Monthly Madness: Original fic
Jun. 27th, 2016 11:11 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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1_million_wordsOh boy... I am so not prepared for this, so I'm kind of making it up as I go. Which, if I'm not mistaken, is what writing fiction is about! Yes, it's time for another post about Original Fic!
So, on that subject, are you a 'pantster'? that is, do you write your original stories as you go along, having little to no idea where they're going, or do you plot and plan things to the nth degree? Or perhaps you're somewhere in between. Tell me how you approach your own stories; what do you do to get things going, and how do you keep up the momentum?
I am definitely a pantster. I tend to get an idea for a 'situation' more than a complete story, although sometimes, like a miracle, an over-all story idea will present itself and I just have to find a way to get from point A (the start) to point B (the end). I will fully admit that I am not at all good at plotting out the whole thing, although every now and then I will form the outline and then expand on that.
I tend to be a bit slack on research unless the topic is one that interests me; otherwise I get rather 'vague' on details for it, or approach it from a character who knows equally as little as I do! Or I reach out to people who may give me pointers, like in one fic I had one of my protags playing American Football... OMG, write what you know, they say. Uh... no? He was a quarterback, and one scene had to have him fumbling a play towards the final minutes of the game so that his team lost. I can only hope that my good friend at the time who was helping me with the sport stuff didn't have to pull out too much hair at times like that!
I have had two stories come to me wherein I knew EXACTLY where they had to finish - and I mean this geographically and in what place in the area specifically, rather than what the end-point of the story had to be! The first was only roughly imagined when I started writing, but I knew it needed to end behind a potted plant at the airport. I kid you not... and YES, I did end it there. The rest of the convoluted tale (of the self-same quarterback & his first love) had to work itself out as I went along, although I did manage to plan out the over-arching plot very vaguely as I went along.
The second such story is still not finished. It is supposed to end up on horseback approaching the Auckland Harbour Bridge, with lights coming on in the Auckland Hospital as our two young heroes look on in wonder. It's a post-apocalyptic fic set here in NZ in which there are few people left in the world, no power and no government, so... yeah. Anyway, I have written 25K of this fic some years back - something I was inspired to write solidly over a few months, but then I put it aside and have not returned to it yet. *sigh* Unfortunately, I have so many WIPs now, that my poor brain can't cope, but I like to think I will get back and finish it, because James and Paul need to get to that bridge!
And, before I get too carried away, I should probably finish here by saying that I recently started another WIP that I have actually written an outline for, although so far I have changed the names of all three lead characters and slightly altered the start. So much for plotting! I plan to start posting that fic soon, unbeta'd and in short chapters so that it's easily digested, and my aim is to finish the whole thing since I actually know where it should go, if I can manage to get back on track! ;-)
Now, I'm all ears... tell me how you work and what are you looking at right now? is it going to plan... or lack thereof?
So, on that subject, are you a 'pantster'? that is, do you write your original stories as you go along, having little to no idea where they're going, or do you plot and plan things to the nth degree? Or perhaps you're somewhere in between. Tell me how you approach your own stories; what do you do to get things going, and how do you keep up the momentum?
I am definitely a pantster. I tend to get an idea for a 'situation' more than a complete story, although sometimes, like a miracle, an over-all story idea will present itself and I just have to find a way to get from point A (the start) to point B (the end). I will fully admit that I am not at all good at plotting out the whole thing, although every now and then I will form the outline and then expand on that.
I tend to be a bit slack on research unless the topic is one that interests me; otherwise I get rather 'vague' on details for it, or approach it from a character who knows equally as little as I do! Or I reach out to people who may give me pointers, like in one fic I had one of my protags playing American Football... OMG, write what you know, they say. Uh... no? He was a quarterback, and one scene had to have him fumbling a play towards the final minutes of the game so that his team lost. I can only hope that my good friend at the time who was helping me with the sport stuff didn't have to pull out too much hair at times like that!
I have had two stories come to me wherein I knew EXACTLY where they had to finish - and I mean this geographically and in what place in the area specifically, rather than what the end-point of the story had to be! The first was only roughly imagined when I started writing, but I knew it needed to end behind a potted plant at the airport. I kid you not... and YES, I did end it there. The rest of the convoluted tale (of the self-same quarterback & his first love) had to work itself out as I went along, although I did manage to plan out the over-arching plot very vaguely as I went along.
The second such story is still not finished. It is supposed to end up on horseback approaching the Auckland Harbour Bridge, with lights coming on in the Auckland Hospital as our two young heroes look on in wonder. It's a post-apocalyptic fic set here in NZ in which there are few people left in the world, no power and no government, so... yeah. Anyway, I have written 25K of this fic some years back - something I was inspired to write solidly over a few months, but then I put it aside and have not returned to it yet. *sigh* Unfortunately, I have so many WIPs now, that my poor brain can't cope, but I like to think I will get back and finish it, because James and Paul need to get to that bridge!
