In Which I Wuuuuv My Story!

[kriadydragon]

Seriously, I'm loving my new original story to bits. I want to hug it, I look forward to writing it, I get annoyed with myself if I stop or don't set enough time aside during the day to write (when, in fact, I have plenty of time). And hopefully saying all this won't scare the muses off (it tends to happen when I talk about projects to the public). Except this isn't me bragging and tempting fate since I'm still writing so have no real idea of how the story is turning out. It's just... I'm really enjoying myself with this one, and kicking myself that I didn't write it sooner though I had the desire to do so for some time.

It's also confirming what I'd already figured out about myself - that I need outlines like you wouldn't believe and that I'm very much a linear writer. I hear people talk of having particular scenes in their heads that they write down as those scenes come, and what I've come to realize is that my scenes aren't so much scenes as images with a lot of fill-in-the-blanks. It's stuff happening, but I don't know why, or when, or what's being said, and won't know until I've written whatever comes before that scene. It's what I mean when I say what comes before inspires what comes after, because the scene may be fully formed image-wise but all the little details - what is said, what happened to lead to that scene and so on - can't be added until I know where the scene sits in the grand scheme of the story.

And it's nice to have my method of writing fully figured out and to let that method have its way with the story. I've been whipping through this thing pretty quick and am now at 44,000+ words. I'm writing almost every day while my last story - the one that was like plowing through waist-high mud - I was lucky to write a few paragraphs a week.

Again, not bragging, just basking in the relief of a cooperative story. My last story was such a struggle that I was afraid all my stories would be like it. I expect some stories will give me trouble while others I'll breeze through, but it's good to know that not every single story will be a struggle.

That said, I still have to read through the new story when it's done. That part I'm a tad nervous about since you don't truly know what a story is up to until it's written and read, so for all I know the editing aspect will be what gives me grief. On the other hand, it's been my experience that a story that starts off cooperative stays cooperative.

Comments

[sholio]

*grins* That's fantastic - I'm so happy for you! It's such a wonderful feeling when a story cooperates and just feels good to write. Mine -- the sequel to the urban fantasy novel I finished earlier -- is currently stuck in the "slogging through mud" stage. But I hope to get out of the mud soon! And I like seeing your writing squee -- it makes me feel more optimistic and writerly. :)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Thank you :D There's been so much writerly talk lately that it got me all fired up, not just to write but to talk about writing as well. It's so much fun to have people to talk about writing with and gush about writing and squee about accomplishments (or gripe about stubborn stories - oi, my first original, such a brat to write though I love it to pieces), and finding that extra burst of motivation in doing so.

Now if we could all just get published, because I really want to read all these stories being worked on.

*smiling*

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah...you're a writer...

Glad you're having an easy go of it!

*BIG HUGS*

Re: *smiling*

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Thank you :D

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

First of all, congrats! Always feels good when you think you have it figured out and life cooperates, doesn't it? :-)

I hear people talk of having particular scenes in their heads that they write down as those scenes come, and what I've come to realize is that my scenes aren't so much scenes as images with a lot of fill-in-the-blanks. It's stuff happening, but I don't know why, or when, or what's being said, and won't know until I've written whatever comes before that scene.

I find myself a lot in the part about the images. I sometimes have what I call a "scene flash", where I have a visual image in my head (more video than static picture) and then the scene goes from there. Sometimes it's just the visual element, sometimes it's both the setup of the scene and the dialogue.

However, for me this can happen at any point in the story. Drabbles, ficlets and one-shots often revolve around that one scene, and my writing for those is almost exclusively linear. However, for longer stories, I can also do the non-linear model, but I'd say that 90% of my stories are written linearly.

Right now I'm working on a ReGenesis story, and that one's all over the place. It's probably the messiest story I've ever written. I started jotting down notes, then wrote a whole scene in the middle, took notes again, wrote another scene, and another with gaps in between (a lot of them stemming from my scene flashes). Then I wrote the very first scene, then the very last. And now the blanks in between need to get filled. I'm gonna have to edit the hell out of that story, and that's the part I'm looking forward to the least.

Looks like we both need some good writing mojo. :-) Best of luck with your original story.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Thank you :D

I've tried being non-linear, just to see what it was like, but my brain wouldn't have it. I've finally come to accept the fact that I'm wired to be linear and nothing but linear. And what I think is awesome is that there is no wrong method. If it gets your stories done and in a way you like, then that's your method. If it doesn't get your stories done, then it's time to try something new.

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about particular scenes in someone's head
I not only have that capacity but also dialog
When I visualize scenes or hear dialog in my mind, I jot it all down
no matter where I am.
I have even been known to pull over to the side of the road and make notes in a little notebook my sister gave me....of course for other uses, but hey it works for me when it comes to ff too....
:D
BUT trouble is my document right now is so full of notes and scenes that I
frankly am wondering where this is all going??
So, it is nice to see you say you have figured it out.
I salute you.................
I am hopeful one day to get all my material shuffled into some semblance of order and I can finally post To Whom It May Concern.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I always get these bursts of inspiration at the worst possible times - like when I'm about to go to bed, I'm in bed, or somewhere where I can't take notes. My brain has the worst timing ever. Which is why I'll think of the scene or dialog over and over again, so even if I can't write it down it stays in my mind until I remember to write it down.

Which is probably why I'm not much of a note-taker, at least not until I'm ready to write the story. I'll plan the story, come up with various scenes, but I won't write anything down until I know the direction the story is going (and whether or not I actually want to write it).

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

I hate to admit it it, but I have had dreams too which I have written down in the morning if I remember. If they are in REM then no hope, but if near the time of waking up pretty much a sure thing, e.g. when I had the vivid LOTR dreams that sent me off to writing my LOTR story surrounding the end of the FOTR.....mine was AU as Boromir survives but Aragorn is badly wounded. I mean they both are. Legolas returns to Lothlorien leaving Gimli to look after the men.........and they are transported to Gondor with help of Lothlorien elves......
That was all started by a vivid dream I had
I have had similar surrounding Sheppard too......Okay I'll say it,
I must be losing it......now you don't have to wonder
:D

[nefhiriel.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm so glad you're excited about writing an original piece. \o/ It always helps a lot when you begin to understand your own writing style, and how to cooperate with yourself. :D

*feeds your muses chocolate*

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :D

Thing is, I always knew what my method was - at least where long stories are concerned - but I was still stubborn about it. Which, really, isn't a bad thing because I was able to discover other various methods (specifically for short stories, which I once had a hard time writing) but had I accepted my method sooner I think my other original story wouldn't have been such a pain to write.

[nefhiriel.livejournal.com]

I fight myself, and my own style, all the time. I'm sure a lot of it my own insecurities. I'm always thinking I should be a little more austere, since I'm writing a story set in ancient times, but my style is simply not austere. It's close up, and dialogue- and character-heavy. But as much as I wish I were Tolkien at times, and could write in a "high" voice, I'm trying to actually embrace the fact that I'll never be like that.

And I have to write chronologically, if I'm going to make any sense of what's driving a character in a scene. If I haven't written the build-up, I tend to lose focus of what the scene is supposed to be accomplishing.

So, yeah, I know what you're saying. I know how I work as a writer, but knowing and accepting it are two different things. :)