I started!!

[smelling_salts]

I finally started to write, just finished my first hour and wrote a little more than 400 words. I'm ok with that, nothing great but I'm having fun. I've been thinking of what I want to write and the type of story that'll keep me interested and want to finish :)

I love my characters. I'm actually pretty excited.

I haven't written anything before so, 'tis all new to me. But what I was thinking of is to draw some sort of a time line on a piece of paper with ups and downs. Peaks leading into other peaks or valleys, whatever. Then placing numbers on the timeline which would represent chapters.
Kinda like the first chapter or two would be on a slight incline because they're the intro chapters and then as you get to a climax, it's a fairly steep peak. And so on. Is that confusing to follow?
Anyways, I was thinking that could give me or show me anyways what the pace of the book should be like. I could try to follow it and see what happens

What do you guys think? Sound stupid. Anyone else do something like this?

I have a feeling people will be avoiding me today at work I'm a little too excited. I think I have time for another coffee before I go. :D

J

[Flapdoodle]

I finally started to write, just finished my first hour and wrote a little more than 400 words. I'm ok with that, nothing great but I'm having fun. I've been thinking of what I want to write and the type of story that'll keep me interested and want to finish :)

I love my characters. I'm actually pretty excited.

I haven't written anything before so, 'tis all new to me. But what I was thinking of is to draw some sort of a time line on a piece of paper with ups and downs. Peaks leading into other peaks or valleys, whatever. Then placing numbers on the timeline which would represent chapters.
Kinda like the first chapter or two would be on a slight incline because they're the intro chapters and then as you get to a climax, it's a fairly steep peak. And so on. Is that confusing to follow?
Anyways, I was thinking that could give me or show me anyways what the pace of the book should be like. I could try to follow it and see what happens

What do you guys think? Sound stupid. Anyone else do something like this?

I have a feeling people will be avoiding me today at work I'm a little too excited. I think I have time for another coffee before I go. :D

J

Well done!
I do similar things to what you mention, but I tend to use Visio and draw up flow charts - similar to software DFDs in that I start with a "vague" idea and then create different levels as I've fleshed out details... The final level is the actual text, which still changes...

No idea's stupid - go for it, if it works for you.

[smelling_salts]

Thanks Flapdoodle,
I like that name BTW.
I used to do flow charts when I was taking C++. That sounds like a good aproach too. Maybe I could go into more visual detail with a flow chart after my timeline thing.

I'm a visual person ...... whose trying to write.:Shrug:

J

[stormie]

That's terrific! Your enthusiasm will show through in your writing. And don't worry about how you go about it; everyone gets their words/ thoughts on paper in different ways.

Good luck!

[Takvah]

Right on! Keep chugging away. I wish I could bottle your enthusiasm.

[NeuroFizz]

Good going, SS. If you choose to pre-plan your story, remember to let your writing dictate the organization as much (maybe more) as the organization dictates your writing. Give your story enough space so your plotline points the direction, but doesn't necessarily designate the path.

Keep us posted on your progress, and don't hesitate to post if you run into snags.

[Annabella]

Yea!!! Way to go :snoopy: I too just started a new WIP. An outline. But it has words.

[Sage]

Thanks Flapdoodle,
I like that name BTW.
I used to do flow charts when I was taking C++. That sounds like a good aproach too. Maybe I could go into more visual detail with a flow chart after my timeline thing.

I'm a visual person ...... whose trying to write.:Shrug:

JDefinitely use whatever works best for you for writing the story, whether it's planning ahead & outlining it some, or just chugging along & plotting as you write. Just make sure that you're not supplementing your planning for your writing as a form of procrastination. But planning's not a bad thing, if that's how you write best.

It's good to be so jazzed about your novel, & my suggestion is to write, write, write(!) now while you're enthusiastic. I write whatever scenes are exciting me at the moment, & if nothing is, I try to go from the beginning to the end. Just having connected my climax to the middle of the novel, I started reading what I wrote in the climax (last year) & comparing it to what I've been writing lately. My climax I wrote furiously in a matter of days, & even now I can see how excited I was by it. Lately, I've been feeling sorta mechanical about getting through scenes just to get the novel done, but the climax doesn't feel like that at all. So use the enthusiasm you have now before you get distracted by other things. And I hope you don't lose that thrill anytime soon :)

[smelling_salts]

Thanks everyone.

I think I've got my first quandary and this is day 2 :)
Curious if you guys write your stories from beginning to end in that order. Or do you write sections and piece them together after like filming a movie.

Another thing I've noticed is that music is setting the mood for my writing.
So I'm also curious if you guys listen to music when you write and if you do, do you change the music depending on what you want to get out of that particular scene.

Kinda like listening to 'Redemption Song' by Bob Marley (which is a great song BTW) sets a tone and 'Pain Redifined' by Disturbed has a completely different tone. I think you don't need to hear the songs to understand what I'm saying :D

Then again maybe I'm easily influenced :tongue

J

[stormie]

Ah, Bob Marley. I listened to him while writing my first book. Now I listen to Enya. If I want really soothing tones in the background, I listen to "Inward Harmony" my Marcy Harmm (think that's her name).

[LightShadow]

Uh, so what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be writing?

[Albedo of Zero]

I have a whole wall where I've drawn the solar system of my worlds.
I like to listen to baroque -classical. Anything with lyrics interrupts my writing.
I piece scenes together and am a 'pantsy' writer.
I have a slinky and a squeezebox nearby for umm...breaks?
I am not you.
But you may want to try the slinky thing.

[moblues]

Congrats. I use a basic outline in a notebook. Only what I need to have happen to propel the story. Bullet points mostly. I write organically––just let it rip.

I also use music in the background at times. I use the shuffle feature on my ipod. This way I'll hear blues, jazz, rock, metal, etc. This may or may not influence the mood or tension of the story. Who knows. Would make an interesting study.

Good luck, and keep writing.




Mike

[stormie]

Uh, so what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be writing?

I am writing. On these boards. :D
(And listening to Enya right now.)

[Flapdoodle]

(And listening to Enya right now.)

Never mind.:)

[SeanDSchaffer]

Thanks Flapdoodle,
I like that name BTW.
I used to do flow charts when I was taking C++. That sounds like a good aproach too. Maybe I could go into more visual detail with a flow chart after my timeline thing.

I'm a visual person ...... whose trying to write.http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/images/smilies/EmoteShrug.gif

J


That sounds like a good idea. I hope it works out well for you.

Congratulations, BTW, on beginning your writing. I hope you have fun, and that your work turns out good.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif