Your Writing Process, And/Or Problems with Same Options

[Kazaera]

@SubRosa - super belated thanks for your advice! I decided I was overthinking things and made the location change. Age is going to have to wait a bit :') And I have Adryn's childhood fairly clearly mapped out, apart from a few plot holes that will need to be filled in once they actually become relevant - it's fairly complex but does make it pretty plausible that she knows zero about Dunmer culture that's not part of common Tamrielic consciousness.

Anyway! Onwards to a general question to the writers:

How much do you jump around when you're writing? Do you start at the start and finish at the end, or do you write scenes out of order?

I usually try to stick to a linear progression - in large part because the further details of the plot change a lot as I write, I've mentally discarded scenes I was planning on for years before, so a lot of writing effort would end up wasted - but allow myself to write an individual chapter out of order, and move on to the next if I have most of the previous one down. I'm never sure if it helps or not. On the one hand, the scenes I skip over to reach a place I'm more enthusiastic about often end up blocking me for a long time, and so I wonder if it wouldn't be better to force them out so I have *something* to improve later. On the other, I wonder if I wouldn't write faster if I let myself skip to the part of the story that's currently jumping up and down shouting for my attention.

This is currently going through my head because chapter 23 is being an absolute bear and my writing pace has slowed to a crawl as a result. It's so incredibly tempting to skip ahead a bit, but I suspect that'd just be kicking the problem down the line. I'm curious to hear how other people manage this!

[SubRosa]

I do much the same as you. I do not write things out fully ahead of times. But I do plot out outlines far in advance. Sometimes I will get Eureka! moments at random times pertaining to one of those future outlines, and I will furiously scribble down everything in my head. This is not just high level brainstorming, but specific lines of dialogue, and so on.

I still do my "official" writing in the same order it will appear in the fiction. When my official writing catches up to an outline I will pull that out, and often copy and paste directly into the official document. A lot of things do end up being exactly the same.

But as you mentioned, things change over time, and in some cases my Eureka! moment from 4 months earlier is no longer appropriate. I still keep it written down as an excerpt. It just does not go in the official writing after all. I keep these outtakes because some day I might want to reuse those ideas in another story. Or much later in the same story.

For example, here is a huge wall of text that everyone can ignore. It is the section of my outline from Chapter 4 of the Stomcrow fic, where Blood Raven gives January a magic lesson in the sanctum of the Witch House. I had a big Eureka moment and wrote down a lot of specifics in it. You can go back and compare it to Chapter 4.4, which is the finished product. You will see some things did change from my Eureka! moment, and more got added in when I actually sat down to write the official version. Most notably I took out the Harry Potter reference, because I had discovered that JK Rowling is a transphobe. But also the spell January wants to learn in the outline is one to fly, which I later changed to an arcane bolt, which fit in better with the big moment in the battle with the spider, when she learns to call down lightning.

[treydog]

Considering how long it took to finish BotM, my example is probably NOT one to follow. That said, I am a great believer in writing down whatever comes to me when it comes to me. Because if I don't, I will forget it. The fact that I still largely write "old school"- pen and paper- makes that somewhat easier. I also keep a "main" text file with the most current (and complete) story, along with additional work-in-progress files. Not everything that gets written down or even transcribed makes it into the final version- like you, I find the story evolving as it is written. However, even the "not part of the main text" bits can be useful background as the characters take shape in my mind.

[SubRosa]

I could use some more ideas for supervillain names. I have three I am working on right now that January and Lighthammer will face off against in Ohio. I have the basics of their powers sketched out. But little else. All three of these guys are working for an international heroin syndicate that stretches from Afghanistan, through East Africa, to Ohio (where they bring it into the US on container ships).

They might not all be members of the syndicate proper, but rather be mercenaries/part time muscle. Given the long reach of the syndicate, they could be Central Asian, Middle Eastern, African, or American. Or literally mercenaries from anywhere.

1 - Sharpshooter or Gun Train? - a technomorph, his body is filled with components, which he can use to form any mechanical or technological device. From phones and cameras to guns. Mostly guns. He is inspired by the X-Men villain Scalphunter

2 - Khan or Obsidian? - Absorbs kinetic energy (punches, gunshots) and transforms it into strength and speed. He is inspired by The Black King from the X-Men comics

3 - ? - His body is amorphous, allowing him to reshape it at will. He can create weapons from his body, flow around or through objects, etc... He is highly resistant to physical attacks. This one is basically like Clayface or Mr. Fantastic

Any ideas for names/costume motifs would be appreciated. They are all practically blank slates for me to fill, except for the powers listed above.

