As my tumblr tag says: writing is hard, yo

[flaming_muse]

I don't know what it is, but I am always so relieved to get to the end of a first draft of a fic. Yes, there's always more work to do beyond that draft, so much to fluff out and smooth, but in a way starting every fic is like jumping off a cliff for me, and I spend my whole time writing it hoping that I'll have a soft landing at the bottom... or

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[flaming_muse]

Mmmm, writing retreat. Yes. I've been dreaming of going off to the ocean for a few days and writing.

Oh, wouldn't it be awesome to do a fandom writing retreat? Writing, betaing, lots of talking and hanging out, which would totally get in the way of writing and betaing?

[flaming_muse]

Pfft, in my dream world there is no money to worry about. :D

[stoney321]

writing retreat by the ocean? OKAY. Which coast? Where do I sign up? HOW DO I DO THIS THING WITH YOU HOW?

[flaming_muse]

I was thinking New England coast BUT I CAN BE CONVINCED OTHERWISE. Or not. COME TO ME. *holds open arms and waits for you to leap into them*

[stoney321]

WILL IT BE SUNNY? I LIKE A SUNNY OCEAN. Not all the time. Is a stormy, cold ocean better for your work process?

*flies to you as swift as eagles*

[flaming_muse]

My work process requires good food, a comfy place to write, and no small child underfoot. AND YOU. AND MORE GOOD FOOD AND ALSO DRINKS.

Right now I am dreaming of sunshine. I was thinking maybe April in Maine, so sunshine, buds, flowers, rocky coast, the world waking from winter's slumber...

(but this is just a dream - if you want to go away with me, I am open to many options!!!)

[lookninjas]

Most of the time, with shorter fics, I really don't doubt. Either I'll get the whole first draft out in one or two sittings, or I'll get three paragraphs in and realize it's not going to be a runner. But it's a pretty intuitive, easy decision to come to.

... and then there's the LOST fic, which is made of doubt. That one is just one chapter at a time, one POV segment at a time, one word at a time. If nothing's coming up, I revisit canon to try to shake the ideas loose. If that doesn't help, I go back and revise my plans for the story's endgame and remind myself of all those scenes I've been dying to write for two and a half years.

And if all else fails, I run to my beta, and she usually talks me through it.

(Which I might end up doing on this chapter, because this chapter is killing me.)

[flaming_muse]

Ah, I'm envious of your lack of doubt with short fics. Even when I write a draft in one sitting, there's a part of me that is wondering if I'll manage to find the end until I actually do.

A good beta is worth her weight in chocolate! Being able to talk things out helps so much, doesn't it? Good luck with your chapter!

[melliyna]

Weirdly my problem is finding the beginning (I've had the ending and the middle of a glee fic for years but I don't know what the beginning is). This tends to be my problem. See also being terrible at long fic which does not help.

[flaming_muse]

Oh, that's an interesting problem. Hmm, not one I usually have; sometimes I have to figure out when within the bigger story the actual words need to start, but I tend to know how the whole thing goes. Good luck with it!

[melliyna]

I tend to write stories not in narrative order (it's a habit, it means a lot of editing later but it seems to work so *g*) so often the end is written first. Or the middle. And thank you for the luck - it's an interesting one! (I know where the characters are at the end and the middle but I have no idea how it starts. Oh funtimes of future fic)*

*And then there's The Tudors AU one. In which I know how it ends and half of how it starts....

[flaming_muse]

We all have to figure out our own processes! I always know what happens in the middle and the end of the fic when I start, but 98% of the time I need to write the scenes in order so that the arc makes sense in my head. I could write out of order, but I wouldn't be as successful in keeping the emotional arc tight.

Hmm, I'll be thinking about your process today. It's like speaking another language to me, but it's interesting.

[harmony_lover]

My problem with writing tends to be solely about finding the time to finish a fic. Most of the time, I have an idea of either how it starts or how it ends, with one or two scenes in the middle. Sometimes I have whole chapters thought out before I write a word. But I have a whole bunch of half-finished stories up and running because finding real, productive time to write is brutal in my RL. There's always grading, reading, grading, reading, commenting, lesson planning, department meetings, etc., not to mention trying to spend time with my other half and the new puppy and . . . deep breath. It's always the time problem. I love the idea of a writing retreat as well! (Not that I'd necessarily be able to afford going anywhere, but goodness, just the idea of a few days where I'm not thinking about doing anything but writing sounds heavenly.)

[flaming_muse]

Oh, time... Yes, that's always at a premium. I make a real effort to prioritize being creative in my life, whether it's writing or cooking or whatever, but it's always difficult to find the time I truly need.