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Talking about writing
I know that a lot of people on my flist write fiction, at least occasionally. In fact, I suspect that virtually EVERYONE does. I don't know if anyone here has had any fiction published professionally, but it wouldn't surprise me.
I've been thinking a lot about writing, lately.
Fiction is so - okay, wait: positive, informative. No whining.
I've been trying to think of ways to write more successfully. To avoid choking up, procrastinating, and writer's block. While I was re-reading a Brust book, it crossed my mind that it might be smart to consider changing my approach.
Maybe I set the bar too high for myself. Perhaps, instead of seeing a story as some sort of hugely complicated project that I have to have all smoothed out in my mind before I start...maybe it would be better to simply start writing, and see what happens. If I can find a way to adjust my inner monologue enough to be able to simply let it flow into the form of a story, writing would be a lot easier.
Or I might simply start producing a lot of crap. :D
On the other hand, it's not like I'm writing much now. So what do I have to lose?
I recently re-read Heinlein's Grumbles From The Grave. I admire his writing ability, but thought that he was self-indulgent in his later books and seemed both arrogant and p*****-whipped. But it was interesting to read his letters in which he talked about "hearing" the voices of the characters, at which point stories developed on their own. That has almost never happened to me. Perhaps I'm over-thinking my stories before I start writing them.
So here's a question (finally!) for those who write: what's your process? Do you plot things out in advance, or simply let the words flow? Or do you do something entirely different? Have you ever deliberately decided to change your style or approach to writing, and if so, how did that work out for you? Do you have any tips or tricks to share?
If I were braver, I'd ask for suggestions about my own writing style. But I'm not feeling very brave today, and I don't want to end up crushed. :(
Incidentally, I DO have a story in mind. Well, not exactly a story; it's an idea. The "punchline" for a story, more than anything else. The problem is, I have the punchline, but not the story itself. So I'm sort of stuck.
Maybe I should just start writing with the punchline in the back of my mind, and see what, if anything, develops. I've also wondered if I should run an online scenario to see if I can develop a story that way.
Lots to think about.
I've been thinking a lot about writing, lately.
Fiction is so - okay, wait: positive, informative. No whining.
I've been trying to think of ways to write more successfully. To avoid choking up, procrastinating, and writer's block. While I was re-reading a Brust book, it crossed my mind that it might be smart to consider changing my approach.
Maybe I set the bar too high for myself. Perhaps, instead of seeing a story as some sort of hugely complicated project that I have to have all smoothed out in my mind before I start...maybe it would be better to simply start writing, and see what happens. If I can find a way to adjust my inner monologue enough to be able to simply let it flow into the form of a story, writing would be a lot easier.
Or I might simply start producing a lot of crap. :D
On the other hand, it's not like I'm writing much now. So what do I have to lose?
I recently re-read Heinlein's Grumbles From The Grave. I admire his writing ability, but thought that he was self-indulgent in his later books and seemed both arrogant and p*****-whipped. But it was interesting to read his letters in which he talked about "hearing" the voices of the characters, at which point stories developed on their own. That has almost never happened to me. Perhaps I'm over-thinking my stories before I start writing them.
So here's a question (finally!) for those who write: what's your process? Do you plot things out in advance, or simply let the words flow? Or do you do something entirely different? Have you ever deliberately decided to change your style or approach to writing, and if so, how did that work out for you? Do you have any tips or tricks to share?
If I were braver, I'd ask for suggestions about my own writing style. But I'm not feeling very brave today, and I don't want to end up crushed. :(
Incidentally, I DO have a story in mind. Well, not exactly a story; it's an idea. The "punchline" for a story, more than anything else. The problem is, I have the punchline, but not the story itself. So I'm sort of stuck.
Maybe I should just start writing with the punchline in the back of my mind, and see what, if anything, develops. I've also wondered if I should run an online scenario to see if I can develop a story that way.
Lots to think about.
no subject
The interesting thing in it is the entire story is simply the dialogue between himself and this other person (also with the first name of Earnest). It's a great example of how one may tell a story almost entirely with dialogue, which is an interesting way to help yourself when writing fiction.
Many times, when I feel inspired to write, it begins that way, as purely a dialogue between two characters.
Amen, brother...
I'd just start writing, myself, and see what it turns into. I've read quite a few writers who start out with a couple of characters, a basic idea where they want the story to go, and not much else. I've had mixed results with that approach, but results they were nonetheless.
I recently ready something I like about writing from David Gerrold. He said that no matter what success or failure you have as a writer, you should consider your first million words as practice. You practice writing, you practice submitting, you practice getting rejections and acceptances. And you can very truthfully tell yourself, with that mindset, that a rejection doesn't matter because it was just practice anyway.
Cheers!
no subject
That's generally what I do when I write. I grab hold of good ideas and write them down in a little note book. Then if I think they're half decent I'll turn them into stories or try to turn them into novels.
I've written one novel, it was full of cliche and I'd be afraid to sell it to Mills and Boon. The rest of my attempts at novels have all been pretty naff. I've forced myself to stop writing when I'm horny, because all I can write when I want sex is sex scenes, which become a bit boring after a while!
I think you at least need a sliver of an idea to start writing something, otherwise you have to force it and it comes out crap. I've never had a novel or a story published so don't take my word for it. I've had poetry published though, and I think everyone agrees the best work, whether poetry or novels/stories - comes from the heart. So write what you know about and write what you feel.
re: talkig about writing
(Anonymous) 2006-10-24 06:25 pm (UTC)(link)http://www.stormwolf.com/thesecrets/index.html
You might want to check that out. Best of luck with your writing.
SJP
no subject
This is why I'm on LJ... I am hoping to learn how to loosen up a little and just write, as if I was talking.
From what I've heard, it's best to loosen up on the editing, and just worry about getting it down first... then, if it seems worthwhile, worry about "polishing" later.
Me... I always worry the story won't end up where I see it going, like, if the idea is a punchline, I'll never get to the punchline... but don't go by me, I'm a horrible writer, in the never actually getting anything written way.
Kiralee
no subject
The one time free form reallly did work for me was one time for a creative writing class. I started out taking my more methodical approach, but part of the story was a character telling a story in the story, and I figured I would plot that out carefully, but I just got ideas and wrote them up the second they came to me. That story within a story really wrote itself. Fun and fairly effortless, and I thought it was pretty nice too.