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Your Writing Process, And/Or Problems with Same |
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SubRosa |
Aug 15 2011, 05:06 PM
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Ancient
Joined: 14-March 10
From: Between The Worlds
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QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Aug 15 2011, 10:45 AM) Edit: Oh, one more thing. When you guys write stories, do you update your story by going along and adding new scenarios, or do you already have it all written down and just post regularly?
Some people write a segment, then post it, and then start writing the next segment, etc... Some people write an entire story from start to finish before posting. And finally some like me are in the middle, and write an entire chapter (say 10,000 words perhaps), and chop it up into individual posts of 2-3k words each. Then they make a post every two or three days until it is all up. I now keep a posting schedule of twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. Acadian posts once a week, on Fridays. The chapter I currently have in the can will take six posts, so I should have it all up by the end of next week. In the meantime I am now writing the next chapter. So hopefully that will be done by the time I finish posting the current one. This post has been edited by SubRosa: Aug 15 2011, 05:07 PM
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Kazaera |
Aug 15 2011, 07:44 PM
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Finder
Joined: 13-December 09
From: Germany
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I second everything SubRosa says about characters, and will add that it's also important to have the characters *around* your main characters come across as real and believable, even if you have much less space to flesh them out - all the main-character-development in the world is going to fall flat if it seems like the world around them is full of cardboard cut-outs who revolve only around the MC. The best plot, IMHO, is one that arises naturally from your different characters and their ambitions and goals, and there's little I dislike more than reading a story where it feels like the characters are being bent to follow the plot than the other way around.
As far as writing goes, I figure it depends on how you write? For instance, if you know you can churn out, say, 3-4k words of story every week with only rare exceptions, then posting as soon as you finish writing is doable. However, my writing is far more erratic than that, so I need a buffer. Another danger of posting as you go along is that when you write later bits you might come up with ideas or change your mind on some things which makes previously written material wrong. If you've already posted things that are now inaccurate, this can be pretty frustrating. I know some people refuse to post at all until they've finished the entire story because of this.
Relatedly, something I've been meaning to ask is what size chunks people like to post or read? Lately I've been doing around 1.5k-2k in mine, SubRosa's said she posts 2k-3k...
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Acadian |
Aug 15 2011, 08:08 PM
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Paladin
Joined: 14-March 10
From: Las Vegas
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QUOTE(Kazaera @ Aug 15 2011, 11:44 AM) ...Relatedly, something I've been meaning to ask is what size chunks people like to post or read? Lately I've been doing around 1.5k-2k in mine, SubRosa's said she posts 2k-3k...
As a writer and reader, I prefer episodes of 1-2K posted once or twice a week. My average is around 1600 words and I think you will find SubRosa's average episode length to be very similar. To me, the ideal episode would be 1200 words. Sometimes it is necessary to go above 2K for a variety of reasons, but I try to avoid it as it invites skimming. I find that when I exceed 2K for an occasional episode it is usually to 'finish' something that began in the same episode - that if not finished would invite undesired or off track speculation. Building to an emotional crescendo can tempt us to run long as well, but I generally find that if I really want to deliver an emotional impact, I actually try very hard to keep the episode under 1K. As far as the writing process, I 'storyboard' notes to describe concepts, waypoints or scenes out over hundreds of potential episodes - sort of a rough outline. As time draws closer, I transition upcoming aspects of the storyboard to draft prose. I try to work 6-10 episodes ahead in actual draft. I find that by keeping the more distant scenes in storyboard format until within a month or two of posting, it facilitates long range planning and avoids conflicts while allowing plenty of flexibility.
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Destri Melarg |
Aug 15 2011, 08:57 PM
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Mouth
Joined: 16-March 10
From: Rihad, Hammerfell
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QUOTE(SubRosa @ Aug 15 2011, 09:06 AM) QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Aug 15 2011, 10:45 AM) Edit: Oh, one more thing. When you guys write stories, do you update your story by going along and adding new scenarios, or do you already have it all written down and just post regularly?
Some people write a segment, then post it, and then start writing the next segment, etc... Some people write an entire story from start to finish before posting. And finally some like me are in the middle, and write an entire chapter (say 10,000 words perhaps), and chop it up into individual posts of 2-3k words each. Yeah, I fall in the first camp here. I tried to write ahead by several chapters but it just doesn't work for me. My favorite thing about writing for the forums is that sense of immediacy you get from the endeavor. Most of what I write occurs in a vacuum of (over)planning and revision, all of it pretty much on my own. Here I can let my hair down (so to speak) and allow the story to reveal itself to me as it reveals itself to the reader. QUOTE(Kazaera @ Aug 15 2011, 11:44 AM) Relatedly, something I've been meaning to ask is what size chunks people like to post or read? Lately I've been doing around 1.5k-2k in mine, SubRosa's said she posts 2k-3k...
I'd say that anywhere in there would be fine. You want enough to give us a hearty meal upon reading, but not so much that we decide to skim the fat and feed it to the dog. Only you can determine your own perfect length. Someone who isn't as adept with word choice as Acadian would find 1200 a stifling word count.
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Kazaera |
Aug 15 2011, 09:12 PM
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Finder
Joined: 13-December 09
From: Germany
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Thanks for the feedback, all! QUOTE(Destri Melarg @ Aug 15 2011, 08:57 PM) QUOTE(SubRosa @ Aug 15 2011, 09:06 AM) QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Aug 15 2011, 10:45 AM) Edit: Oh, one more thing. When you guys write stories, do you update your story by going along and adding new scenarios, or do you already have it all written down and just post regularly?
