Before you begin writing, when your head is just full of vague ideas of what you want a story to be about, what kinds of things do you do to formulate your ideas into an actual plot to begin your story? Do you draw? Do you cluster your ideas on paper? Do you create an outline? Do you journal for awhile? Do you just jump right in without any idea of where this story will go?
- Status
Every novel, every story, is different.
Sometimes I only have one single idea.
My current WIP novel came to me by my wondering what is that bird thinking as it watched me cross the railroad tracks?
My current WIP screenplay came to me in a flash, almost full blown after a discussion (some would say disagreement) with SimonSays about something Luckky one said on the board. The beginning and the end slapped me right upside the head. All I have to do is get the second act to a high level of interest and I'll have a decent script -- Finally.
As to what I do to whip these ideas on order? That is as varied as the ideas themselves. If the idea is complete enough I may do nothing, just write. If the idea is scattered and I am interested enough to do it then I will do whatever it takes to bring it in line.
Tools I've used include, but are not limited to, 3X5 index cards, tables full of toys, pictures, drawings, outlines, synopsis, research, acting out parts (I even have a video camera -- I can watch myself act stupid): in the future I may need a tool I never dreamed of in the past.
Oh yes, I just bought a digital voice recorder that holds up to 11.5 hours of recording, has usb support so I can drop it into my computer, and five folders.
Problem is I'm using up my writing time figuring out how to use it. It has more menus than a software tech support hotline.
Sometimes I only have one single idea.
My current WIP novel came to me by my wondering what is that bird thinking as it watched me cross the railroad tracks?
My current WIP screenplay came to me in a flash, almost full blown after a discussion (some would say disagreement) with SimonSays about something Luckky one said on the board. The beginning and the end slapped me right upside the head. All I have to do is get the second act to a high level of interest and I'll have a decent script -- Finally.
As to what I do to whip these ideas on order? That is as varied as the ideas themselves. If the idea is complete enough I may do nothing, just write. If the idea is scattered and I am interested enough to do it then I will do whatever it takes to bring it in line.
Tools I've used include, but are not limited to, 3X5 index cards, tables full of toys, pictures, drawings, outlines, synopsis, research, acting out parts (I even have a video camera -- I can watch myself act stupid): in the future I may need a tool I never dreamed of in the past.
Oh yes, I just bought a digital voice recorder that holds up to 11.5 hours of recording, has usb support so I can drop it into my computer, and five folders.
Problem is I'm using up my writing time figuring out how to use it. It has more menus than a software tech support hotline.
I'm a situational writer, and for me writing a novel just means starting properly. I put a character I like in what I hope is an interesting situation, and just start writing.
I don't need to know where the story will go because the opening situation will take me there, assuming I get it set up properly. The first ten to twenty or whatever pages poses a problem, asks a question, or both, and the rest of the novel solves the problem, answers the question, or both. When I finish the novel, it goes full circle and I really end at the beginning.
I don't need to know where the story will go because the opening situation will take me there, assuming I get it set up properly. The first ten to twenty or whatever pages poses a problem, asks a question, or both, and the rest of the novel solves the problem, answers the question, or both. When I finish the novel, it goes full circle and I really end at the beginning.
Sometimes I start with a situatiion. If so I try to come up with a character that in someway emphasizes the situation. Putting someone "in their element" seldom makes for good fiction.
Sometimes I start with a character, or characters. If so I try to come up with a situation that challenges them.
But I'm just as apt to start with a picture: Or due to my contrary nature when someone says, "You can't." Or in the middle of a novel I will see an unexplored potential: Or even from a joke. I might drop a rock on my toe tomorrow that would inspire a story.
Hey Writing Again
I found your first post on this thread quite interesting (and not because it mentioned me - well maybe slightly because it mentioned me.)
Conflict is vital to all dramatic writing so I guess when you think about it, it's not surprising that something for your writing could be generated by a real life conflict.
I've found that some of the debates I've had on this board have crystalized parts of my world view for me - because in order to vigorously defend your position, you need to dig deep to see what's behind it. Anyway, it's opened me up to some themes I'd like to explore in future projects.
