Process; or How do you write? - Science Fiction Fantasy Chronicles: forums

littlemissattitude · 13th October 2003, 09:02 PM

For the writers...As a writer, I'm always interested in other writers' process. Process can be physical - where you write, when you write, whether you compose at the computer or write longhand, etc. It can also be mental - how you prepare yourself to sit down and write, how you approach a new project, etc.

So, what is your process? Did you create your process deliberately, or did it come naturally to you? Have you ever consciously changed your process, and how did that work for you?

Foxbat · 14th October 2003, 05:58 PM

Here's what I do:

I go out cycling and allow the idea rattle around in my head a bit. Usually it evolves quite rapidly.Eventually, it becomes a bit like building blocks as other ideas germinate from the original. I don't use notes (I know that I should) but rely heavily on the drafting process - usually going through about 6 rewrites before I'm satisfied.

The story itself is usually unrecognisable from first to final draft.

Many years ago, I used a typewriter but computers are an absolute Godsend and save so much time. The actual process was something that developed over time and seemed to suit my needs. I've never tried to change because I am comfortable with the way that I work.
I work to a couple of rules: Always finish a story ..no matter how bad it seems (it may become a useful idea in the future)
Always stick to the times I set myself for writing (usually 1 hour every day when I am working on a piece).

If you wish to see the fruits of my labour, I have just recently received an e-mail confirming that my first novelette (The Butterfly Collector) is to be serialised in November's Aphelion - a web magazine. It's my first foray into using the net to expose my work.
Here's the address:
http://www.aphelion-webzine.com

littlemissattitude · 14th October 2003, 06:31 PM

Congratulations, Foxbat. I'll be sure to check that out.

And thanks for commenting on your process. It's always interesting to know how other writers function in practical terms. I wish my preliminary thought process worked as quickly as yours seems to. I usually have to let an idea marinate in my mind for a fairly long period of time before it is ready to start the transition to floppy disk or paper. I've got one idea that I've been playing with for a good couple of years, for example, that is just now starting to be ready for the next step. It doesn't always take that long, of course, but I'd say I think about an idea for an average of several months before I am ready to start actually writing it.

Another part of my process is that I always start writing in longhand until I'm really sure of what I'm doing and the words start flowing fast enough that I need to compose at the keyboard in order to keep up with my thoughts. I don't know why it is, but if I sit down at the keyboard to start with nothing wants to come out. But if I sit down somewhere quiet with a pen and paper, the first words come much more easily. I think it may be a matter of sneaking up on the story in that low-tech way seeming less intimidating and official than starting out on the computer. Anyway, that's what works for me.

Twelve · 15th October 2003, 08:03 AM

My process...this is a tough one for me to answer so early in the morning...but for me, the most important step in any important writing project is to make an outline from the outset. Without an outline, I'm very much lost.

12

I, Brian · 15th October 2003, 08:15 AM

I'm not a prolific writer - I only really count Chronicles of Empire and Emperor as serious writing projects. With both I'll spend a lot of time at first visualising everything, and examining how the plot should develop. I will usually have a very clear idea of how the novel should end, long before I have a proper beginning. While doing so, I'll make a few notes, that look initially like gems of inspiration.

Then I start - trying to begin at the beginning. Often I'll come up against a scene - or section of a scene - where I'm stopped dead by lack of inspiration. If there's none at all about the writing, then I stop and wait as long as a few months for it to restart - or try to "jump-start" it by imagining more of the book, else by editing, if all else fails.

If I can see other events later in the book then I write those. I'll maybe make a note in brackets in how that scene that stumped me should progress.

As everything goes on, I think less and less in visual terms, and more in terms of the actual words. I cannot write properly unless I actually hear words in my head, as if someone is dictating something to me. I absolutely have to write if I hear words, though trying to write visual images can help jump start it.

I used to write everything in long-hand, simply because the rate of dictation is so darn fast - I can handwrite very fast (and it shows - large and messy). Then I would type up. However, after all these years I can now type fast enough (about 90 words per minute) so for Emperor I've mostly been writing from scratch on the PC.

And, lordy! I really sympathise with the labours of the typewriter! I make so many corrections that I could likely never have survived the typewriter. Every sentence has to look right, and every word properly chosen. With every re-reading I'll inevitably change a little bit here, a little bit there. If it doesn't feel right then it's out.

