|
Your Writing Process, And/Or Problems with Same |
|
|
treydog |
Mar 17 2006, 03:51 PM
|
![](https://i.imgur.com/GOImXkC.jpg)
Master
![Group Icon](style_images/tower/folder_team_icons/04.gif)
Joined: 13-February 05
From: The Smoky Mountains
![](style_images/tower/spacer.gif)
|
As we seem to have achieved a "critical mass" of writers here, I thought I would begin a thread regarding how it is we do this thing called "writing." The idea of this discussion is to maybe help each other with the creative process and also talk about how we deal with "writer's block."
Here is my process- please note that I do not believe that everyone (or anyone else has to write this way. It is simply what works for me.
Before I ever wrote the first word of Trey, I had made up my mind as to who he was, how he felt about certain things, what his "values" were. He dislikes Imperials and the Empire, hates slavery, isn't very good with authority figures, is perfectly willing to steal (although not from the poor or weak), etc.
I keep a spiral notebook in which I write dialogue, scenes, etc. in longhand. Even though I have been using a computer for (mumble-mumble) years, the act of actually writing in pen and on paper helps me connect with the material. Although I try to maintain a certain flow (chronological in the case of Trey), I have learned from bitter experience to write down EVERYTHING right when I think of it, even if it won't show up in the story until much later. To assist with finding those orphan ideas, I use different colored pens and assign them numbers. Then, when it is time, I just make a note to myself, thus "Insert 15." I usually do not write every word that appears in the final, just as much as I need to get going. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less.
Because I am doing a straight MQ story, I depend heavily on the Construction Set to get the in-game dialogue right. On the other hand, I consider how Trey will react to certain characters and situations and "create" conversations are needed if things are to make sense
Once I have enough (usually 3-6 pages) manuscript, I go to Word and begin turning my scribbling into real story. A lot of composing and creating takes place at the keyboard. The manuscript may simply say "Temple Informant." I will take actual dialogue, plus maybe some additional conversation to show the interaction between Trey and the NPC and develop the scene. A quick spell check (Word hates ES names), and I am ready for the next step.
The most important part of the process is the read-through. This is the place where I read the installment out loud to the talented and patient Mrs. Treydog. The purpose of this is to ensure that the writing "flows." If something I am reading "clunks" when read out loud, it needs to be fixed. I also find typos or missing words during the read-through. Additionally, Mrs. Treydog may ask questions or provide other suggestions.
Example- in the scene with Delitian she asked me, "How does the captain know who Trey is?"
So I wrote in the "I am Trey of High Rock" bit. Interestingly, the "... I've heard the name" response is already in-game.
Once I have fixed whatever did not work on read-through, I post the installment.
If this thread survives, I will talk later about dealing with writer's block.
Edited to fix typo and to add:
One of the hardest things for some writers to do is to decide when is "it" finished. The read-through also helps with that question. Bottom line- you have to let it go sometime. If you polish the story long enough, you will be left with nothing- particularly not the enjoyment.
This post has been edited by treydog: Mar 17 2006, 04:41 PM
--------------------
The dreams down here aren't broken, nah, they're walkin' with a limp...
The best-dressed newt in Mournhold.
|
|
|
|
|
![Reply to this topic](style_images/tower/t_reply.gif) ![Start new topic](style_images/tower/t_new.gif) |
Replies
treydog |
Nov 17 2008, 06:31 PM
|
![](https://i.imgur.com/GOImXkC.jpg)
Master
![Group Icon](style_images/tower/folder_team_icons/04.gif)
Joined: 13-February 05
From: The Smoky Mountains
![](style_images/tower/spacer.gif)
|
QUOTE(canis216 @ Nov 17 2008, 04:03 PM) ![*](style_images/tower/post_snapback.gif) Well, it is meant to be an entertainment, that's for sure. I'm really going for, eventually, a sort of gonzo vibe with this piece. The trouble, of course, is that my thoughts during all of this were considerably more off-beat than my actions. Wildest thing I did all the weekend was sit barea$$ naked in an ice-cold mountain stream outside of Missoula, in a really, really popular hiking spot. Regrettably (for purposes of a really funny way to end the story) nobody stumbled upon me while I was doing it.
Well...how completely "non-fiction" does it have to be? When I was teaching the narrative in Composition I, I always quoted from the beginning of "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean": "If this isn't the way things happened, it should have been." In other words, never let facts get in the way of a good story. Or you can even riff off of a "All the things that might have happened" fantasy. * * * Different discussion- back to process stuff. I am firmly committed to the belief that there is no "right way" to write. (Other than making the effort to get words on the page). I hardly ever "start at the beginning" with any of my writing. For my current story, I had the idea of the character for a long time, and knew that he would go to Solstheim. And I know the ending- I have had that written for a couple of years, now. All I have done since I imagined the character and the ending is to build the bridge that gets him from where he started to where I need him to go....
--------------------
The dreams down here aren't broken, nah, they're walkin' with a limp...
