So I have been working on a story about Lady Christina, the one-off Who "companion" from 2009, for about two years now. (If it's any more than that, I don't want to know
( Read more... )
My approach to writing is, to be blunt about it, an absolute mess. But I don't worry about the "plot." People will tell you I have one in the stuff I write, and I'm always very pleased when they say that, because mostly I feel like I throw stuff in a cauldron and eventually, finally, someday, I find out what I was writing about. But until that day happens, I just write it, and I figure it'll come together on its own into some kind of cohesive narrative. I don't think that works for everyone, but it could be that you're thinking yourself out of this, in a way. You think you have the middle of the story, and maybe you do, but there's nothing that says that the story has to end with Christina *after* she meets Ten. It could end with her meeting Ten. Maybe the story is her getting to that point. And maybe the story begins with her parents' disastrous marriage. Sometimes, vignettes strung together *are* the story. (That's really all Chaosverse was for a very long time, just a series of days-in-the-life of this family.) And I think
( ... )
Do scenes usually come to you in the order in which they ultimately appear? Or how does that work, for you?
Sometimes, vignettes strung together *are* the story. (That's really all Chaosverse was for a very long time, just a series of days-in-the-life of this family.) And I think accepting that they're the story, that the journey is the destination or some such, could be really helpful?
Scenes usually come to me out of order, but I don't let myself write out of order. I used to let myself do that, but I realized it didn't work for me, I never *finished* anything, I just had all these disjointed scenes. Now what I tend to do is write a quick note at the end of whatever I'm working on, to remind me of a scene that I want to add in, and then I add it in when I get to its appropriate place.
I find I like that better, because it allows me to stay flexible as I go, too, so that if the story morphs away from where I thought it was going, it's okay, I haven't "wasted" a lot of work or anything.
Hmm. To be honest, sometimes, if I'm lucky, the first sentence will come to me. Other times, though, I just...start. Sometimes it takes me a few starts. I can tell if it's *hard.* If it's hard, I've started in the wrong place and need to re-think.
But I am not one of those authors who writes backstory. Everything I write for a story ends up in the story. I'm always so fascinated by people who write, like, outside the storyworld, so to speak. I have never been that way, for whatever reason.
Reply
Do scenes usually come to you in the order in which they ultimately appear? Or how does that work, for you?
Sometimes, vignettes strung together *are* the story. (That's really all Chaosverse was for a very long time, just a series of days-in-the-life of this family.) And I think accepting that they're the story, that the journey is the destination or some such, could be really helpful?
I think this is definitely worth a try.
Reply
I find I like that better, because it allows me to stay flexible as I go, too, so that if the story morphs away from where I thought it was going, it's okay, I haven't "wasted" a lot of work or anything.
Reply
YES! (Forgive the shouting.) THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME!
But, then, how do you know where to start?
Reply
But I am not one of those authors who writes backstory. Everything I write for a story ends up in the story. I'm always so fascinated by people who write, like, outside the storyworld, so to speak. I have never been that way, for whatever reason.
Reply
Leave a comment