in a story! so i did and it was only decent because i wrote it in one night for my workshop.

 

 

I experienced a similar thing a couple of years ago. Out of a sudden, a scene was in my head. The plot, characters and dialogs developed. It was like I was watching a movie. I kept watching my internal movie for some time until I felt it was kind of haunting me. I thought: What's that? I must not allow a 'movie' take over my brain. That's definitely not a good way to cope with it. I finally sat down and wrote down the 'movie plot'. I considered myself the director. I focused on writing. I developed the plot. I deliberately changed it. Finally the 'movie' stopped, and I had written down a fine story.

 

I think that's how the subconscious works sometimes. It demands attention. It can be quite disturbing at times.

 

Good luck with your writings.

[David McLeod]

Thank you, lesfeuxdemoncoeur, for a fascinating glimpse into what Robert Owen Butler (author, "From Where You Dream: The Process of Writing Fiction) would probably give his writing hand to have: ready access to his subconscious. I suspect all of us would, at one time, like to hear from that guy in Utah. If he ever leaves you a phone number? email address? Just kidding. I certainly don't think you should feel embarrassed by the description of your creative process. Oh, yes, I think you're okay; it's the succubus or incubus that visits in the night, not your muse. (For more on Butler, click here to visit his on-line classroom at FSU.)

[Duncan Ryder]

This is a fascinating subject. Thank you for starting it!

 

This is probably going to sound strange.. or at least idiosyncratic...but I write stories when I reach the point where it's harder not to write them. I generally have five or six ideas for stories spinning around in my head at any given time, and I do my best to resist valliantly. I don't start writing one until an idea is so strong that it just won't go away, and I have to....surrender to it I guess.

 

I don't outline in any kind of formal way, and I sometimes joke that I write them just to see how they're going to turn out, but really by the time I start writing I've been living with the idea for quite awhile, and have a strong sense of where the story is going. This doesn't mean that it can't surprise me...but I have a strong sense of the purpose of the story by the time I start to write it.

 

Sometimes scenes just come to me complete, with dialougue, everything. The first 8 or so chapters of Everybody's Wounded was pretty much like that... it was more like channelling it than writing it.

 

I carry notebooks with me everywhere, and jot down potential scenes, dialogue, etc. Often these scenes are what drive the story forward; sometimes a scene will be so strong and clear that I have to come up with a chapter or two just to get there.

 

I wish I had the luxury of being able to write fiction full time, so that I could impose more discipline, and write X hours a day. (Well, I do write X hours a day, just not fiction.) Maybes someday. I personally think the whole inspirtion/perspriation thing is has a lot of truth to it. The most important thing we have to do as writers is show up at the page.

[LongGone]

Nice topic. Allow the voice of the raccoon to interfere

 

I always start, first, with an idea. If you don't have an idea, then you shouldn't just write. The idea can be anything. For me an idea is usually a situation, a character, and/or a message. I think about the idea for a while.

 

Then, I decide: where am I going? What's the end game? Writers who just write without having a point in mind tend to ramble past the point of the work being good. To which I point out specifically Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series which just didn't know when to quit, and ultimately Mr. Jordan died before making his point. His five book cycle was at twelve with no end in sight. You don't need specifics but you need to have a concept. I usually come up with the very last line of my work first. My last sentence is the first one written. That doesn't mean I won't change it, but I can. Alone With Myself was that way. The first words out were the last few. I never changed them because they were good.

 

Then, I write the first chapter. Then I edit. Then I re-write. I let my editors and sometimes even a few readers take a gander. Then I go back a few more times. I go nuts on the first chapter because, you know what, if it isn't really good nobody will be around for the second one. My editors hate me for it, but I work them really hard. I am a terrible perfectionist and even when something's done, I'm always tinkering.

 

That's it. Oh, and you have to fill in the 90,000 words between chapter one and the end. That's how long AWMS was. NEAWMS was around 45,000 words and was entirely too short but, quite honestly, I ran out of things to say before I ran out of words. The point here being, don't set a word count goal. If it's done and it's good, it's done. Shut up and move on. If it's not done, and you're over your goal, keep going. (The first draft on AWMS was 70,000 words and I thought I'd do a little work. The little work was 20,000 words.)

 

The stuff in the middle is easy. It writes itself. The characters, on the other hand, are complex. They tend to do things I don't expect. Pisses me off to no end. It's why I don't outline rigorously. I do tend to make a small outline. You know, the things I've got planned, just so I always know what's next on my route.

 

I've gone and talked too much again.

[BeaStKid]

Hmmmm.... Let me see...

 

I have only one completed novel - Alpha and Omega and lots of short stories. So, let me start with AaO...

 

I had the basic premise of the story in my mind for a long time...too long...I never thought that I'd write something, but the idea was so compelling that I had to write it down to get it out of my head. Then, I posted the first chapter here at GA. When I got some good feedback (a thing that I thought never would have happened), I said 'Why the hell no?'