So I guess for all those who find these debates pointless, there are in fact creative fruits to be sowed from them.
Simon
I found your first post on this thread quite interesting (and not because it mentioned me - well maybe slightly because it mentioned me.)
Conflict is vital to all dramatic writing so I guess when you think about it, it's not surprising that something for your writing could be generated by a real life conflict.
I've found that some of the debates I've had on this board have crystalized parts of my world view for me - because in order to vigorously defend your position, you need to dig deep to see what's behind it. Anyway, it's opened me up to some themes I'd like to explore in future projects.
So I guess for all those who find these debates pointless, there are in fact creative fruits to be sowed from them.
Simon
Yeah, they say a good story has a good conflict in it somewhere...a story where everyone gets along and everything runs smooth isn't much of an exciting story.
For me, it depends. Sometimes it starts with a character (one of my current WIPs, a fantasy story called "The Executioner's Mistress", all started with the character of said Executioner, named Padraic).
Sometimes it starts with a situation, like a barfight. Most times, it's just exploring the answer to "What if?" What if humankind lived underground and never experienced sunlight and fresh air? What if the main character found out her house was haunted by good (not malevolent) spirits? What if a teddy bear comes to life and starts stalking its previous owners?
I could go on, but you get the idea.
Annie:grin
For me, it depends. Sometimes it starts with a character (one of my current WIPs, a fantasy story called "The Executioner's Mistress", all started with the character of said Executioner, named Padraic).
Sometimes it starts with a situation, like a barfight. Most times, it's just exploring the answer to "What if?" What if humankind lived underground and never experienced sunlight and fresh air? What if the main character found out her house was haunted by good (not malevolent) spirits? What if a teddy bear comes to life and starts stalking its previous owners?
I could go on, but you get the idea.
Annie:grin
I remember a writing class I took once in college. We had to write short stories in it and the professor would copy our stories so that everyone would have a copy of everyone's story because we would read them all and then come to class to offer comments and feedback to that person. Some stories I liked better than others and that was a matter of personal taste.
But I remember one story in which everyone agreed that it wasn't a good story because there was no conflict in it. Basically it was about a teenage girl who wanted something and got it, then she wanted something else and got it, and by the end of the story it was just a story about a girl who got everything she wanted in life without ever facing any conflict or obstacle.
I think what the author did was try to take a personal experience from her life and turn it into a story, becuase the professor had said that some of the best stories are based on real experiences. The author just didn't seem to pick up on the fact that you need to pick an experience that actually has some conflict in it.
Re: Re: Formulating Ideas
SimonSays
For a writer nothing is pointless.
Every character you write will have a point of view, a belief, an idea, a philosophy.
In your life time you may write hundreds or thousands of characters.
You have to get the material from someplace. Every time a person expresses an opinion should be viewed by the writer as an opportunity to add to their store for future character use.
SimonSays
For a writer nothing is pointless.
Every character you write will have a point of view, a belief, an idea, a philosophy.
In your life time you may write hundreds or thousands of characters.
You have to get the material from someplace. Every time a person expresses an opinion should be viewed by the writer as an opportunity to add to their store for future character use.
Re: Re: Formulating Ideas
Sometimes I draw maps. Sometimes I sit up in bed at night imagining scenes that might take place, seeing how they work out. Sometimes I outline. Sometimes I interview my characters. Sometimes I write histories of what has previously happened in the world I'm writing in. Sometimes I just jump in and start writing.
Who knows what's best?
Sometimes I draw maps. Sometimes I sit up in bed at night imagining scenes that might take place, seeing how they work out. Sometimes I outline. Sometimes I interview my characters. Sometimes I write histories of what has previously happened in the world I'm writing in. Sometimes I just jump in and start writing.
Who knows what's best?
Re: Re: Formulating Ideas
I generally plan the ending, to make sure the story has a good resolution.
I generally plan the ending, to make sure the story has a good resolution.
I always begin with some idea that's been floating around my head for a while, then build on that. Putting it to paper always helps. I sometimes have pages and pages of notes and ideas for a story in no particular order. I reference these notes when doing the actual outline. A lot of it gets cut out or changed around a bit, but I find it's a nice starting point for me.