Sometimes the writing will go into a very different direction to how I had it mentally plotted. If this looks vague and tangential, then I stop for later rewriting. If it's being driven by the characters, though, I ensure that the characters drive it. When faced between plot and character, I have to let the characters determine events, and change the plot accordingly. Usually this should mean only small changes to the plot - and usually adds important depth.

I will often write with a specific piece of music on - Phil Thornton's "Pharaoh". It's a new agey soundtrack that makes me feel comfortable and relaxed. And I've used it so much I am behaviourally conditioned to think of writing whenever I hear it. It helps to push me in slow phases. I can write in silence or noise, though. My eldest, Hannah, has started gymnastics, and for an hour I can either sit around bored, or try to do something. So I try to write. I can focus easily and cut out everything else.

Walking is a good way to get inspired. It means running things through in a more refreshed manner. Music also helps - certain music somehow encapsulates certain themes...it effects me emotionally...so I use it to mentally compose scenes I will later write.

Hm...okay, that's quite long so I'll leave it there.

The Eavesdropper · 15th October 2003, 02:43 PM

I've had equal success just getting "in the zone' and letting a story pretty much write itself, as I have with outlining first then fleshing it out. When writing characters you REALLY love, you might find them taking on a kind of life of their own and almost compelling you to chronicle their experiences. To wax all philosophical for just a minute, I think that's when you know it's your Soul coming out in your words and you will likely be most pleased with the results.

Meanwhile back on Earth, to achieve the best balance of Creativity and Productivity, I often start by outlining my work on a single page. This at least gives me a list of the sequence of events occurring in the story, and helps keep the work cohesive.

I also think it's important to get a few good short stories under one's belt. I edit my own work mercilessly for length, and attempt to find and use only the precise wording I feel works best to convey whatever I'm conveying, or whatever.

In my case, my first short story bred a sequal, then a trilogy, until the entire tale spanned six episodes that together form a novel length work. Anthology mags appreciate that kind of format, and I'm sure it is in general easier to market stand-alone shorts or episodic series than a single enormous manuscript.

The principles of 'keeping it simple' and 'less is more' seem to work well for me.

Keep it Unreal,

~E.

lastdimtwilight · 15th October 2003, 03:27 PM

I like to write between 10 pm and 1 am. That seems to be the best time for me. Part of the reason is because the house is quiet: my husband and son are usually in bed by that time, and I can turn the tv off and just focus on what I'm doing. I have also tried to get up super early in the morning to write, but for some reason the flow just isn't there. Maybe it's because my mind is filled with things that I know I'm going to have to do for the day. Whatever the case I end up staring at the computer screen instead of writing. So...I've made it a habit to take notes of anything that comes into mind during the day, but then I'll stay up late and actually write.

Another part of my writing process is to keep a random paperback in the genre I'm writing in on my desk. If I get bogged down in detail, or can't seem to go further on a paragraph, I stop, take a deep breath, then just open the random paperback and read about three paragraphs and put it down again. That usually refreshes my mind a bit, and I can carry on.

lastdimtwilight · 15th October 2003, 03:55 PM

Oh yeah, there was something I forgot to mention... Writer's Block!!

I'm not sure how everyone else handles it, but whenever it seems like I've come down with a case of writer's block---when no matter what I do, I can't seem to write---, I always put my work down for the night. I walk away and try not to think about it, so when I do return to it the following night, I return fresh.

I have noticed that 9 times out of 10 when I have writer's block, it's not because I'm actually having trouble writing...it's because I'm actually trying to edit my work before I get it on paper. So when a section of novel stumps me, I make a small note in the margin to come back to it and make the connection later. That way, I am not missing out on days of writing because of one small section.

Marianne · 15th October 2003, 05:36 PM

Hmmm....let's see...writing? Oh, that is the thing I do when I am not wasting my time surfing the net...

I write in the mid morning to the afternoon when my household chores allow. Soon it will be snowing and I will be stuck inside with nothing else to do(yeah)

I make notes longhand and then I use the keyboard. Copious supplies of chocolate need to be near at hand.

I usually get an incredible idea for a story that has to be written right now! I then start my research and make a sketchy outline as I go. I spend much more time reading than I do writing. After I have the whole thing worked out in my head I start writing Chapter One...this usually is proceeded by a few cups of coffee to wake up my brain.

When I get stuck at the "What's next?" point I take a break and walk outside, get some air, hopefully some sun, then I come back to the computer and try again. When all else fails I say "to heck with it" and I go fishing. I get some great ideas sitting out by the lake waiting, waiting...

I am participating in the NaNoWriMo in November. It will be a new experience for me writing that fast...should be quite the learning experience.

littlemissattitude · 16th October 2003, 07:43 AM

I have a bit of trouble working from outlines - I do all right with notes, but I have the worst time dealing with formal outlines. I think this might come from being forced to make them in school, when writing research papers. It was a situation, usually, where I had to write an outline and then stick to it faithfully when writing the paper. In writing fiction, especially, I have to feel like I have more flexibility than that. I know, intellectually, that I can play with the outline, manipulate it, change it when necessary. But all that school training makes it very hard for me to do that - I tend to think of outlines as hard and fast, not to be changed. So, while I know that it would be beneficial to be able to outline stories, at least in a broad way, outlines just make me tense. I don't write well when I'm tense.

So, a couple of questions for those of you who use outlines...How formal are the outlines you make? How detailed are they? And how free do you feel to play with them once you've made them?

Twelve · 16th October 2003, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I, Brian

And, lordy! I really sympathise with the labours of the typewriter! I make so many corrections that I could likely never have survived the typewriter. Every sentence has to look right, and every word properly chosen. With every re-reading I'll inevitably change a little bit here, a little bit there. If it doesn't feel right then it's out.

I've thought about that as well. Makes you think,eh? My own personal conclusion is that perhaps we put too much thought into the tiny details, and not enough into the work as a whole. I think that it is sometimes more important to get a work out while the flow is on, rather than inch my way through.

12

Twelve · 16th October 2003, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlemissattitude

So, a couple of questions for those of you who use outlines...How formal are the outlines you make? How detailed are they? And how free do you feel to play with them once you've made them?

Well, before I begin any kind of work, I know how it will begin and and I know how it will end. There are those who say that this takes the fun out of writing, but of those people who have told me that, they've never actually finished a work.

Once I have the shell, I begin to break it down into chapters. I try to organize the chapters into how I think, at the time, they will sound the best one put into a book.

I give about one sentence to every major part of the chapter. I don't want to get TOO specific, because I don't want to completely kill my spontaneous creativity. I want my work to have life to it, and not sound robotic.

When I've done that, I feel as if I have given my work the BONES. The work is no longer intimidating, because I can visualize it from beginning to end, and I can always go back to my notes when I worry about drifting in the wrong direction. I've made my own personal writing guide to help me through. I have my PLOT.

Then, I add the FLESH to the bones. This is the actual writing...I stay with the plot, but writing and making a plot are two very different things. At least in comics, the guy who makes the plot and the guy who makes the story have two different jobs. Writing is where I can turn my bony plot into a living, beautiful organism.

12

Marianne · 16th October 2003, 05:53 PM

I agree with Twelve. The purpose of the outline is for structure and yes, LilMiss, I change it all the time! Thank you God for Word. I do one liners for plot ideas in each chapter but when I actually write the chapter all sorts of ideas and characters pop up that were not there to begin with...I then just make a note on my outline that there is something new...it helps to tie all the sub plots together if you know your beginning and end, even middle can be helpful but that is where most of the outline changing happens. Just remember that you can change anything at any time. You are the creator. You can do anything you want.

littlemissattitude · 17th October 2003, 08:26 AM

Thank you, Twelve and Marianne, for those ideas. I especially like the way you talk about creating bones to hang the flesh of the story on, Twelve. It reminds me of how sculptors sometimes use a wire foundation on which they build a model out of clay before they tackle their full-scale sculpture. That makes a lot of sense to me as a good way to look at outlining - as a sort of skeleton.

Marianne...did you ever read a book called "God Game" by Andrew Greeley? It concerns a priest who becomes god to the cast of characters of a computer game when a stray bolt of lightning hits. He discovers during the course of the story the good and the bad things about having godlike powers. I think that story has a lot to say to writers, in a roundabout way, about being the creators of their stories. And even if it doesn't speak to you in that way, it's a fun novel. I read it years ago...I think it's time to read it again if I can still find it in the library.

knivesout · 21st November 2003, 01:14 PM

For me it's very organic, or it doesn't work. I've tried to write stories very methodically, but they never work out. If I haven't finished it in about 4-5 days, it's never going to happen. OK, things would be different if I were to want to write a novel, but I'm not there yet.

I keep thinking up and jotting down ideas for stories, but what actually happens is that some day a story just drops into my head out of nowhere and fleshes itself out.

I do try to follow a discipline of doing my own writing for about an hour a day, though. Even if there's no ongoing story, I try and work on little experiments, try building character and settings in different ways, generally work on my weaknesses.

What else? Revision. I usually leave a finished work aside for a few days, so I can distance myself before going back in cutting and trimming and reworking.

I try not to be an inspiration-based writer, but the truth is, I can't really write in cold blood.

13th October 2003, 09:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
littlemissattitude Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: California Posts: 3,354	Process; or How do you write? For the writers...As a writer, I'm always interested in other writers' process. Process can be physical - where you write, when you write, whether you compose at the computer or write longhand, etc. It can also be mental - how you prepare yourself to sit down and write, how you approach a new project, etc. So, what is your process? Did you create your process deliberately, or did it come naturally to you? Have you ever consciously changed your process, and how did that work for you?

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14th October 2003, 05:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
Foxbat Haggis Connoisseur Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,342	Here's what I do: I go out cycling and allow the idea rattle around in my head a bit. Usually it evolves quite rapidly.Eventually, it becomes a bit like building blocks as other ideas germinate from the original. I don't use notes (I know that I should) but rely heavily on the drafting process - usually going through about 6 rewrites before I'm satisfied. The story itself is usually unrecognisable from first to final draft. Many years ago, I used a typewriter but computers are an absolute Godsend and save so much time. The actual process was something that developed over time and seemed to suit my needs. I've never tried to change because I am comfortable with the way that I work. I work to a couple of rules: Always finish a story ..no matter how bad it seems (it may become a useful idea in the future) Always stick to the times I set myself for writing (usually 1 hour every day when I am working on a piece). If you wish to see the fruits of my labour, I have just recently received an e-mail confirming that my first novelette (The Butterfly Collector) is to be serialised in November's Aphelion - a web magazine. It's my first foray into using the net to expose my work. Here's the address: http://www.aphelion-webzine.com

14th October 2003, 06:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
littlemissattitude Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: California Posts: 3,354	Congratulations, Foxbat. I'll be sure to check that out. And thanks for commenting on your process. It's always interesting to know how other writers function in practical terms. I wish my preliminary thought process worked as quickly as yours seems to. I usually have to let an idea marinate in my mind for a fairly long period of time before it is ready to start the transition to floppy disk or paper. I've got one idea that I've been playing with for a good couple of years, for example, that is just now starting to be ready for the next step. It doesn't always take that long, of course, but I'd say I think about an idea for an average of several months before I am ready to start actually writing it. Another part of my process is that I always start writing in longhand until I'm really sure of what I'm doing and the words start flowing fast enough that I need to compose at the keyboard in order to keep up with my thoughts. I don't know why it is, but if I sit down at the keyboard to start with nothing wants to come out. But if I sit down somewhere quiet with a pen and paper, the first words come much more easily. I think it may be a matter of sneaking up on the story in that low-tech way seeming less intimidating and official than starting out on the computer. Anyway, that's what works for me.

15th October 2003, 08:03 AM	#4 (permalink)
Twelve Spirit of Zebulun Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 187	My process...this is a tough one for me to answer so early in the morning...but for me, the most important step in any important writing project is to make an outline from the outset. Without an outline, I'm very much lost. 12