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

I could use some more ideas for supervillain names. I have three I am working on right now that January and Lighthammer will face off against in Ohio. I have the basics of their powers sketched out. But little else. All three of these guys are working for an international heroin syndicate that stretches from Afghanistan, through East Africa, to Ohio (where they bring it into the US on container ships).

They might not all be members of the syndicate proper, but rather be mercenaries/part time muscle. Given the long reach of the syndicate, they could be Central Asian, Middle Eastern, African, or American. Or literally mercenaries from anywhere.

1 - Sharpshooter or Gun Train? - a technomorph, his body is filled with components, which he can use to form any mechanical or technological device. From phones and cameras to guns. Mostly guns. He is inspired by the X-Men villain Scalphunter

2 - Khan or Obsidian? - Absorbs kinetic energy (punches, gunshots) and transforms it into strength and speed. He is inspired by The Black King from the X-Men comics

3 - ? - His body is amorphous, allowing him to reshape it at will. He can create weapons from his body, flow around or through objects, etc... He is highly resistant to physical attacks. This one is basically like Clayface or Mr. Fantastic

Any ideas for names/costume motifs would be appreciated. They are all practically blank slates for me to fill, except for the powers listed above.

1: Inspector Gadget.

On a serious note, I looked up some synonyms of "gadget," as that was the first word that popped into my mind upon that description. Don't really see one that I think would work (the only I see that makes sense as a name is Gizmo, but that isn't really threatening), but I think going along this route of finding synonyms of related words may help you come up with something. Words like cyborg or synth, or something to do with the amalgamation of man and machine.

Maybe Machina as in "Deus Ex Machina"?

2: Similarly to #1, I looked up some synonyms of "energy" as that was the first word I thought of. Maybe "Dynamo" just like in "dynamic" or "dynamism" since we are dealing with energy and a vigorous enemy. Or maybe something to do with energy conversion or "phenomenon"? I do like the name Obsidian, though, just because it sounds cool.

3: How about Amorpheus? Ba-dum-tss. But seriously, there's a thought of mine.

------------------------------------------

Regarding writing things down when you think of them: I've gotten better at that, but I'm still pretty bad at it. I try to do it both for this one fictional story I am writing as well as the non-fictional, analytical stuff I write about political science. I need to have a pen and pad of paper on hand more often, though I have been using a notes app on my phone.

This post has been edited by RaderOfTheLostArk: Aug 23 2020, 05:40 PM

[Acadian]

1. You know I like Gun Train.

2. Reflexor?

3. Can you make this one a she and name her Flow?

[SubRosa]

You guys are helping me get my creative juices flowing.

For the first guy I am now thinking of names like Sharpshooter, Gun Train, Synth, Gunner, Scrap, Hardware, Blaster, Magnum, Buckshot. Magnum or Buckshot feels good. But I might want to go the opposite route, and think of his background and history, and pull a name from there instead, like the Afghan Assassin, or something such.

I am thinking I will probably go with Obisidian for the Kinetic Energy Absorber. The other names conjure up images of too many other forms of 'regular' energy. I'll make him an African, and go with an all-black color motif for him.

The body shifter now has me thinking of names like Amorph or Morph, Shoggoth Lord, Proteus, Goop, Mud, or Sludge. I think Shoggoth is a little too Lovecraft specific to be a good idea to use. But I find I am liking Sludge more and more. It sounds like a nickname others would give him, that he could never shake.

[ghastley]

If you want a nickname, remember Silly putty?

[SubRosa]

Ok, I may have found the theme music for the Stormcrow Superhero Alliance

Well, maybe not. But that was sure a blast from the past. I remember watching the movie when I was little!

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

Something I struggle with a lot--whether in this Fallout: Florida story, my nonfiction and nonpartisan analysis pieces, or papers I wrote in grad and undergrad--is that I get hung up on one part of the writing and get stuck thinking about what to do instead of trying to shift focus to later points and eventually coming back to where I'm stuck. This even happens when I mostly know what I want to say later on in the writing, and sometimes the result is I forget a lot of how I want to say what I want to say then because I'm so focused on (even obsessed with) bulldozing my roadblock. It's what's happening right now with Fallout: Florida, though after this bit I'm trying to work through I know more or less how I want to finish out Chapter 7.

Does anyone else here have that same problem? If so, how do you deal with this? I try to at least jot down basic notes on what I want to write later on, which somewhat helps to alleviate the problem but it still slows me down and makes me take longer to finish the overall writing.

