Mun Prompt: Writing Meme
From
bigkitty75
Ideas. Where the hell do they come from? Can you make those little f*ckers show up?
With Murphy, at least, ideas come from everywhere. Obviously, for Realm of the Muse and Muse Playground, it's the prompts that give me my inspiration. For Murphy's latest prompt "wake up, roll over, what's the first thing you touch?" I couldn't satisfy that inner Harry/Murphy shipper, so I was left with a couple of choices: empty bed, ex, or Anna. I don't write Anna much, and Murphy's whined enough about her crappy love life, and the ex just didn't strike me. Originally, the prompt was going to be something cute between Anna and Murphy, but for some reason, it turned into an angsty thing. The idea changed itself halfway through and I had no say in the matter.
If I'm writing fanfiction for Murphy, usually it's just something random that will inspire me. I'll listen to a song, or watch TV, or just be daydreaming in class then the next thing I know I'm reaching for paper and a pen because holy cow! best idea ever! Sometimes, that's true, I do have a good idea, other times things get halfway written and linger on my hard drive for months before I get back to them. Ideas here for Muse communities are much more challenging because I have to ignore that shipper side of myself and focus on Murphy sans Harry. I like the challenge they present. It stretches my brain more.
Wild horse-bunnies. When a story just gets pulled right out of you. Do you get them? Writer's block. Have you been scourged?
Oh yeah, every now and then an idea will hit me and hit me hard. My muse is not nice about writing ideas. It'll pick up a very large hammer and beat me until I write the damn thing. Fever and Soft, Lovely, Gentle, Kind are two examples of that. My muse wanted me to write that and wasn't going to let me rest until those were written. I don't mind those moments, unless they're extremely inconvenient like in the middle of class when I'm supposed to be taking notes. Then, it's really, really annoying. I also think the moments when ideas just get pulled out of you are some of the best writing and author can do. Soft, Lovely, Gentle, Kind is possibly the best thing I've written for Murphy and that one was pulled right out of me on a very bad day. I love those moments, they make me feel like a really great author after all.
Writer's block is a bitch and a half. Man, I hate when that happens and it has happened to me all the time. I'll be staring at the prompt I want to do and nothing. My brain flat lines and my muse refuses to cooperate. When that happens, I walk away. I'd just make myself frustrated if I tried to do a less than good entry so I dust my hands off and go somewhere else. I can have blocks for weeks at a time, until something smacks me upside the head and ah ha! I have an entry idea. Going over to my other muses can help a lot with that too. If I'm blocked for Murphy, there's always Munch to poke and prod into an entry. I think all authors just have to figure out their own method for dealing with writer's block. Any author who claims not to get it, is a liar!
Clean up duty. Do you like editing?
Depends on the editing. If you're asking about grammatical editing, then no. I've struggled with learning grammar my whole life. I've had special classes for it - I'm mildly dyslexic and have problems with root memorization so the classes also covered other things to help me cope - and have even bought Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style, but there's a big block in my head when it comes to grammar. Usually, I type all my entries in Word first so spell check and grammar check, as horrible as they are, will catch my big mistakes and I can correct those. All the remaining grammar mistakes in an entry are my simple ignorance as to the rules of the English language. It's rather annoying as a writer because I know it makes my writing look bad, but until grammar sinks into my brain finally, I can't do much about it.
Now, if I'm just reading something over to change the style of an entry, I love it. The art of writing id re-writing my mother told me once and since then I read everything over at least once to make changes. Little things like word choice and placement can really change an entry from average to awesome and I shoot for awesome every time. Even those crazy fits of inspiration I get from time to time I look over to see if something could have been said better, usually the answer is no, but it never hurts to look. I really encourage the other author's I know to do the same thing because it really is a good way to make sure you're really happy with an entry. You can also find other grammatical mistakes that way, if you're anyone besides me that is.
The ending. Is it hard for you to find the ending?
Sometimes it is. I like to think of an entry like a song - yes, I'm perfectly aware I'm insane and I'm okay with it - and I ask myself "Self, do you want a fade out or a cut off?". More often than not, I like my entries to have a fade, a nice conclusion where Murphy mulls things over and wraps things up. Sometimes an entry calls for a good cliff hanger and you leave the readers wondering what happened next - unless they've seen the show and then they know and they don't wonder - an ending like that has a lot of power. Too many cliff hangers though and everything becomes annoying. You must use that power responsibly!
