How do you write? And other stuff of little importance to anyone but myself...

[odysseaia]

For days I've been positively dazed by the response from the Big Bang posts. I'm amazed, really and I can only say that the experience of taking part in the SPN-J2-Big Bang has been incredible. It's not just that I've gotten to know a couple of people who are plain and simply awesome, but I feel it has also helped me develop my style of drawing. I

Comments

[debbiel66]

Hey there - I'm doing summergen too! Or trying to do summergen... I am kind of in the middle of a post-Big Bang rut. Wondering if I'll ever write again, that sort of thing...

Sometimes, rarely, a story comes to me, fully told, and those are the wonderful ones where all I have to do is write the damn thing down. I love it when that happens. This Time Around was a little like that. As was We Mortals Be. Sometimes, a story comes word by freakin' word, and the whole thing is torturous and awful, and yet at the end, there's a story.

I've written 22 SPN stories now (over double that in my first fandom), and my best advice would be to write whether you feel it or not. It's a discipline, like everything else, and it's when I take a break from writing that I find myself in a full fledged writer's block.

Like now. :(

So glad you're doing summergen though! And you deserved every single word of those accolades for your art. You are marvelous!

[odysseaia]

Heh. I can really understand how you'd be exhausted after the Big Bang. That was an epic story and I bet a lot of heart went into it. That tends to leave a person drained (says me, the oh-so-prolific writer

[theron09]

Sounds like you're having a busy time at the moment! I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Is it a while since you've written? I have a similar problem, I start writing loads of things and it takes me forever to finish (which doesn't bode well for the spnslashbigbang!) I do have one little trick that I've picked up along the way. I keep a writing journal where I kind of write down what I need to do and what I have done as well as any ideas that I have during a writing session. I'm going to go out and buy a new journal for the challenge fic soon.

[odysseaia]

Sounds like you're having a busy time at the moment!
Actually, it's not *that* busy. Writing relaxes me from drawing and drawing relaxes me from writing and both helps me unwind from real life. So basically I'm really relaxed this summer ;)

I saw you signing up that the slashbigbang and got really excited. I really hope a couple of authors will do pre-slash or gen stories focusing on their characters of choice.
Anyway, the idea with a writing journal is great! Because usually I get really great ideas of things I just *must* have in my fic - but I tend to get them at the most inopportune moments, i.e. when I'm driving to work. Or, I start writing, occasionally finish the fic and remember dozens of things I really wanted to put into it, but forgot all of them.

[theron09]

Glad you're all relaxed, then :)

Well, my fic will have some pre-slash in it although it will eventually become slash.

The writing journal's really helped me for all the reasons you listed. It's surprising how many ideas occur as I'm writing in it as well, think it gets the juices flowing!

[odysseaia]

Totally relaxed. I'm chillaxing ;)

Well, my fic will have some pre-slash in it although it will eventually become slash.
And that, my friend, sounds like a well-developed story which usually piques my interest. That's the weird thing about me, when it's written well and convincingly, I could get into any pairing. I think. I haven't tried it yet.

I really have to try the writing journal. Such a *great* idea! Thank you :)

[lady_eilthana]

I feel like such a horrible person for not having commented on your AMAZING work for spn_j2_bigbang yet. I've seen it and it's awesome but I suck at leaving comments. *hides*

I'm afraid I can't help you with the writing question. I'm not a writer. :/

[odysseaia]

That's so sweet of you to say. Seriously, I was utterly overwhelmed by the response. I kept checking back and back (I still do, actually) because there are 3 pages of responses (3!!!) and my jaw drops every time I realize that anew.

Well, I'm not a writer either. But that won't keep me from trying ;)

[lady_eilthana]

But you're so talented - you deserve all that feedback. Every piece of artwork looks stunning!

Sure. Write if you feel like it. *waves pom poms*

[odysseaia]

Goodness, I can't believe I let you wait for so long after you've given me this lovely reply. Sorry :(

As it is, you've successfully boosted my ego. I feel like a hero now and it's all due to your encouragement. Thank you *hugs*

[crayola_fics]

I am not the person to ask, since I'm relatively new to actually writing things that people end up reading. I'm like you where I have a million half-finished WIPs either on my harddrive or some random places on the internet (oooooops).

I do not really see a "mental film", not creative enough for that haha. I just think up what should happen next and start writing. Like "oh, well, now we need to go here" or "oh, it would be a good idea to include this part of the show". I'm a very in-my-own-head person, where I think everything to death, I'm not one of those go-with-the-flow, instinctual writers.

[odysseaia]

Well, I'd say your last story was pretty damn good, so whatever you did - it worked really well :)

Actually, I doubt this thing with the mental film has anything to do with creativity. I'm a visual (one might even say 'superficial') person. I see a pretty picture and I'm happy. There are people (who I really envy by the way) who are more auditory-based and fixate on things they hear etc. I think you sound like the most creative sort of writers I can imagine. Going with the flow and *still* making it work sounds difficult.

[edgyauthor]

Writing is very...tricky. No one way works for every writer, and sometimes there is no one way that works for a SINGLE writer. (I know from experience

[odysseaia]

Whoa, what a great answer. Thanks.

For now, I'm sticking to the one-shots but even there I've found that going with one simplistic idea seldom suffices for me. I tend to add action scenes for some obscure reason and for those I need some sort of choreography. As it is, I admire your skill not to get side-tracked even while writing a one-shot. Because without my choreography, that's exactly what happens to me.

So basically I'd say I'm going to snag your method of writing short stories (how long is one of your short stories, by the way?). I really like this mixture between an outline that keeps me on the right track while giving me the freedom to add things at will. Hey, I think I already learned something here! Thanks :)

You write novels? Whoa, again. I'm impressed. I don't think I'd ever have the discipline. I read them and rant and rage about them but writing a novel? Impressing. However, I have to admit, it's very fascinating to hear a bit more about the process of writing a novel. I always imagined authors just sit down and

[edgyauthor]

I get easily side-tracked, too, which is why I always try to write things like one-shots in one sitting. I know that if I walk away from it even once, I'll probably never return to it because I'll be working on the Next Shiny Project, haha

[odysseaia]

I'll be working on the Next Shiny Project, haha.Now this sounds frightfully familiar. There are times i feel as if I have the attention span of a three year old child. Something colorful comes my way and the last project is forgotten already. This is why I made a big, sticky post with a to do list. Apart from loving everything that's shiny and distracting, I get a ridiculous amount of satisfaction of crossing out items on a to-do-list once I finished them. That's how I (attempt) to keep all my sign-ups organized (helpfully the submission-dates just jump into my line of vision the moment I log in. There's no hiding