This post has been edited by RaderOfTheLostArk: Oct 1 2020, 12:20 PM

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

Something I struggle with a lot--whether in this Fallout: Florida story, my nonfiction and nonpartisan analysis pieces, or papers I wrote in grad and undergrad--is that I get hung up on one part of the writing and get stuck thinking about what to do instead of trying to shift focus to later points and eventually coming back to where I'm stuck. This even happens when I mostly know what I want to say later on in the writing, and sometimes the result is I forget a lot of how I want to say what I want to say then because I'm so focused on (even obsessed with) bulldozing my roadblock. It's what's happening right now with Fallout: Florida, though after this bit I'm trying to work through I know more or less how I want to finish out Chapter 7.

Does anyone else here have that same problem? If so, how do you deal with this? I try to at least jot down basic notes on what I want to write later on, which somewhat helps to alleviate the problem but it still slows me down and makes me take longer to finish the overall writing.

Lol, I don’t know about anyone else, but I get around this by only writing short stories!

[Renee]

Does anyone else here have that same problem? If so, how do you deal with this? I try to at least jot down basic notes on what I want to write later on, which somewhat helps to alleviate the problem but it still slows me down and makes me take longer to finish the overall writing.

I'm not sure if suffer from this. I don't think I do. I rarely get stuck with writing, maybe my stories and updates would be different (better, even) if I did!

You are putting tons of research and thought into Fallout Florida, which is good in a way. Nobody will find any plot holes or stuff which doesn't make sense in your story (not that we'd try). If I think about one of my stories too deeply, especially months after stuff is written, I always find stuff which inconsistent, or doesn't make sense!

Anyway, good luck Rader.

[SubRosa]

Something I struggle with a lot--whether in this Fallout: Florida story, my nonfiction and nonpartisan analysis pieces, or papers I wrote in grad and undergrad--is that I get hung up on one part of the writing and get stuck thinking about what to do instead of trying to shift focus to later points and eventually coming back to where I'm stuck. This even happens when I mostly know what I want to say later on in the writing, and sometimes the result is I forget a lot of how I want to say what I want to say then because I'm so focused on (even obsessed with) bulldozing my roadblock. It's what's happening right now with Fallout: Florida, though after this bit I'm trying to work through I know more or less how I want to finish out Chapter 7.

Does anyone else here have that same problem? If so, how do you deal with this? I try to at least jot down basic notes on what I want to write later on, which somewhat helps to alleviate the problem but it still slows me down and makes me take longer to finish the overall writing.

I think I understand what you are meaning. I make extensive notes about what I want to do in the future, often 2-3 chapters in advance (by chapter I am talking 30,000 words and up, not a single post here). I mostly deal with it by getting up to that point where I am stuck and like you said, just hammer at it until I work it out. Because I am not worried about forgetting other things in the future.

I have been doing that these last few weeks with a supervillain who will be appearing in Chapter 7 of the Stormcrow Fic. I want to get her just right. So I have not written anything, and instead I am doing research hoping to spark ideas, writing them all down, and turning them over in my head. Thankfully I just about have it figured out.

I have another, bigger block waiting for me in Chapter 8. I don't know if I can solve that one, and might end up scrapping most of it.

I guess that is my other piece of advice. Don't be afraid of throwing out what you originally intended and doing something completely different. I have a folder full of discards like this. I copy and paste them there so I still have the writing I did. I hope that someday I might be able to use it somewhere else.

[treydog]

I do know what you are saying--- I have found myself held up trying to write important moments because I get paralyzed by wanting it to be... "the best [insert description here] that I have ever written."

Not saying that is what happens in your case--- just the point at which I can relate to the problem you describe.

My solution is to simply write around the sticking point. My process--- such as it is, is to "Write what I know." And I mean more than the usual idea of that being things with which I am familiar. I ALSO take it to mean- "Write what you know you want to have somewhere in the story, even if it is not what happens next."

And my reason for that is the fear of losing some really good scene or bit of dialogue, all because I tie myself up in concern about chronology. That has happened to me; an excellent idea occurs; I think- "Yes, that's great, but it doesn't 'fit' with what I am doing (or need to do). I will remember it when the time comes." Except I don't.

So now, I write the parts that are in my head while I have access to them. Then I make notes to remind myself where they need to be included. There are several benefits to this- first, I do not lose the idea. Second, that accomplishes the goal of writing something on that day. And finally, it often happens that the act of writing the "good stuff" gives me the key to resolve the part that I was blocked on.

It likely doesn't work like that for most folks; I am avowedly weird.

[Renee]

Does anyone else here have that same problem? If so, how do you deal with this? I try to at least jot down basic notes on what I want to write later on, which somewhat helps to alleviate the problem but it still slows me down and makes me take longer to finish the overall writing.