Often, endings are the first thing that comes to me when I'm writing. It's weird, but the beginning and the ending are so easy for me to write, but all that middle stuff, the plot, that's a bitch. Irony!
The title. Where do you get yours? Do you have yours when you start the story?
I love doing titles. I have no idea why but I seem to have a talent for coming up with one liners that are perfect for the story/entry. My favorite example is an essay I wrote last semester for my Intro to Forensic Science class. We had to examine a CSI type TV show and pick out all the forensic mistakes or we could examine an old murder and pick out what could be done now to solve the case. I chose the Lizzie Borden murders because my name's Liz, so I've been picked on about those my whole life. My title for the paper? "40 Wacks: Applying Modern Forensic Techniques to the Borden Murders." I love that title. I'm not always that creative though, sometimes I take titles right from the prompts themselves. It's easy and since the entry already relates to the prompt it's already connected to the title that way. I also enjoy the occasional title that has nothing to do with what I'm writing, just to mix it up.
Plot. If you plot out your stories first, raise your hand.
Sometimes, but rarely. Honestly, and it's a horrible thing to say, I often just start writing and go from there. I don't really think about where I'm going and how to get there outside a very basic idea. However, if I get stuck, I will sit down and seriously think about things and how to work them out. It's rare though. I just keep trudging along and it's actually made me wonder if that's why I never finish anything. The middle stuff is also the hardest thing for me to write. Damn plot!
POV. How do you choose your POV for a scene? For a story?
I hear voices in my head. I know that sounds weird, well actually around here that might be normal, but I hear Murphy start talking to me, or Harry, or Munch or one of the other billion or so characters that live in my head. Sometimes, it's in first person, sometimes third, that depends on what I'm writing and who's talking. And then there's always tense. For some reason I've been hearing a lot of present tense and I have no idea why. Usually, I'm a past tense kind of writer, but present tense is taking over my brain. Especially for Murphy and Munch and anything I write lately. I'm not sure why but I don't like it much. Past tense now sounds awkward to me and I don't like that. I need to practice past tense more.
And not one single character will tell one part of the story for me. Sometimes, Murphy will tell me one part, and then Harry the other, or maybe Bob. This happens more with my fanfictions and original stories then with my Muses - though if I ever get the right prompt I'm going to have to do one entry from Harry's point of view here damn the consequences! - and that's because I'm writing as the Muse and only the Muse.
Challenge. Do you like them? Do they inspire you?
Love them. Love, love, love them. I love to flex my writing muscles with challenges. Flashfics, drabbles, and memes. Give them to me in spades and I'm a happy writer. Of course, sometimes challenges suck when I get things I don't want to write, but then it becomes a test of can I make myself write something that turns my stomach? There is little I won't write. Yes, I do have subject matters I absolutely refuse to write, but they're very extreme and no one has ever asked me to write them so far. However, if there's a challenge up, I'll get involved nine times out of then. They're just fun and I love to have fun with my writing.
Sex. Do you like writing sex?
Yes and no. I don't mind writing sex any more. The first time I wrote smut I swear to God my face was as red as a firetruck. It was odd and slightly uncomfortable for me. I could just imagine someone finding my dirty little secret and calling me a perv. I wasn't writing anything pervy, but I was new to the smut game - that sounds hot and a lot of fun, someone make that game - and like anything new I approached it when some amount of trepidation. I still did it, being nervous and embarrassed by something has never stopped me before, but man it was awkward. Of course, as time went on and I wrote more and more smut I got better at it and more comfortable with it. Now, it doesn't bother me at all to write it.
People reading it on the other hand? I hate publishing smut. I have this weird thing where I write smut but I hate it. I don't think I've ever written any smut that's good. I don't know why, but there's this little mental block in my head going "No, no, it's bad, just leave it on your hard drive and forget you ever wrote it." These days I usually only write smut for my friends who request it and never publish it anywhere. I've posted one smut story in my whole career of writing smut and then recently publish my first smutty prompt response, Fever, - which I totally hate because damn it, it's not good! - and there's this little voice in the back of my head telling me that I need to take it down because people cannot know I write that kinda stuff even if they like it. I'm insane, I know, but that's how it is in my head.
bigkitty75
Ideas. Where the hell do they come from? Can you make those little f*ckers show up?