 

At that time, I did not know where I wanted to take this story, just that I wanted it out of my head. That continued for the first six chapters. I had something in my mind when I wrote and just let it flow through the keyboard onto the screen. After chapter 6, where something major happened, i had nowhere to go and I faced a major writer's block - one that almost crippled the story and kept it in limbo for almost four months.

 

That's when I decided that I need an outline for the story that'll give it a direction. When I was feeling a bit up to it, I sat and wrote down (after a lot of thinking about plot ideas) the next 9 chapters worth of outlines. That helped a lot as it kept me on the track and I was able to actually finish the story off.

 

That said, I now prefer to write an outline of the story - my thoughts, ideas, basic structure - before I work on anything larger than one chapter.

 

For short stories, I always go with the flow. Almost all my short stories start out with me aiming for one thing and end up being altogether different, and I like it that way. It adds....I don't know....fun to the writing?

 

That's how I write....adding my .5 cents...

BeaStKid

[David McLeod]

...I write stories when I reach the point where it's harder not to write them.

 

...by the time I start writing I've been living with the idea for quite awhile, and have a strong sense of where the story is going. This doesn't mean that it can't surprise me...

 

I carry notebooks with me everywhere...sometimes a scene will be so strong and clear that I have to come up with a chapter or two just to get there.

 

...The most important thing we have to do as writers is show up at the page.

 

Interesting that both you and BeaStKid would say you wrote when you felt compelled. It seems obvious, however, that the more intensely an author felt about a story, the better it would be when it hit the page.

 

I gather, as well, that you both have something of an outline, even if only in your mind. I think that, coupled with WriteByMyself's admonition to quit when you run out of things to say is going help me a great deal. I've had a terrible time deciding how/when to end a particular story. (Part of that, I think, comes from experience writing consulting reports. One always includes a reason that the contract should be extended.)

 

I also like your notion of always being able to capture an idea, a scene, even a line of dialogue. I've been known to text myself on the cellphone when I can't find paper.

 

Nice summary of your philosophy, at the end. Thank you for contributing.

[BeaStKid]

Like Duncan, even I carry something where I can scribble something down. For me, it is my PDA....I wrote quite a few items/scenes there in it when I felt like it during obscure times...

 

 

Ending a story has always been difficult for me. I always have problems with it, but when I think about how I would want MY story to end, if I were the protagonist, I usually come up with some ideas...

 

Usually works for me....

[Dolores Esteban]

Writer's block. I know this, too. Even when I know where I want to go with the story, I sometimes feel unable to continue. I suffered from writer's block a couple of weeks ago. I was not able to write a single line. It was frustrating.

 

Sometimes, though, scenes just come to me. Often at night. I wake up, and the scene is in my head. Or, I know how to combine and connect some written drafts. Sometimes I get up at night and scribble down my ideas.

 

Thanks everybody for posting.

[Duncan Ryder]

Writer's block. I know this, too. Even when I know where I want to go with the story, I sometimes feel unable to continue. I suffered from writer's block a couple of weeks ago. I was not able to write a single line. It was frustrating.

 

Sometimes, though, scenes just come to me. Often at night. I wake up, and the scene is in my head. Or, I know how to combine and connect some written drafts. Sometimes I get up at night and scribble down my ideas.

 

Thanks everybody for posting.

 

My solution to writer's block is jsut to write anyway, even if it's sheer crap. You can always edited out later when you're hot.

[David McLeod]

Nice topic. Allow the voice of the raccoon to interfere

 

I always start, first, with an idea. If you don't have an idea, then you shouldn't just write. The idea can be anything. For me an idea is usually a situation, a character, and/or a message. I think about the idea for a while.

 

Then, I decide: where am I going? What's the end game?...

 

...I'm always tinkering.

 

...If it's done and it's good, it's done. Shut up and move on....

 

Always glad to hear from the raccoon!

 

There's a lot of substance in what you wrote; I quoted the thoughts that particularly resonated with me. When you say "idea," I got the impression you're talking about what the how-to-write books call a "theme": a short, concise statement that establishes a broad guide for a story. Typical themes are "love conquers all," or "good prevails over evil," or ... well, that's the notion. Is this, indeed, what you mean by "idea"?

 

When you decide where you're going, and what's the end game, how detailed and specific do you get? The best I can come up with is something like Alan Ladd riding off into the sunset (while emotional, that was a very unsatisfactory ending to "Shane," in my opinion).

 

I understand the 'tinkering,' and find that I waste (yes, waste) a lot of time tinkering and re-reading...and using that as an excuse not to create something new. Do you have a similar problem? If so, how do you break out of it?

 

I'm done. Time to shut up!

 

Thank you for some excellent thoughts.