And, before I get too carried away, I should probably finish here by saying that I recently started another WIP that I have actually written an outline for, although so far I have changed the names of all three lead characters and slightly altered the start. So much for plotting! I plan to start posting that fic soon, unbeta'd and in short chapters so that it's easily digested, and my aim is to finish the whole thing since I actually know where it should go, if I can manage to get back on track! ;-)
Now, I'm all ears... tell me how you work and what are you looking at right now? is it going to plan... or lack thereof?
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Date: 2016-06-27 11:26 am (UTC)Generally I just have an idea of a scene or a character then I build around that but for me it also depends on the size of the piece, if it's massive then I need a general plot line, if it's short then not so much.
no subject
Date: 2016-08-01 03:38 am (UTC)That seems to make sense! Good luck with your revelation piece!
no subject
Date: 2016-06-27 12:27 pm (UTC)I do love to research. I had such a huge blast digging up details for my own noir/steampunk/dystopian project...futuristic foods in an enclosed society...the effects of steam/mist/water...steam weapons..drugs...all sorts of stuff. And another work involves angels...but comes at them by combining catholic lore with jewish lore and native american mysticism/gods...so that required research too. As I set it in a specific region in Colorado, I researched maps...geography...colleges...desert plants...etc...as well as details for my MC who is an archeologist confined to a wheelchair...
Anyhow...both of those have sequels on the back burner...maybe I'll get to them some day.
Current projects include plotting the last book in my series...and the prequel idea that won't leave me alone. The final book HAS to involve plotting because it brings together a lot of threads that have developed over the course of the last 6 books. I don't want to leave details hanging out there that never get answered.
Plus there are 3 that I'm writing in various stages of completion. One is fantasy...which I'm having trouble with because my main series is fantasy and the worlds keep conflicting in my head. I think maybe when I finish the first series, I'll be able to get back to the second.
The other is a post-apocalyptic story set in the Queens area of NYC...(which involves a lot of research too...having never been there ;) ) Something about it isn't going right, so I'm going to start it over come November's NaNo I think...try to get the feeling back into it that is missing.
And lastly I'm working on a sorta crossover fanfic...that requires some research into the superheroes I'm using since I know all the details aren't covered in the film/tv adaptations. Plus research into NYC...medical research...and more ;)
Long story shorter...I guess I do quite a bit of planning and research...just not a full out outline of every step of the story. That never works for me, as my characters invariably want to do their own thing and not listen to me, lol. As long as they hit the necessary marks, how they get there is less important ;)
no subject
Date: 2016-08-01 03:42 am (UTC)Oh wow, you are way more organised than me, but then I guess that shows in how much you produce all the time! You are phenomenal with how much you put into it; you certainly deserve to get things published and make some money off it all! Good luck with all the ongoing work! ;-)
no subject
Date: 2016-08-01 04:43 am (UTC)A lot of time I think I'm pushing too hard, being too hard on myself when I have an unproductive day...and I admit to continuing to suffer a terrible lack of confidence...but it doesn't keep me from writing. It just keeps me from doing anything with it.
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Date: 2016-06-27 04:43 pm (UTC)And, when I sit down to write.. I've forgotten all of it.
More later, when I'm back home
because, really.. I need the word count for June LOLno subject
Date: 2016-08-01 03:43 am (UTC)You sound like me - plotting things in your head but when you're in front of a computer screen, it's gone!
OMG, this was June? HA! ;-)
no subject
Date: 2016-06-27 07:49 pm (UTC)Oh, and I hear you on unprepared. I was at my wit's end last month trying to figure what to post about. Hah.
no subject
Date: 2016-08-01 03:45 am (UTC)We are very alike, obviously! I do wish I could knuckle down as well as you, though! I feel like I used to be better, but I'm struggling so much more as I get older. Even now the idea of the new orig fic I was talking about above is growing cold and I haven't added words in months... I knew there was a reason why I shouldn't start anything new... ;-P
no subject
Date: 2016-08-01 03:58 pm (UTC)Some days it's easier to knuckle down and get it done than others. This past month has been hard on me. I feel you on the new fic already losing its shine. :/ I've had more than a few do that over the years. Something will catch and hold your attention though, eventually!
no subject
Date: 2016-06-29 04:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-01 03:53 am (UTC)I am so with you there! I completely lose interest in writing when it's plotted too well in advance - I guess it's like my brain tells me the story's done; either that or I want to be kept guessing like you are when you read other people's stories! ;-)