I'm not sure if suffer from this. I don't think I do. I rarely get stuck with writing, maybe my stories and updates would be different (better, even) if I did.

Coming back to this topic., now that I've thought about it more. I definitely don't get stuck, if anything, I usually have too many ideas, and then I need to decide which ones I'd like to go with. Sometimes this creates probs with inconsistencies, but it's not like I've got editors and publishers to worry about. Everything is one-way with me, like train on rails. Just get it done, Renee.

I'd say my 'problem' is more to do with motivation. I sometimes go "ah geez, gotta write today" when sometimes I just want to get buzzed, kick back, and game. But then once I am writing, everything's fine of course. I also get insecure sometimes, which I think is why I write outside of Fan Fiction. One of the reasons, anyway.

Wow, trey uses the word "paralyzed". That sounds rather frightening.

[SubRosa]

I am getting to a point where Jan is ready to abandon wearing her armor. (about two chapters ahead of where I am posting right now). She needed the extra confidence it gave her to start as a superhero. But by now she has long since come to realize that she does not need it, and that she should instead be relying on her own natural abilities. So my stumbling block is, what is a girl to wear?

Shortly before this she stops transforming her cape into a pair of wings. Instead she just creates them entirely from her magic. They are a living part of her body. Until she dispels them at least. So I have thought about continuing in that vein. Maybe she could just cover her body in feathers? But when I picture it in my head, it just seems kind of silly.

I looked up some similar suits of armor from the Aztecs.

It looks ok if it is just a shirt

But when it is the entire body it just looks like pajamas

While this is a superhero setting, I have been avoiding describing people wearing spandex or tights. I try to go more for utilitarian things like armor, but with some style and panache that is definitely not ordinary. So she could just wear some kind of clothing. Maybe like gore tex that is at least warm in the winter.

I like the look of this. But again, it is armor, that she does not need.

I am kind of out of ideas right now. So any thoughts might help get my juices flowing.


Edit: Or maybe I should create a character like Edna from the Incredibles movies: a fashion designer for supers. Someone who makes armored and unarmored costumes out of meta-materials (that is a catchy sounding name that does not require a lot of explanation about how it really works)? They would be able to provide something that does not look as silly as spandex, while also not being as bland as overalls or jeans and a hoodie. Now I am suddenly thinking of the arena outfits from the second Hunger Games film.

[Acadian]

I think the hunger games suit at the end is best of the ones you are considering. I'm guessing you don't want to use a 'distract 'em with your girlish figure' outfit like Wonder Woman. I'm also thinking Jan is quite acrobatic so robes, skirts, capes, etc could be problematic. I'm also thinking Jan wants to obscure her identity so some sort of hood/mask may be appropriate.

[SubRosa]

Yes, I am thinking she might keep her old helmet. She would still want to keep Sága as well. Though I could see it transforming into a sort of hand held tablet rather than a wrist computer.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

Question, is she still wearing a cape? If not perhaps she could go with something kinda noir inspired like a black trench coat or field jacket?

[SubRosa]

At this point she will have stopped wearing the cape entirely. Most of the time she will have her wings folded up on her back when she is in superhero mode.

Something like a trenchcoat or jacket sounds a little too mundane. I realize that it is a real tight-rope I am trying to walk here. On one hand I don't want to be too comcic-booky with sprayed on spandex outfits. OTOH I don't want to be ordinary either. I am looking for the kinds of things you see in superhero movies. They stopped trying the old tights thing a long time ago because while it looks good on a page, it looks silly in real life. Normally in films you see people wearing some kind of high-tech kevlar or other sort of armor instead now. I am thinking of the X-Men movies in particular. Even Deadpool's outfit in the films looks like it is made of some sort of woven fiber armor like kevlar.

It is funny, because some of the searches I did for ideas led me to a Skyrim mod that I already have.

So I am now leaning more and more towards the idea of a Super Mr. Blackwell, who designs costumes for heroes and villains both. Someone like Michael Caine from Miss Congeniality. He probably lives on some sovereign island sate like Sea Land, so he cannot be prosecuted by any government. But someplace warm, like the Caribbean or Azores. Or maybe just the RL Cayman Islands. Everyone launders their money there already.

I am thinking Mr. Blackwell might provide a whole gamut of outfits. From just an unarmored suit done up in your chosen colors and insignias, to full on armor. Everything short of actual powered armor. His basic suit might be some kind of metatech fiber that is not armored. But stain and spill resistant, waterproof, self-repairing, and most importantly, machine washable. So a super like Jan who has invulnerability can have something to wear, without it being ruined in their first battle. I the later chapters, Jan tends to come home with holes in her outfit.