(no subject)
Writing Meme, Gacked from Helsmeta
Ideas. Where the hell do they come from? Can you make those little fuckers show up?
Wild horse-bunnies. When a story just gets pulled right out of you. Do you get them?
Writer's block. Have you been scourged?
Clean up duty. Do you like editing?
The ending. Is it hard for you to find the ending?
The title. Where do you get yours? Do you have yours when you start the story?
Plot. If you plot out your stories first, raise your hand.
POV. How do you choose your POV for a scene? For a story?
Challenge. Do you like them? Do they inspire you?
Sex. Do you like writing sex?
Ideas. Where the hell do they come from? Can you make those little fuckers show up?
It really, really depends. Sometimes it's canon - 'what just happened there?' 'wouldn't it be cool if--?'. Sometimes it's an idea that suddenly strikes, based on the canon - one of those lightbulb moments of making some kind of connection. Sometimes it's just wanting to write something specific, really randomly, and then finding a way to make it work. Often, lately, it's the damned history channel. It's the bane of being a fic-writer in a universe with time-travel. Usually, though, it's music. The music makes me feel something, and that something is the bunny.
Wild horse-bunnies. When a story just gets pulled right out of you. Do you get them?
Occasionally. I know the norm in fandom is for these 'must tell' stories, but I don't seem to get them quite the same way that others do. I get struck by "I need to capture THAT THING", but since I rarely tell a 'story' - you know, with plot and arc and stuff - I don't often feel the need to write like that. I have though! Three times, I think. Glass and Water, Decision, and Never Doing That Again.
Writer's block. Have you been scourged?
Often, brutally, and painfully. My ability to write is a fickle thing. The biggest thing I need to have to write is something to say - not a story to tell, but something to say about the characters or relationships. When I have that, I'm good to worrying about finding motivation and time. Finding things to say isn't always as easy as it sounds. While I'm writing more and more story, lately, there's a large part of me that still functions on a 'fic is my meta' level, and when I've said what I wanted to about who the people are? I'm kind of finished. That's not *such* a big issue lately, as I break out and start playing in AU and more story-telling, but it's still a thing. We'll see how it goes, I guess.
Clean up duty. Do you like editing?
No. I could go on about the several kinds of loathing I have for the editing process, but it's just not worth it. I'm bad at it. It turns my brain to mush and then fries it. That's probably all that needs to be said about it.
The ending. Is it hard for you to find the ending?
Usually. I hate 'falling asleep' as the end of a scene or a story, so I try to avoid using it. Unfortunately short of that, or death, I just don't have a good sense of when the story is *done*. It isn't about the action stopping - that I can figure out - it's about the wrap up and narrative. Those things, at the end, always trip me up and never feel clean enough to me. it's one of the things I'm trying to work on.
The title. Where do you get yours? Do you have yours when you start the story?
I have a very few 'good titles' floating around my head. I've never used one, though. Mostly I read through, pluck a word or an idea from the rubble and smack it on the top. I suck at titles, in ways that can not be expressed.
Plot. If you plot out your stories first, raise your hand.
I don't write plot often, but when I do - yeah, I plot. When I don't things like my abandoned Jack/Ten story happen, and it's just a bunch of random events that will go on forever, and never go anywhere. Even my sex scenes I know what's going to happen, to who, and why, before I do a lot of writing. I need all the direction I can get.
POV. How do you choose your POV for a scene? For a story?
It's Jack.
No, really. I don't do so great with POV that's not third person limited. It's my default. The character's head I sit in is usually dependent on what I want to say, but mostly? It's Just Jack.
Challenge. Do you like them? Do they inspire you?
I very often love challenges. Provided it's a case of writing to meet a prompt and a legitimate want from someone. I can not stand people who play stump the author. It annoys the ever loving crap out of me, and really isn't the game I want to be playing. (drabble prompts, writing memes, it doesn't bother me so much. Fic-fests or exchanges where the person goes out of their way to be difficult just makes me want to scream.)
Sex. Do you like writing sex?
Hold onto your hats and your seats - are you ready for this?
No. Sex is action. Sex is a series of events that leads to a climax and then has to be wrapped up. Sex isn't neat and clean and internal. Sex is the vechicle for getting to the stuff I want to write, yeah, but all that fiddly action strung together in sequence? Not fun for me. In fact it's kind of tedious. Who's hands are where, and who's doing what, and what's it feel like and a thousand and four other necessary questions of movement and blocking.
I don't hate it. I can really enjoy the stuff going on behind the sex. The actual sex though? Is pretty much a necessary mundanity.
