Writing Thoughts

[brigdh]

Last night I remembered that I'm signed up for yet another ficathon, one that comes up soon. I started plotting out what I wanted to write, though luckily I have a half-formed plot floating around already that can be twisted to fit. (I'm not being vague just to be annoying, by the way; it's another anonymous ficathon.)

I like this part of the process, sketching out various ways for the events to proceed and doing research on a million different topics to see what fits and what doesn't. I probably like it because I don't need to do it often, so I enjoy it when I have an excuse; there tends to be no need to look up Japanese afterlife myths if I'm writing a PWP. And besides, spending several hours on Wikipedia to track down some tiny detail that won't even make it into the finished story at least feels like a far more productive form of procrastination than playing Minesweeper.

Although the whole thing is making clear to me that I really regard plot just as an excuse to make the characters do things. I've got it all laid out- actions and reactions and the final victory, but I still haven't come up with a reason for why everyone is so angry and motivated. I'll think of something eventually, and- hopefully- it'll all feel natural and exciting, and the events will seem to have flowed out of that start. But really? Whatever that main motivation turns to be, it'll just be a MacGuffin. The only things I care about are the characters, and what they do once they're already in the fun situations.

Not that I don't also like the process of actually writing, though to me that does feel a bit more like work, but there's something so fascinating about this point in a story. I just have unconnected images now: single lines of dialouge, the way one character holds himself against a doorframe and laughs, another slumped half-conscious on the ground, hair falling over cheeks and arms, a hazy summer night that muffles all the sounds and one person running between the buildings, a quick, false smile. It'll be better once I manage to connect them into a story and convey them to other people, but in my head, they're most powerful now, when they're only half-formed.

Comments

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

there's something so fascinating about this point in a story. I just have unconnected images now: single lines of dialouge, the way one character holds himself against a doorframe and laughs, another slumped half-conscious on the ground, hair falling over cheeks and arms, a hazy summer night that muffles all the sounds and one person running between the buildings, a quick, false smile.

Oh, yeah. That's the best stage. I always wish there were a way to make the whole story pour directly from my head onto the screen at about that point -- or if not the whole story, at least the pieces I can perceive. The end product would be so much better if it worked that way.

But, which anonymous ficathon, if that's not giving too much away? I didn't know there was another one running. Between this and your story repost where I never saw the original post, I'm beginning to be a little weirded out by how much I've evidently been missing.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I always wish there were a way to make the whole story pour directly from my head onto the screen at about that point

Exactly. I'd pay good money for some way to transfer these images directly into story, somehow, but I think we're likely to get flying cars and champagne-via-internet first.

But, which anonymous ficathon, if that's not giving too much away?

summerflinging. It'll probably be an interesting one to watch, since I'm thinking- assuming? hoping?- that several people I know are also playing, though it's hard to be certain. Besides, the reveal isn't till the end of September, and I'm too impatient to wait until then to read new stories.

I doubt you've missed much, though. I'm too addicted to feedback not to make everything I write very easy to find.

[tadity.livejournal.com]

I thought you might be takling about summerflinging :) I'm doing that one too, so there's at least two of us.

I absolutely agree with what you've written, especially about individual scenes. I think one of the most frustrating things I've found is having the idea in my head, and trying to build up to that point...and then suddenly some detail about my idea no longer works in the story. Granted, sometimes this works out for the better, but its still annoying.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hey, awesome! I'll have to try and guess which story is yours.

Oh, yes! Don't you hate it when your favorite idea turns out to be the one that won't fit in the story? That drives me crazy. *grins*

[angharadd.livejournal.com]

OMG, I'm already intrigued with the scenes you described. So glad that it is meant as the ficathon fic, so it'll be up by a fixed date!
Is naming a fandom classified as giving away too much& *yeah, well, I'm too curious for my own good*

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hee, thank you.

I think it probably would be giving away to much, but then, I only write a few fandoms so I don't really think it'll be too hard to guess which one is me. People usually seem to get it right in this anonymous things, at least. *grins*

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

*laughs and laughs* Yeah, inability is a word. (...or at least I think so! Maybe the world is trying to drive us both crazy!)

Dude, that would be awesome and should totally do it. I always think about doing the 'make a phone post of one of your stories' thing when I see someone else do it, but I hate the way my voice sounds, so I don't. But you should! Especially if you have a phone-sex voice. *nods*