15th October 2003, 08:15 AM	#5 (permalink)
I, Brian Admin and Tea-boy Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: UK: SCOTLAND: Posts: 5,365	I'm not a prolific writer - I only really count Chronicles of Empire and Emperor as serious writing projects. With both I'll spend a lot of time at first visualising everything, and examining how the plot should develop. I will usually have a very clear idea of how the novel should end, long before I have a proper beginning. While doing so, I'll make a few notes, that look initially like gems of inspiration. Then I start - trying to begin at the beginning. Often I'll come up against a scene - or section of a scene - where I'm stopped dead by lack of inspiration. If there's none at all about the writing, then I stop and wait as long as a few months for it to restart - or try to "jump-start" it by imagining more of the book, else by editing, if all else fails. If I can see other events later in the book then I write those. I'll maybe make a note in brackets in how that scene that stumped me should progress. As everything goes on, I think less and less in visual terms, and more in terms of the actual words. I cannot write properly unless I actually hear words in my head, as if someone is dictating something to me. I absolutely have to write if I hear words, though trying to write visual images can help jump start it. I used to write everything in long-hand, simply because the rate of dictation is so darn fast - I can handwrite very fast (and it shows - large and messy). Then I would type up. However, after all these years I can now type fast enough (about 90 words per minute) so for Emperor I've mostly been writing from scratch on the PC. And, lordy! I really sympathise with the labours of the typewriter! I make so many corrections that I could likely never have survived the typewriter. Every sentence has to look right, and every word properly chosen. With every re-reading I'll inevitably change a little bit here, a little bit there. If it doesn't feel right then it's out. Sometimes the writing will go into a very different direction to how I had it mentally plotted. If this looks vague and tangential, then I stop for later rewriting. If it's being driven by the characters, though, I ensure that the characters drive it. When faced between plot and character, I have to let the characters determine events, and change the plot accordingly. Usually this should mean only small changes to the plot - and usually adds important depth. I will often write with a specific piece of music on - Phil Thornton's "Pharaoh". It's a new agey soundtrack that makes me feel comfortable and relaxed. And I've used it so much I am behaviourally conditioned to think of writing whenever I hear it. It helps to push me in slow phases. I can write in silence or noise, though. My eldest, Hannah, has started gymnastics, and for an hour I can either sit around bored, or try to do something. So I try to write. I can focus easily and cut out everything else. Walking is a good way to get inspired. It means running things through in a more refreshed manner. Music also helps - certain music somehow encapsulates certain themes...it effects me emotionally...so I use it to mentally compose scenes I will later write. Hm...okay, that's quite long so I'll leave it there.

15th October 2003, 02:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
The Eavesdropper God of Hyperbole Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 10	I've had equal success just getting "in the zone' and letting a story pretty much write itself, as I have with outlining first then fleshing it out. When writing characters you REALLY love, you might find them taking on a kind of life of their own and almost compelling you to chronicle their experiences. To wax all philosophical for just a minute, I think that's when you know it's your Soul coming out in your words and you will likely be most pleased with the results. Meanwhile back on Earth, to achieve the best balance of Creativity and Productivity, I often start by outlining my work on a single page. This at least gives me a list of the sequence of events occurring in the story, and helps keep the work cohesive. I also think it's important to get a few good short stories under one's belt. I edit my own work mercilessly for length, and attempt to find and use only the precise wording I feel works best to convey whatever I'm conveying, or whatever. In my case, my first short story bred a sequal, then a trilogy, until the entire tale spanned six episodes that together form a novel length work. Anthology mags appreciate that kind of format, and I'm sure it is in general easier to market stand-alone shorts or episodic series than a single enormous manuscript. The principles of 'keeping it simple' and 'less is more' seem to work well for me. Keep it Unreal, ~E.

15th October 2003, 03:27 PM	#7 (permalink)
lastdimtwilight Registered User Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 6	I like to write between 10 pm and 1 am. That seems to be the best time for me. Part of the reason is because the house is quiet: my husband and son are usually in bed by that time, and I can turn the tv off and just focus on what I'm doing. I have also tried to get up super early in the morning to write, but for some reason the flow just isn't there. Maybe it's because my mind is filled with things that I know I'm going to have to do for the day. Whatever the case I end up staring at the computer screen instead of writing. So...I've made it a habit to take notes of anything that comes into mind during the day, but then I'll stay up late and actually write. Another part of my writing process is to keep a random paperback in the genre I'm writing in on my desk. If I get bogged down in detail, or can't seem to go further on a paragraph, I stop, take a deep breath, then just open the random paperback and read about three paragraphs and put it down again. That usually refreshes my mind a bit, and I can carry on.

15th October 2003, 03:55 PM	#8 (permalink)
lastdimtwilight Registered User Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 6	Oh yeah, there was something I forgot to mention... Writer's Block!! I'm not sure how everyone else handles it, but whenever it seems like I've come down with a case of writer's block---when no matter what I do, I can't seem to write---, I always put my work down for the night. I walk away and try not to think about it, so when I do return to it the following night, I return fresh. I have noticed that 9 times out of 10 when I have writer's block, it's not because I'm actually having trouble writing...it's because I'm actually trying to edit my work before I get it on paper. So when a section of novel stumps me, I make a small note in the margin to come back to it and make the connection later. That way, I am not missing out on days of writing because of one small section.