[LongGone]

Always glad to hear from the raccoon!

Thanks.

 

There's a lot of substance in what you wrote; I quoted the thoughts that particularly resonated with me. When you say "idea," I got the impression you're talking about what the how-to-write books call a "theme": a short, concise statement that establishes a broad guide for a story. Typical themes are "love conquers all," or "good prevails over evil," or ... well, that's the notion. Is this, indeed, what you mean by "idea"?

No, not always.

Sometimes I just feel like I need to discuss "friendship" and write a story where it's woven into the fabric (AWMS). Other times I have a very specific point (HT30) which I hammer home. Theme? Every single work I write has a theme and the entire Alone series (AWMS/NEAWS/NQAWMS) all have the same theme. Some of my one-off stuff may not have a theme because it's too short -- that's just usually a message or a concept that I want to use to make the reader THINK. I like to make my readers think, which is probably why I don't have so many readers

 

When you decide where you're going, and what's the end game, how detailed and specific do you get? The best I can come up with is something like Alan Ladd riding off into the sunset (while emotional, that was a very unsatisfactory ending to "Shane," in my opinion).

Not very. I knew when I started AWMS that

Alex would never follow through with Nicky. It was too beyond his emotional capacity. I knew he'd ride off into the sunset (or take the train)

. (Spoiler hidden) Whereas in NEAWMS he'd grown a little and in NQAWMS a little more. At pushing 200,000 words between the three, I had quite a lot to say.

 

I understand the 'tinkering,' and find that I waste (yes, waste) a lot of time tinkering and re-reading...and using that as an excuse not to create something new. Do you have a similar problem? If so, how do you break out of it?

Your problem (yes, you've got a problem) is that you consider that you're wasting your time. You aren't. Once you realize it's not a problem, you don't have to worry about it Just DO it. It's important.

 

 

Thank you for some excellent thoughts.

I'm flattered you noticed and followed up.

[David McLeod]

...After chapter 6, where something major happened, i had nowhere to go and I faced a major writer's block - one that almost crippled the story and kept it in limbo for almost four months.

 

That's when I decided that I need an outline for the story that'll give it a direction....

 

That said, I now prefer to write an outline of the story - my thoughts, ideas, basic structure - before I work on anything larger than one chapter.

 

For short stories, I always go with the flow. Almost all my short stories start out with me aiming for one thing and end up being altogether different, and I like it that way. It adds....I don't know....fun to the writing?

 

That's how I write....adding my .5 cents...

BeaStKid

 

Thank you for a lot more than 5 cents worth. Your notion of using an outline to help overcome writers block is going to be a big help to me. I have a lot of vignettes I need to tie together in some sort of plot, and will give this a try.

 

The "go with the flow" seems to work for vignettes...4--8 hand-written pages...but, for me, breaks down beyone that.

 

Thanks!

[Verm]

I've told David how I write in one of our emails, and he mentioned this thread. I think I might as well share my writing process and elaborate it a bit. I'm mostly an illustrator, but sometimes I write as well. I have used this method to write since high school, and having a degree in Film & Animation has made it better.

 

Usually when I get an idea, or a premise of a story, I'll play it in my mind like an internal movie (thus causing me to zone out for an hour or so). I see the start, the middle, and the ending. I sorta have like a photographic memory, and I guess I have good visualization as well, and both traits help with my method. When I finish my mental movie, I rewind it and freeze it at a certain scene or picture, and I will start writing. I would describe all the details in that picture, and try to convey the mood of the picture into words. Then I'd play the mental movie in slow motion, and write along as it plays out, pausing again when necessary, rinse and repeat until the end.

 

I'm more comfortable doing it this way. I've pointed out before that I'm an illustrator and I am also a comic artist. While I was doing my degree, I was made aware of concept boards and storyboards. Having that knowledge helps with freeze framing the movies in my head. I usually can simultaneously map out the whole story in still pictures, and put them side by side from start to end, and write at the same time. I use these mental pictures as my guide and outline of the story. When I get stuck, I'd draw a concept board for the whole scene or part of it. This helps me in various ways, for instance if I want to stay in a certain mood like anger, I'd draw a very angsty picture complete with colors and all. I would look back at that picture and sustain my writing to suit that particular emotion if it occurs.

 

It's probably a weird way to write, but that's how I do it. Sometimes it gets messy, like certain parts are all over the place when I start describing the pictures. This happens because after I describe a few parts, I would see a certain detail that I might have missed. The other difficulty would be that these mental images aren't usually static. They're like living images, sometimes things would pop out when it wasn't there before. I came to the conclusion that this happens because I would subconsciously try to improve on the image itself, while I am still writing alongside it. One other factor is that some of these images would change according to my own experience, and any new experience that I physically SEE might change them.

 

 

In a nutshell, I write from my mental images.

 

Thanks?

Edited January 15, 2009 by Verm