With Murphy, at least, ideas come from everywhere. Obviously, for Realm of the Muse and Muse Playground, it's the prompts that give me my inspiration. For Murphy's latest prompt "wake up, roll over, what's the first thing you touch?" I couldn't satisfy that inner Harry/Murphy shipper, so I was left with a couple of choices: empty bed, ex, or Anna. I don't write Anna much, and Murphy's whined enough about her crappy love life, and the ex just didn't strike me. Originally, the prompt was going to be something cute between Anna and Murphy, but for some reason, it turned into an angsty thing. The idea changed itself halfway through and I had no say in the matter.
If I'm writing fanfiction for Murphy, usually it's just something random that will inspire me. I'll listen to a song, or watch TV, or just be daydreaming in class then the next thing I know I'm reaching for paper and a pen because holy cow! best idea ever! Sometimes, that's true, I do have a good idea, other times things get halfway written and linger on my hard drive for months before I get back to them. Ideas here for Muse communities are much more challenging because I have to ignore that shipper side of myself and focus on Murphy sans Harry. I like the challenge they present. It stretches my brain more.
Wild horse-bunnies. When a story just gets pulled right out of you. Do you get them? Writer's block. Have you been scourged?
Oh yeah, every now and then an idea will hit me and hit me hard. My muse is not nice about writing ideas. It'll pick up a very large hammer and beat me until I write the damn thing. Fever and Soft, Lovely, Gentle, Kind are two examples of that. My muse wanted me to write that and wasn't going to let me rest until those were written. I don't mind those moments, unless they're extremely inconvenient like in the middle of class when I'm supposed to be taking notes. Then, it's really, really annoying. I also think the moments when ideas just get pulled out of you are some of the best writing and author can do. Soft, Lovely, Gentle, Kind is possibly the best thing I've written for Murphy and that one was pulled right out of me on a very bad day. I love those moments, they make me feel like a really great author after all.
Writer's block is a bitch and a half. Man, I hate when that happens and it has happened to me all the time. I'll be staring at the prompt I want to do and nothing. My brain flat lines and my muse refuses to cooperate. When that happens, I walk away. I'd just make myself frustrated if I tried to do a less than good entry so I dust my hands off and go somewhere else. I can have blocks for weeks at a time, until something smacks me upside the head and ah ha! I have an entry idea. Going over to my other muses can help a lot with that too. If I'm blocked for Murphy, there's always Munch to poke and prod into an entry. I think all authors just have to figure out their own method for dealing with writer's block. Any author who claims not to get it, is a liar!
Clean up duty. Do you like editing?
Depends on the editing. If you're asking about grammatical editing, then no. I've struggled with learning grammar my whole life. I've had special classes for it - I'm mildly dyslexic and have problems with root memorization so the classes also covered other things to help me cope - and have even bought Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style, but there's a big block in my head when it comes to grammar. Usually, I type all my entries in Word first so spell check and grammar check, as horrible as they are, will catch my big mistakes and I can correct those. All the remaining grammar mistakes in an entry are my simple ignorance as to the rules of the English language. It's rather annoying as a writer because I know it makes my writing look bad, but until grammar sinks into my brain finally, I can't do much about it.
Now, if I'm just reading something over to change the style of an entry, I love it. The art of writing id re-writing my mother told me once and since then I read everything over at least once to make changes. Little things like word choice and placement can really change an entry from average to awesome and I shoot for awesome every time. Even those crazy fits of inspiration I get from time to time I look over to see if something could have been said better, usually the answer is no, but it never hurts to look. I really encourage the other author's I know to do the same thing because it really is a good way to make sure you're really happy with an entry. You can also find other grammatical mistakes that way, if you're anyone besides me that is.
The ending. Is it hard for you to find the ending?
Sometimes it is. I like to think of an entry like a song - yes, I'm perfectly aware I'm insane and I'm okay with it - and I ask myself "Self, do you want a fade out or a cut off?". More often than not, I like my entries to have a fade, a nice conclusion where Murphy mulls things over and wraps things up. Sometimes an entry calls for a good cliff hanger and you leave the readers wondering what happened next - unless they've seen the show and then they know and they don't wonder - an ending like that has a lot of power. Too many cliff hangers though and everything becomes annoying. You must use that power responsibly!