15th October 2003, 05:36 PM	#9 (permalink)
Marianne Nanny Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 150	Hmmm....let's see...writing? Oh, that is the thing I do when I am not wasting my time surfing the net... I write in the mid morning to the afternoon when my household chores allow. Soon it will be snowing and I will be stuck inside with nothing else to do(yeah) I make notes longhand and then I use the keyboard. Copious supplies of chocolate need to be near at hand. I usually get an incredible idea for a story that has to be written right now! I then start my research and make a sketchy outline as I go. I spend much more time reading than I do writing. After I have the whole thing worked out in my head I start writing Chapter One...this usually is proceeded by a few cups of coffee to wake up my brain. When I get stuck at the "What's next?" point I take a break and walk outside, get some air, hopefully some sun, then I come back to the computer and try again. When all else fails I say "to heck with it" and I go fishing. I get some great ideas sitting out by the lake waiting, waiting... I am participating in the NaNoWriMo in November. It will be a new experience for me writing that fast...should be quite the learning experience.

16th October 2003, 07:43 AM	#10 (permalink)
littlemissattitude Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: California Posts: 3,354	I have a bit of trouble working from outlines - I do all right with notes, but I have the worst time dealing with formal outlines. I think this might come from being forced to make them in school, when writing research papers. It was a situation, usually, where I had to write an outline and then stick to it faithfully when writing the paper. In writing fiction, especially, I have to feel like I have more flexibility than that. I know, intellectually, that I can play with the outline, manipulate it, change it when necessary. But all that school training makes it very hard for me to do that - I tend to think of outlines as hard and fast, not to be changed. So, while I know that it would be beneficial to be able to outline stories, at least in a broad way, outlines just make me tense. I don't write well when I'm tense. So, a couple of questions for those of you who use outlines...How formal are the outlines you make? How detailed are they? And how free do you feel to play with them once you've made them?

16th October 2003, 05:53 PM	#13 (permalink)
Marianne Nanny Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 150	I agree with Twelve. The purpose of the outline is for structure and yes, LilMiss, I change it all the time! Thank you God for Word. I do one liners for plot ideas in each chapter but when I actually write the chapter all sorts of ideas and characters pop up that were not there to begin with...I then just make a note on my outline that there is something new...it helps to tie all the sub plots together if you know your beginning and end, even middle can be helpful but that is where most of the outline changing happens. Just remember that you can change anything at any time. You are the creator. You can do anything you want.

17th October 2003, 08:26 AM	#14 (permalink)
littlemissattitude Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: California Posts: 3,354	Thank you, Twelve and Marianne, for those ideas. I especially like the way you talk about creating bones to hang the flesh of the story on, Twelve. It reminds me of how sculptors sometimes use a wire foundation on which they build a model out of clay before they tackle their full-scale sculpture. That makes a lot of sense to me as a good way to look at outlining - as a sort of skeleton. Marianne...did you ever read a book called "God Game" by Andrew Greeley? It concerns a priest who becomes god to the cast of characters of a computer game when a stray bolt of lightning hits. He discovers during the course of the story the good and the bad things about having godlike powers. I think that story has a lot to say to writers, in a roundabout way, about being the creators of their stories. And even if it doesn't speak to you in that way, it's a fun novel. I read it years ago...I think it's time to read it again if I can still find it in the library.

21st November 2003, 01:14 PM	#15 (permalink)
knivesout cheap,flashy little crook Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 2,998	For me it's very organic, or it doesn't work. I've tried to write stories very methodically, but they never work out. If I haven't finished it in about 4-5 days, it's never going to happen. OK, things would be different if I were to want to write a novel, but I'm not there yet. I keep thinking up and jotting down ideas for stories, but what actually happens is that some day a story just drops into my head out of nowhere and fleshes itself out. I do try to follow a discipline of doing my own writing for about an hour a day, though. Even if there's no ongoing story, I try and work on little experiments, try building character and settings in different ways, generally work on my weaknesses. What else? Revision. I usually leave a finished work aside for a few days, so I can distance myself before going back in cutting and trimming and reworking. I try not to be an inspiration-based writer, but the truth is, I can't really write in cold blood.