It's like the magic roundabout, and just as sinister...

[lozenger8]

I'm feeling neurotic about my writing again. I feel like the kind of thing that will make me feel better is seeing how others feel about their own writing, so, a meme. Feel free to comment with your answers, or post them to your own journal

Comments

Yes, yes I am commenting to my own post...

[lozenger8]

1. Dialogue. Everyone says it, so I may as well admit it. I give good dialogue. Sometimes to the expense of everything else, though, so I tend to think it's more of a curse.
2. Pacing. Holy fucking hell, I almost never get it right, and I know this and I still cock it up.
3. Those sentences and observations that seem to spring from nowhere, but assail you and prove to be perfect.
4. Plotting. HAHAHA.
5. As far as LoMfic goes, there are two I desperately want to write, actually. Both gen, interestingly enough.

Re: Yes, yes I am commenting to my own post...

[m31andy]

Those sentences and observations that seem to spring from nowhere, but assail you and prove to be perfect.

Ooh, yes. Definitely. I tend to find them in the shower. I'll have my head over the tub, washing out the shampoo when I'll suddenly hear Danny Kavanagh shout "You’re uncomfortable with this? I’ve just spent the best part of three weeks dreaming in a Mancunian accent. Now that's uncomfortable!"

Re: Yes, yes I am commenting to my own post...

[lozenger8]

I'm still a little bit madly in love with a throwaway line I wrote about Ray in 'The Perfect Crime #2' which was actually shown in action on Ashes to Ashes the other day. ["But Ray can fold his three dimensions up like reverse origami, giving the illusion of a flat piece of paper."]

It's usually the ones that really do come out of the ether, not the ones I spend hours teasing out.

[miri_me]

1. ... Apparently my work emails come across well (professional, efficient and friendly).
2. Actually making the time (it is currently in my priorities below getting a copy editing job - which I have just twigged I have 4 days to do, eep! - done in my free time and catching up with sleep). And working out how to handle the flow of time smoothly. And not ending up with pages of dialogue.
3. When ideas start to fit together.
4. That although a fair amount of my thoughts appear in my head in size 12 Courier, I think original stories in pictures. It makes it harder to transfer them to the written page. And I'm not that good at drawing, either.
5. Oh yep. Pureblood is definitely that one. I am happy with the original story concept I evolved from it, but I have no idea where to make it go, or when I'll do it, and it's been over a year since I touched it.

*feels a bit like a hopeless case*

[lozenger8]

1. ♥

Thank you!

[miri_me]

Lol, well, I was told this yesterday and I haven't written any fiction recently, making it harder to get complimented on it ;-)

Theoretically, I should be able to write in a consistent style, given I impose it on other people, but in practice it isn't so easy...

[m31andy]

1. Ack. I'm not sure what I'm 'good' at. Mood.

2. Plot. I'm terrible at plotting. Ooh, I do brevity. I know I have the ideas to write a good rollercoaster, it's fitting everything together that's always the problem. Oh, and grammar.

3. Those little flashes of inspiration - like when you're walking down the staircase and suddenly think "But I can't make Sam into Sleeping Beauty - the comm will *kill* me". And then you go and do it anyway.

4. The middle 50% when you're pretty sure you know where you're going, have written all the good bits and you're struggling with making it all fit and sound right.

5. The story. Ohh, there's two - the psycho!Sam bunny I adopted from hmpf almost a year ago. I've flashes of good stuff there, but nothing coherent and I keep thinking to myself that I'm not *qualified* to write it. Which doesn't help. The other, of course, is the four-way cross-over fic of doooooom. In which, again, I have flashes of incredible dialogue and no story to hang it off.

[lozenger8]

1. And dialogue. And plot too. You're one of those writers I admire and envy in equal measure. More admiration than envy, you'll be pleased to know.

[m31andy]

Huh. You think plot is one of my strong points - I think I'm still trying to work on it!

I think it's more the initial bit and getting to the end is fine. This follows that, and shove that bit in there and all that. Can do that. It's all the other stuff. The subplots, the myriad loose ends that get pulled together just before the finale. My plotting is far too linear, imho. And I'm still working on de-linearising it!

But thanks, anyway!

You're one of those writers I admire and envy in equal measure. More admiration than envy, you'll be pleased to know.

Back at'cha. *And* you make wonderful icons. Multitalented!Loz!!!

[lozenger8]

I think, the thing with plot is that... we always simplify it into a - b, but it's more than that. It's the whole idea, the whole drive behind a story. You're very, very good at that. I mean, I think most people do find plotting challenging, though there are definitely some people I know who think of it as their strength.

[rowena742]

1. Dialogue. It comes easily, and it's a great way to bring out (sometimes unexpected) facets of characters' personalities or reveal plot points without making them feel unnatural.

2. Description. I can't figure out ways to drop it in without making it sound like an infodump.

3. Like you said, the little flashes of inspiration. Figuring out the last connection between the important scenes feels pretty darn good, too.

4. Revising. I still feel like everything has to be perfect the first time I try it, so I'm either reluctant to make hard changes or I want to throw everything out and start over when there's salvageable material in there.

5. I have a whole fantasy world I've been playing with since I was...twelve? Thirteen? Still hasn't come together yet. I only hope I figure out the specifics I need and the best perspective to approach it from before I'm too old to work on the inevitable sequels.

[lozenger8]

1. Yeah, that's one of the reasons I love dialogue. I think one of my strengths with dialogue is that I actually know what not to write as well - what not to have the characters saying.

5. I have a whole television show. It's fun.

[rowena742]

1. Definitely, that too. If it sounds awkward when you read it out loud, you know exactly what you have to do to remove the awkwardness.

5. Ooh. At one point, I wanted to go that route, until I realized I'd never be able to count on plotting things out as far in advance as I wanted to. (I'd still like to do the movie adaptation, though. :p)

[kirsteena]

Oooooo nasty one (and what are you still doing up at this time?)

1) Urgh. I still refuse to believe that I do anything well with writing. But, that is purely my own self-negativity talking. Erm, I guess it would have to be plottier fics. I like to write episodic type fics, and have been told I do that just fine. But that's as far as I am saying.

2) Being able to focus and not get distracted. My mind flits like the proverbial butterfly.

3) Planning out fics. Working out where they go, how I get there (although it doesn't always work).

4) Characters sometimes just downright refuse to talk to me. That is something I have to work really hard on.

5) Not yet - but then I don't think I have written enough fanfic to get to that point. Ask me in a year or so!

[lozenger8]

(and what are you still doing up at this time?)

I'm being neurotic, can't you tell? :D

Thank you!