Often, endings are the first thing that comes to me when I'm writing. It's weird, but the beginning and the ending are so easy for me to write, but all that middle stuff, the plot, that's a bitch. Irony!
The title. Where do you get yours? Do you have yours when you start the story?
I love doing titles. I have no idea why but I seem to have a talent for coming up with one liners that are perfect for the story/entry. My favorite example is an essay I wrote last semester for my Intro to Forensic Science class. We had to examine a CSI type TV show and pick out all the forensic mistakes or we could examine an old murder and pick out what could be done now to solve the case. I chose the Lizzie Borden murders because my name's Liz, so I've been picked on about those my whole life. My title for the paper? "40 Wacks: Applying Modern Forensic Techniques to the Borden Murders." I love that title. I'm not always that creative though, sometimes I take titles right from the prompts themselves. It's easy and since the entry already relates to the prompt it's already connected to the title that way. I also enjoy the occasional title that has nothing to do with what I'm writing, just to mix it up.
Plot. If you plot out your stories first, raise your hand.
Sometimes, but rarely. Honestly, and it's a horrible thing to say, I often just start writing and go from there. I don't really think about where I'm going and how to get there outside a very basic idea. However, if I get stuck, I will sit down and seriously think about things and how to work them out. It's rare though. I just keep trudging along and it's actually made me wonder if that's why I never finish anything. The middle stuff is also the hardest thing for me to write. Damn plot!
POV. How do you choose your POV for a scene? For a story?
I hear voices in my head. I know that sounds weird, well actually around here that might be normal, but I hear Murphy start talking to me, or Harry, or Munch or one of the other billion or so characters that live in my head. Sometimes, it's in first person, sometimes third, that depends on what I'm writing and who's talking. And then there's always tense. For some reason I've been hearing a lot of present tense and I have no idea why. Usually, I'm a past tense kind of writer, but present tense is taking over my brain. Especially for Murphy and Munch and anything I write lately. I'm not sure why but I don't like it much. Past tense now sounds awkward to me and I don't like that. I need to practice past tense more.
And not one single character will tell one part of the story for me. Sometimes, Murphy will tell me one part, and then Harry the other, or maybe Bob. This happens more with my fanfictions and original stories then with my Muses - though if I ever get the right prompt I'm going to have to do one entry from Harry's point of view here damn the consequences! - and that's because I'm writing as the Muse and only the Muse.
Challenge. Do you like them? Do they inspire you?
Love them. Love, love, love them. I love to flex my writing muscles with challenges. Flashfics, drabbles, and memes. Give them to me in spades and I'm a happy writer. Of course, sometimes challenges suck when I get things I don't want to write, but then it becomes a test of can I make myself write something that turns my stomach? There is little I won't write. Yes, I do have subject matters I absolutely refuse to write, but they're very extreme and no one has ever asked me to write them so far. However, if there's a challenge up, I'll get involved nine times out of then. They're just fun and I love to have fun with my writing.
Sex. Do you like writing sex?
Yes and no. I don't mind writing sex any more. The first time I wrote smut I swear to God my face was as red as a firetruck. It was odd and slightly uncomfortable for me. I could just imagine someone finding my dirty little secret and calling me a perv. I wasn't writing anything pervy, but I was new to the smut game - that sounds hot and a lot of fun, someone make that game - and like anything new I approached it when some amount of trepidation. I still did it, being nervous and embarrassed by something has never stopped me before, but man it was awkward. Of course, as time went on and I wrote more and more smut I got better at it and more comfortable with it. Now, it doesn't bother me at all to write it.
People reading it on the other hand? I hate publishing smut. I have this weird thing where I write smut but I hate it. I don't think I've ever written any smut that's good. I don't know why, but there's this little mental block in my head going "No, no, it's bad, just leave it on your hard drive and forget you ever wrote it." These days I usually only write smut for my friends who request it and never publish it anywhere. I've posted one smut story in my whole career of writing smut and then recently publish my first smutty prompt response, Fever, - which I totally hate because damn it, it's not good! - and there's this little voice in the back of my head telling me that I need to take it down because people cannot know I write that kinda stuff even if they like it. I'm insane, I know, but that's how it is in my head.