25 Days of Writing: Day 14
14. At what point in writing do you come up with a title?
Usually, the name comes to me fairly soon. Occasionally before I even start writing! (There's a plot bunny named "Summit Blues" that has not a single word to its name.) Mind you, that's pretty rare; but it is true that, if I don't have a title to hang on the fic, I find it hard to get down to writing. Sometimes that means I use a working title, and hope that something better will eventually occur to me. Most of the time it does. If not, then somewhere towards the end I will start googling for quotations, quips, or sayings that have some relation with the theme or subject of the story in the hope that one will hit the spot. Normally, I find something in under an hour. And that's only if I have to go hunting.
It's rare for me to post a story and then alter the title; but it did happen recently. I wrote a M*A*S*H story in which BJ got a tin of peanut butter cookies from his wife, leading to some slice-of-life banter involving Hawkeye and Frank Burns. I initially gave it the title, "The Peanut Gallery"; but, at the last minute, I whipped in and altered it to "The Peanut Butter Gallery".
There was one multi-part story, though, that never did get its proper name. It was written piecemeal in response to a prompt on maryrenaultfics: "apple". As I couldn't think of a title, I simply referred to it as "my applefic". I did this so long that, when it came time to collect all the ficlets together, I couldn't think of it in any other way. So "Applefic" it remains to this day.
Full list:
1. Tell us about your current project(s) - what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?
2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing - in your current project, or a future project.
3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway).
4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like).
5. What character that you're writing do you most identify with?
6. What character do you have the most fun writing?
7. What do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? Would others agree?
8. Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?
9. Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other? Both, or neither?
10. How would you describe your writing process?
11. What do you envy in other writers?
12. Do you want your writing to be famous?
13. Do you share your writing online? (Drop a link!) Do you have projects you’ve kept just for yourself?
14. At what point in writing do you come up with a title?
15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?
16. Tried anything new with your writing lately? (style, POV, genre, fandom?)
17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?
18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.
19. Is there something you always find yourself repeating in your writing? (favourite verb, something you describe 'too often', trope you can’t get enough of?)
20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)
21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?)
22. Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?
23. What’s the story idea you’ve had in your head for the longest?
24. Would you say your writing has changed over time?
25. What part of writing is the most fun?
This entry was originally posted at https://greerwatson.dreamwidth.org/115463.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Usually, the name comes to me fairly soon. Occasionally before I even start writing! (There's a plot bunny named "Summit Blues" that has not a single word to its name.) Mind you, that's pretty rare; but it is true that, if I don't have a title to hang on the fic, I find it hard to get down to writing. Sometimes that means I use a working title, and hope that something better will eventually occur to me. Most of the time it does. If not, then somewhere towards the end I will start googling for quotations, quips, or sayings that have some relation with the theme or subject of the story in the hope that one will hit the spot. Normally, I find something in under an hour. And that's only if I have to go hunting.
It's rare for me to post a story and then alter the title; but it did happen recently. I wrote a M*A*S*H story in which BJ got a tin of peanut butter cookies from his wife, leading to some slice-of-life banter involving Hawkeye and Frank Burns. I initially gave it the title, "The Peanut Gallery"; but, at the last minute, I whipped in and altered it to "The Peanut Butter Gallery".
There was one multi-part story, though, that never did get its proper name. It was written piecemeal in response to a prompt on maryrenaultfics: "apple". As I couldn't think of a title, I simply referred to it as "my applefic". I did this so long that, when it came time to collect all the ficlets together, I couldn't think of it in any other way. So "Applefic" it remains to this day.
Full list:
1. Tell us about your current project(s) - what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?
2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing - in your current project, or a future project.
3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway).
4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like).
5. What character that you're writing do you most identify with?
6. What character do you have the most fun writing?
7. What do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? Would others agree?
8. Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?
9. Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other? Both, or neither?
10. How would you describe your writing process?
11. What do you envy in other writers?
12. Do you want your writing to be famous?
13. Do you share your writing online? (Drop a link!) Do you have projects you’ve kept just for yourself?
14. At what point in writing do you come up with a title?
15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?
16. Tried anything new with your writing lately? (style, POV, genre, fandom?)
17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?
18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.
19. Is there something you always find yourself repeating in your writing? (favourite verb, something you describe 'too often', trope you can’t get enough of?)
20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)
21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?)
22. Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?
23. What’s the story idea you’ve had in your head for the longest?
24. Would you say your writing has changed over time?
25. What part of writing is the most fun?
This entry was originally posted at https://greerwatson.dreamwidth.org/115463.html. Please comment there using OpenID.