Writer's block? What writer's block?

[elfs]

Well, I went out to lunch and proceeded to write out a story. Forty-five minutes later I had to stop, but I had 2265 words to show for my effort. And y'know what? It's pretty damned good stuff. Eshi wanted me to write her another tale, and I did.

I hope she's pleased with the trouble she's caused. And there's a happy ending.

Comments

[woggie.livejournal.com]

Just what is your creative process, if you don't mind talking about it? What do you do first? Do you do a plot outline? How detailed or complete is it? What are those preliminaries you were talking about earlier?

The reason I'm asking is because I'm trying to figure out writing, and I have been for a long time. I have yet to complete a piece of writing, although it hasn't been for lack of trying. Obviously you've worked out a system by which you can get to an ending. I just want to know what it is, if you can tell me. :)

The answer is, it depends...

[elfs.livejournal.com]

I have an advantage over a lot of beginning writers: I have a huge stable of characters already written, who already have situations and settings established for them. For example, in the story I'm currently writing, the idea was to "write something about Kaede and Eshi."

That was the idea. Now, the problem with "write something about Kaede and Eshi" is that they're one of two pairs of human/robot couples I have in my series, and both pairs are woman/woman. I have to write something different about these couples.

Well, the easy part is looking at the setting. Kaede and Eshi are set much earlier in the series than Misuko and Linia, so there are different social pressures. Also, Kaede has not had the kind of time or experience Misuko has had to get used to the fact that the woman she loves is different from theh usual organic kind. She's uncomfortable with her role.

From that, all it takes is a little push. Bang: conflict, character, resolution.

For longer stories, I usually have a casual outline. Main theme, main high point, intermediate high points, maybe subplots. It's all a matter of practice.

A common writer's trick for "getting to the ending" is simple: write the ending first. Then write the scene that got you into the ending. Then write the scene that got you into that. Once you've got a middle, write a beginning for it.

Then re-write the whole thing.

Re: The answer is, it depends...

[woggie.livejournal.com]

Okay, so where did this huge stable of characters come from? And when do you think you had enough about them to know you could comfortably write about them? :)

What I've been doing with this current story is a main subject with a series of chapters and a subject for each chapter. I guess that's not too much different from your series of high points and/or subplots. As I go along, I've been gathering more and more information about each of the characters, so when I'm finished with the first draft I can go back through the story with all the information I have in mind and make sure it all still holds water.

And then I'll be ready (hope, hope) for someone else to read it. Don't worry, I'm not going to try and draft you. :)

The only thing that worries me about writing the ending first is I'm not really sure what an ending looks like. My process has always been, start at the beginning, write until you reach the ending. Probably pretty laborious, but there it is.

With this current project I'm allowing myself to write somewhat poorly and to skip over parts where I know what I want to happen but it's somehow too tiring to write it out. Later, when I have more enthusiasm or inspiration I can go back and write those parts in properly. So far it's going much better than I'd expected, but I keep looking around for other tried and true writing processes I might get ideas from.

Thanks, Elf. :)

Re: The answer is, it depends...

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Mostly actually by writing about it. The Journal Entries started out as a combination of Mary Sueism and an "I can write better than that bozo" attitude when I read something really bad on alt.sex.

I'm one of those people other writers hate because when I write I write a lot. Like, thousands of words in a sitting. Most of it is crap, and I know it. You just kinda have to be willing to make stuff up and know that you're going to throw a lot of it out. Just tell yourself you can fix it in revision.

And in some cases, I blatantly steal. For example, the characters in my current series came out of a Japenese comic book that, at the time, I couldn't read. I just wrote down their descriptions, put the book aside, gave them names and tried to figured out what they would do if they were put in this other situation I stole from a pair of old French SF films.

Re: The answer is, it depends...

[woggie.livejournal.com]

Ah, but that's synthesis. If you take something from one thing and the story from another, you're putting your own mark on it, and that's when it becomes yours. :)

Yeah, I can't seem to write anywhere near that fast, but I suspect it has more to do with my fingers and general typing speed than my internal editor.

What's Mary Sueism?

Re: The answer is, it depends...

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Mary Sueism is writing one's self into a story in some way, usually for ego gratification. In the Geek Heirarchy (http://www.brunching.com/geekhierarchy.html), you'll find it somewhere near the bottom. I love the very bottom. I qualify for every level, which I find freaking hilarious.