Some people write a segment, then post it, and then start writing the next segment, etc... Some people write an entire story from start to finish before posting. And finally some like me are in the middle, and write an entire chapter (say 10,000 words perhaps), and chop it up into individual posts of 2-3k words each. Yeah, I fall in the first camp here. I tried to write ahead by several chapters but it just doesn't work for me. My favorite thing about writing for the forums is that sense of immediacy you get from the endeavor. Most of what I write occurs in a vacuum of (over)planning and revision, all of it pretty much on my own. Here I can let my hair down (so to speak) and allow the story to reveal itself to me as it reveals itself to the reader. Ooh, that's a good pro for posting immediately that I hadn't thought of. It's been frustrating me that now all the stuff I'm posting and am getting beautiful feedback on is from what I wrote years ago, and the bits I'm writing now - where I'd really like to both show off the bits I'm proud of and check whether the things I'm unsure about work for people - I probably won't be posting for two months at this kind of update speed. And of course that's unavoidable if you post with a multi-chapter buffer. This post has been edited by Kazaera: Aug 15 2011, 09:12 PM
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McBadgere |
Oct 22 2011, 06:55 PM
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Councilor
Joined: 21-October 11
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Does anyone sit there and go right I have a start, middle and finish of this section, and then as you're writing, everything gets so far apart that you can barely imagine finishing the thing?...Or is everyone so disciplined that it all comes out just the way you thought?... ... This post has been edited by McBadgere: Oct 22 2011, 06:56 PM
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treydog |
Oct 22 2011, 07:44 PM
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Master
Joined: 13-February 05
From: The Smoky Mountains
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QUOTE(McBadgere @ Oct 22 2011, 01:55 PM) Does anyone sit there and go right I have a start, middle and finish of this section, and then as you're writing, everything gets so far apart that you can barely imagine finishing the thing?...Or is everyone so disciplined that it all comes out just the way you thought?... ... Restraining myself from laughing hysterically- NOT at you- or at anyone else who actually has a.... plan or... discipline. Just trying to apply those terms to my own method. What I have discovered is that my plans end up having almost nothing to do with the reality. And the stories are better for it.... The word I use is "organic." And while that COULD imply that my writing might be useful as compost, in this case... it means that the stories have a tendency to GROW in unexpected ways. So- short answer- the current story started with the beginning and the ending. For the rest it was kind of like- well, let's see what happens. And then... well then, Athynae happened. For writing, there are as many ways of "doing it right" as there are writers. To add to my rule above (write everything down)- there is this one- HAVE FUN! And you know, those may be the only rules for writing I can think of.
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The dreams down here aren't broken, nah, they're walkin' with a limp...
The best-dressed newt in Mournhold.
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Thomas Kaira |
Oct 22 2011, 08:02 PM
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Mouth
Joined: 10-December 10
From: Flyin', Flyin' in the sky!
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I tried planning large portions in advance... that got me nowhere fast.
I work much more in the short-term now. All I define in the broad spectrum is where I want things to start, who the Big Bad is, and how things will end. Then I just let the tale write itself from prelude to conclusion. My individual segments tend to follow a similar style as well, except replacing the Big Bad with whatever I want to happen at that time. I then keep track of what has happened to determine when and where I can make something else happen for it to carry weight with the readers. Pacing is everything. Don't bore your readers with endless heart-to-hearts and one-on-ones, but at the same time don't tire them out with chapter after chapter of nonstop action.
Keep all channels open for ideas, and let your characters direct your fingers on the keyboard. The rest will come through time, patience, and a lot of editing.
I usually end up rewriting large portions of my conversations up to three times before I finally feel it is "right." As in right, I mean everything comes naturally, there are no breaks in character, and it doesn't feel like anything is being forced along.
This post has been edited by Thomas Kaira: Oct 22 2011, 08:05 PM
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Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning?
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ghastley |
Oct 24 2011, 07:01 PM
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Councilor
Joined: 13-December 10
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What NOT to do is what I just did. Since Skyrim is approaching, and I'd only played and modded Oblivion, I thought I'd try something earlier. Morrowind is still theoretically for sale, but I can't find a copy in the shops. So I download Daggerfall and install it. I want to play my fave Oblivion character, Blossom, but you can't play an Orc in Daggerfall. So I start modding the game so I can. Then I have to make some more clothes and armor for her, and look at how the quest system works, and ... I just stopped myself from re-installing MS Visual Studio so I could rewrite a save game editor that wasn't working properly. I just caught back up on the stories I've been reading, now to catch up on what I was writing!
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Mods for The Elder Scrolls single-player games, and I play ESO.
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McBadgere |
Oct 25 2011, 06:16 AM
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Councilor
Joined: 21-October 11
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*Attempts to wrench eyes away from Orc in thigh high boots and thong... ...*... Aye, the only reason I plan is 'cause of something I read in the Terry Brooks book "Sometimes The Magic Happens". He says in it that he gets totally lost if he just leaves the plot wandering ...So he has the beginning, middle and end. He also has every character with names that will turn up, and all the rest of it. I'm not going to be that strict but I appreciate what you said about different styles for different writers and all that. Oh, and the time thing...I have two hours to write in during the day...And that's if I get up at an ungodly hour...Which I haven't for the last two days...I hate that...*Wails* I wanna be young again!!!.... ...Too busy in work and stuff...Too tired!!...*Goes off to make coffee...*... Urgh... ...
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