I've found that I'm about mid-way for most writers. I have a general idea of a story, then as I begin to write, it solidifies.
I may have to stop and give some more thought to a section or a chapter, too.
So I do some outlining and sketching of themes, but not a lot.
Where I do have to make precise is the timeline for my mysteries. I use a calendar and schedule each chapter's events, tweaking as needed so that the plot makes sense and things happen in sequence. But that comes later. The major events I just write, and they come out. Adjustment comes later.
I may have to stop and give some more thought to a section or a chapter, too.
So I do some outlining and sketching of themes, but not a lot.
Where I do have to make precise is the timeline for my mysteries. I use a calendar and schedule each chapter's events, tweaking as needed so that the plot makes sense and things happen in sequence. But that comes later. The major events I just write, and they come out. Adjustment comes later.
I just imagine things and daydream from time to time, considering ideas that I might have been inspired from shows, other books, movies, etc. No, I don't carbon copy stuff (that's pointless) but an idea someone else came up with might spark an idea within my head, and then it might evolve, and a lot of the time it might become something completely different than the whole story that inspired it, but the influence was still there. Not sure if that makes sense or not. Other times there are other things that inspire my stories, like one time I got inspired by looking at a picture of a guy with fournier's gangrene and thought it looked like a monster on his crotch, so then I thought that would make a good movie or story, so that's where that story came from. And then I sit on the ideas for a while (some longer than others), and try to develop them into a workable story, and hten once I feel that they have been cooked enough I'll sit down to write it out on paper. I don't write out outlines (my outlines are in my head), and the ideas may change around from time to time, but in general I do have a pretty good idea of where I am going with the story.
I'm doing this too. My story takes place in 1994, so I have a 1994 calendar on hand, to make sure the days of the week are correct for the dates.
I've even gone and looked up moon data so that when so-and-so looks up at the moon, I know what phase it would've been in... not that that's so important, but it's fun.
I guess I am a scrap collector. I carry a notebook with me everywhere. Folks in church think I am really into the sermon cause I write so frantically - if they could read my writing they would know it was story starts or scene ideas, or even character sketches...I seem to get many ideas when sitting on a hard pew in a warm room. I have tons of notebooks with scraps of ideas. Occasionally, I get excited and put the ideas together.
Well, it's the way I work ... dub
Well, it's the way I work ... dub
my way is very close to zerohour's. i'd add music heavily influences me. i tend to imagine every scene just like i'm watching a movie, then do my best to describe what i fantasize about. for me it's important to add some little detail that's interesting in most of the scenes.
i don't sit down with a theme in mind. nor do i try to use symbolism or allegory or some grand metaphor. most symbolism is so heavy-handed and obvious that i'm embarassed when i don't see it, and don't care for it when i do. i just want to tell an entertaining story. i'm not trying to write a book for the ages, necessarily. i've *done* the themes and all those things, i just don't care to ponder them. if there's any higher truth in anything i've written, it's bound to be accidental.
i rarely outline. when i'm just starting a project, i skip around in it quite a bit. one scene suggests another, and so on. if 'welcome to the jungle' pops on the radio, well, that scene is gonna kick ass and the rest of the book will just have to adapt. i keep it very loose and have to have challenge myself early on with a situation or mystery that i have to figure out. the harder the better. more often than not this boils down to purely a character motivation issue.
once i have a lot of scenes together, i'll put them in order then start thinking of how to connect them. generally speaking, in my mind, there's usually only one way a scene can logically happen, and there's only one way to follow that up. i feel that's one of my strengths as a writer, that i rarely get stuck for very long on just how the story blooms, and when i do, no big deal, i'll just skip ahead somewhere until i figure things out.
i probably practice the worst writing habits imaginable, heh heh. at least when i've got a story i'm hot on about, that's just about all i think about.