The best-dressed newt in Mournhold.
|
|
|
|
Posts in this topic
treydog Your Writing Process, And/Or Problems with Same Mar 17 2006, 03:51 PM Padalin Ohh thanks treydog im hoping taht this would help ... Mar 17 2006, 04:07 PM Zelda_Zealot Sometimes I just write what ever comes to me, if i... Mar 17 2006, 05:58 PM Kiln This thread has the potential to help those frustr... Mar 17 2006, 08:02 PM Agent Griff My writing style is pretty strange. Since most of ... Mar 17 2006, 08:10 PM Taillus One thing, for me that I always take into consider... Mar 17 2006, 08:41 PM jack cloudy I am a bit of a daydreamer, so I usually come up w... Mar 17 2006, 09:28 PM Wolfie Writing...process? What the hell is that? :P
I jus... Mar 18 2006, 01:22 AM minque Hmm havenīt we all different tactiques? Me I devel... Mar 18 2006, 06:50 PM treydog I think we have some excellent ideas here- one thi... Mar 19 2006, 03:21 AM ShraX Here's my process:
I sit down at my computer ... Mar 19 2006, 04:15 AM Tellie Ok...My process:
1:I sit down, enjoying a good cu... Mar 19 2006, 12:10 PM Franavu Okay, here's how I write. Before I started wit... Mar 19 2006, 03:54 PM Kell-Reevor Great idea Trey, I'm glad you started this thr... Mar 30 2006, 12:38 AM davion Hey i'm back but whats new, every month i seem... Apr 2 2006, 06:58 AM Fuzzy Knight Great thread you've made here Trey, now as I... Apr 3 2006, 04:50 PM Kell-Reevor I stumbled across this website during my neverendi... May 22 2006, 08:24 PM minque Ah that site is great Kell! Iīve bookmarked it... May 22 2006, 08:30 PM The Ascendant I haven't written anything that I've put o... May 22 2006, 09:10 PM treydog Kell, that site is quite useful. I, too, will add... May 22 2006, 11:19 PM Mazelure I normaly just think up of a character and what ki... May 22 2006, 11:54 PM Kayla I have a spiral notebook that I keep and write ide... May 23 2006, 12:53 AM Zarrexaij I have loads of notebooks filled with writing.
Ev... May 24 2006, 03:06 AM The Wolf Oh dear.... My writing technique (in itself inexis... May 24 2006, 05:39 AM burntsierra Having looked through the fanfic section carefully... Jul 3 2006, 06:57 PM jack cloudy I'm still a daydreamer though I now actually p... Jul 3 2006, 07:05 PM![](style_images/tower/to_down_pipe.gif) Kiln
Yes, those unfinished stories are kind of sad. Bu... Jul 4 2006, 12:08 PM Ze Milanio
Oh dear.... My writing technique (in itself inexi... Jul 4 2006, 02:39 PM The Metal Mallet Well I have to say my process would be considered ... Jul 5 2006, 03:34 AM minque
There are quite a few stories that just when they... Jul 5 2006, 09:17 PM Sir Radont I get a small spark of an idea, whether a bit of d... Jul 6 2006, 03:26 PM minque
Also, I try not to write anything without my iT... Jul 6 2006, 09:38 PM Kell-Reevor This isn't so much of a process as it is a too... Jul 27 2006, 06:21 PM The Metal Mallet
Yea, I attempt to do that when writing in my fic... Jul 27 2006, 06:41 PM minque Emotions? Hm I think I include that all the time i... Jul 29 2006, 10:30 PM Mazelure
I think that most of my work is pretty much base... Jul 29 2006, 11:11 PM treydog One of the things I discussed in this thread was t... Nov 11 2006, 02:21 AM The Metal Mallet Writer's block is definately dreaded among us ... Nov 11 2006, 04:18 AM Black Hand I dont get writers block it would seem...there are... Nov 11 2006, 11:11 AM jack cloudy That's what I did with Oasis. When writing fan... Nov 11 2006, 03:09 PM canis216 I just sit down and bang out my stories when I fee... Nov 13 2006, 05:36 PM The Metal Mallet I just thought I'd bump this thread considerin... Jan 6 2008, 08:23 AM canis216 Thread necromancy... approved.
From the opener, ... Jan 6 2008, 09:05 AM Olen Mallet: try reading Assassin's Apprentice by ... Jan 6 2008, 05:30 PM![](style_images/tower/to_down_pipe.gif) redsrock
Thats what I generally do though I tend to run... Jan 6 2008, 09:40 PM 0rimus This is a rant so hold onto your pockets.