And we're down to the home-stretch for Sweet Charity. Fandom can be such an awesome community. *continues to stare in awe*
Ideas. Where the hell do they come from? Can you make those little fuckers show up?
Wild horse-bunnies. When a story just gets pulled right out of you. Do you get them?
Writer's block. Have you been scourged?
Clean up duty. Do you like editing?
The ending. Is it hard for you to find the ending?
The title. Where do you get yours? Do you have yours when you start the story?
Plot. If you plot out your stories first, raise your hand.
POV. How do you choose your POV for a scene? For a story?
Challenge. Do you like them? Do they inspire you?
Sex. Do you like writing sex?
Ideas. Where the hell do they come from? Can you make those little fuckers show up?
It really, really depends. Sometimes it's canon - 'what just happened there?' 'wouldn't it be cool if--?'. Sometimes it's an idea that suddenly strikes, based on the canon - one of those lightbulb moments of making some kind of connection. Sometimes it's just wanting to write something specific, really randomly, and then finding a way to make it work. Often, lately, it's the damned history channel. It's the bane of being a fic-writer in a universe with time-travel. Usually, though, it's music. The music makes me feel something, and that something is the bunny.
Wild horse-bunnies. When a story just gets pulled right out of you. Do you get them?
Occasionally. I know the norm in fandom is for these 'must tell' stories, but I don't seem to get them quite the same way that others do. I get struck by "I need to capture THAT THING", but since I rarely tell a 'story' - you know, with plot and arc and stuff - I don't often feel the need to write like that. I have though! Three times, I think. Glass and Water, Decision, and Never Doing That Again.
Writer's block. Have you been scourged?
Often, brutally, and painfully. My ability to write is a fickle thing. The biggest thing I need to have to write is something to say - not a story to tell, but something to say about the characters or relationships. When I have that, I'm good to worrying about finding motivation and time. Finding things to say isn't always as easy as it sounds. While I'm writing more and more story, lately, there's a large part of me that still functions on a 'fic is my meta' level, and when I've said what I wanted to about who the people are? I'm kind of finished. That's not *such* a big issue lately, as I break out and start playing in AU and more story-telling, but it's still a thing. We'll see how it goes, I guess.
Clean up duty. Do you like editing?
No. I could go on about the several kinds of loathing I have for the editing process, but it's just not worth it. I'm bad at it. It turns my brain to mush and then fries it. That's probably all that needs to be said about it.
The ending. Is it hard for you to find the ending?
Usually. I hate 'falling asleep' as the end of a scene or a story, so I try to avoid using it. Unfortunately short of that, or death, I just don't have a good sense of when the story is *done*. It isn't about the action stopping - that I can figure out - it's about the wrap up and narrative. Those things, at the end, always trip me up and never feel clean enough to me. it's one of the things I'm trying to work on.
The title. Where do you get yours? Do you have yours when you start the story?
I have a very few 'good titles' floating around my head. I've never used one, though. Mostly I read through, pluck a word or an idea from the rubble and smack it on the top. I suck at titles, in ways that can not be expressed.
Plot. If you plot out your stories first, raise your hand.
I don't write plot often, but when I do - yeah, I plot. When I don't things like my abandoned Jack/Ten story happen, and it's just a bunch of random events that will go on forever, and never go anywhere. Even my sex scenes I know what's going to happen, to who, and why, before I do a lot of writing. I need all the direction I can get.
POV. How do you choose your POV for a scene? For a story?
It's Jack.
No, really. I don't do so great with POV that's not third person limited. It's my default. The character's head I sit in is usually dependent on what I want to say, but mostly? It's Just Jack.
Challenge. Do you like them? Do they inspire you?
I very often love challenges. Provided it's a case of writing to meet a prompt and a legitimate want from someone. I can not stand people who play stump the author. It annoys the ever loving crap out of me, and really isn't the game I want to be playing. (drabble prompts, writing memes, it doesn't bother me so much. Fic-fests or exchanges where the person goes out of their way to be difficult just makes me want to scream.)
Sex. Do you like writing sex?
Hold onto your hats and your seats - are you ready for this?
No. Sex is action. Sex is a series of events that leads to a climax and then has to be wrapped up. Sex isn't neat and clean and internal. Sex is the vechicle for getting to the stuff I want to write, yeah, but all that fiddly action strung together in sequence? Not fun for me. In fact it's kind of tedious. Who's hands are where, and who's doing what, and what's it feel like and a thousand and four other necessary questions of movement and blocking.
I don't hate it. I can really enjoy the stuff going on behind the sex. The actual sex though? Is pretty much a necessary mundanity.
And we're down to the home-stretch for Sweet Charity. Fandom can be such an awesome community. *continues to stare in awe*