Everythi... Apr 27 2008, 07:34 AM paragenic Change the font, line spacing, font size, and char... Apr 28 2008, 04:51 PM paragenic Oh, yes of course AND when reviewing remember the ... Apr 28 2008, 04:54 PM treydog In response to the advice to "make it interes... May 2 2008, 01:08 PM bbqplatypus I'm of the opinion that there is no single rig... Aug 29 2008, 02:10 AM canis216 I'm posting this to sort of show how I'm s... Nov 16 2008, 06:40 PM The Bean After reading this thread, I've come to conclu... Nov 16 2008, 11:15 PM seerauna It's not that strange, Bean. I do that too. Ex... Nov 17 2008, 12:28 AM canis216 Yeah, I don't think your method is all that st... Nov 17 2008, 12:33 AM canis216 Current progress on my stuff above:
--------------... Nov 17 2008, 01:47 AM canis216 More progress. Why am I clogging the thread with t... Nov 17 2008, 04:35 AM bbqplatypus I also know exactly what Bean is talking about. I... Nov 17 2008, 08:53 AM canis216 With first person nonfiction I think embellishment... Nov 18 2008, 03:24 AM canis216 Here's some more progress on the stuff I'v... Nov 29 2008, 01:57 AM bbqplatypus Right now I'm doing something that I've ne... Dec 8 2008, 03:14 AM Olen Well this took some finding (why is it in Treydog... Sep 14 2009, 11:39 PM treydog As to the first- I guess because I originated it..... Sep 15 2009, 12:20 AM canis216 I don't shoot for any fixed number. I just fin... Sep 15 2009, 03:55 AM Illydoor It depends on how you feel really. I'd say aro... Sep 15 2009, 04:22 PM Olen Seeing as we have so many new members I thought I ... Mar 19 2010, 11:34 PM![](style_images/tower/to_down_pipe.gif) Burnt Sierra
I must say I think it would be better placed in t... Mar 20 2010, 01:00 AM SubRosa Looking back over some of the comments, I find I h... Mar 20 2010, 12:22 AM Verlox Eh, outlines, notes, drafts; I have no need for su... Mar 20 2010, 07:03 AM canis216 Here's a question: how much research do you do... Mar 20 2010, 08:28 AM![](style_images/tower/to_down_pipe.gif) Destri Melarg The best piece of advice that I have ever been giv... Mar 20 2010, 11:00 AM![](style_images/tower/to_down_pipe.gif) Verlox
Here's a question: how much research do you d... Mar 20 2010, 05:41 PM![](style_images/tower/to_down_pipe.gif) mALX
Here's a question: how much research do you d... Mar 20 2010, 06:32 PM treydog @Canis216- I try to be "consistent" with... Mar 20 2010, 12:51 PM Olen Lore is an interesting one. For the basic concept... Mar 20 2010, 07:05 PM Dantrag Be like a method actor. Take a while, and actually... Mar 20 2010, 07:20 PM![](style_images/tower/to_down_pipe.gif) mALX
Be like a method actor. Take a while, and actuall... Mar 20 2010, 07:38 PM canis216
[snip]
Another thing is to 'steal' tech... Mar 20 2010, 10:01 PM Fiach hmm looks like I'm a little late to the party ... Mar 22 2010, 08:44 AM Olen Yet again I'm going to commit threadromancy on... Jul 23 2010, 10:23 PM DarkZerker I'm a document/report writer. Therefore, I hav... Jul 23 2010, 10:45 PM Acadian 1. Planning. Disclaimer: I'm all about the ... Jul 23 2010, 11:13 PM Destri Melarg
The first is on planning. How much to plan? . . ... Jul 23 2010, 11:42 PM SubRosa 1- Planning. I plan very far ahead. For the TF, I ... Jul 23 2010, 11:52 PM Zalphon Edit: removed Jul 24 2010, 12:00 AM treydog Planning- I won't have a lot to say about this... Jul 24 2010, 01:20 PM haute ecole rider In the specific fan fic I'm currently writing,... Jul 24 2010, 05:37 PM Ornamental Nonsense The question of planning is an interesting one, be... Jul 24 2010, 09:07 PM Cardboard Box With regards to mine, all the planning I did was t... Jul 25 2010, 09:21 AM Jacki Dice Planning- For me, it depends on who is in the chap... Aug 7 2010, 12:12 AM ureniashtram I hereby invoke the spell of Threadnomancy and- ba... Nov 1 2010, 04:02 PM![](style_images/tower/to_down_pipe.gif) mALX
I hereby invoke the spell of Threadnomancy and- b... Nov 1 2010, 04:30 PM Acadian I'm speaking just in generalities here about d... Nov 1 2010, 04:32 PM haute ecole rider Character introduction. That's the fun part of... Nov 1 2010, 04:41 PM SubRosa I am not sure how much more I can add that has not... Nov 1 2010, 05:34 PM ureniashtram No words can express my gratitude, really. So I sa... Nov 1 2010, 05:47 PM haute ecole rider You're welcome! Good luck! :goodjob: Nov 1 2010, 06:20 PM SubRosa Here is an idea that just came to me. For a good e... Nov 1 2010, 06:31 PM ureniashtram Aha! Nice suggestion, dear Sage! Hmm... an... Nov 1 2010, 06:37 PM
1 User(s) are reading this topic (1 Guests and 0 Anonymous Users)
0 Members:
|
|