i don't sit down with a theme in mind. nor do i try to use symbolism or allegory or some grand metaphor. most symbolism is so heavy-handed and obvious that i'm embarassed when i don't see it, and don't care for it when i do. i just want to tell an entertaining story. i'm not trying to write a book for the ages, necessarily. i've *done* the themes and all those things, i just don't care to ponder them. if there's any higher truth in anything i've written, it's bound to be accidental.
i rarely outline. when i'm just starting a project, i skip around in it quite a bit. one scene suggests another, and so on. if 'welcome to the jungle' pops on the radio, well, that scene is gonna kick ass and the rest of the book will just have to adapt. i keep it very loose and have to have challenge myself early on with a situation or mystery that i have to figure out. the harder the better. more often than not this boils down to purely a character motivation issue.
once i have a lot of scenes together, i'll put them in order then start thinking of how to connect them. generally speaking, in my mind, there's usually only one way a scene can logically happen, and there's only one way to follow that up. i feel that's one of my strengths as a writer, that i rarely get stuck for very long on just how the story blooms, and when i do, no big deal, i'll just skip ahead somewhere until i figure things out.
i probably practice the worst writing habits imaginable, heh heh. at least when i've got a story i'm hot on about, that's just about all i think about.
Ouch. It hurts me to look at a message post with no capital letters. :ack
When people talk about sketching, what do you mean exactly?
When people talk about sketching, what do you mean exactly?
I do agree with you Preyer. I think skipping around can have it's benefits. Foreshadowing, and character development are two of them. If you've already experimented with Chapter 30, and you go back to write Chapter 5, you've got a better feel for how the characters will develop, and you can drop in more hints about what's to come. It's also a good way to fight writer's block too.
my only objection to doing this is if you have no idea where you plan on going with a story. i've written a story or two and know in the back of my head how i'm going to get to point a to point b, at least in general terms. even then, sometimes i'll wind-up having to do a slight re-write of a later scene i wrote early in the process.
i take a ton of notes, too. oddly, i find it really helps my writing when i'm reading something on the side. it just helps to keep my prose in order somehow.
i take a ton of notes, too. oddly, i find it really helps my writing when i'm reading something on the side. it just helps to keep my prose in order somehow.
I often would rather jump around and write scenes as they come into my head, figuring that once scenes are in place, transitioning would be easier. But it seems like most writers start at the beginning of the story and write straight through so I don't do that because it doesn't seem allowed.
Allowed?
When you're writing, you're the freest creature on the planet. You're allowed to do anything you want.
If you want to publish your book, you can do anything as long as it works.
Figuring out what works is a matter of craft and practice. How you get it to that point is completely up to you.
When you're writing, you're the freest creature on the planet. You're allowed to do anything you want.
If you want to publish your book, you can do anything as long as it works.
Figuring out what works is a matter of craft and practice. How you get it to that point is completely up to you.
Eowyn,
You should write in whatever way you feel most comfortable with. I do whatever happens to work for me at the time.
(Granted I don't know how much my opinions matter as I have not been doing this for a long time)
As far as getting ideas, sometimes my imagination runs wild and other times my brain refuses to cooperate. I have learned to note the ideas as they come so I can use them later. The creative juices have been flowing lately so I am very excited.
Good luck to all!
You should write in whatever way you feel most comfortable with. I do whatever happens to work for me at the time.
(Granted I don't know how much my opinions matter as I have not been doing this for a long time)
As far as getting ideas, sometimes my imagination runs wild and other times my brain refuses to cooperate. I have learned to note the ideas as they come so I can use them later. The creative juices have been flowing lately so I am very excited.
Good luck to all!
i tried that straight-through approach once and found it less entertaining to me personally. i write the scenes that turn me on as to maintain my enthusiasm. i have, however, wondered if my transition scenes suffer as a result from them being the 'boring stuff' and perhaps not being as attentive to them as i should. also, they're always longer than i initially planned.
not exactly formulating an idea, but i steal liberally from myself. even a hack like myself is bound to write *something* decent every other blue moon, and if it's stuck in some goofy short story, i'll quickly steal it for a novel every day of the week. i just wish i had a good week's worth of top-shelf material, heh heh. (hey, don't make fun of hacks-- someone's got to write bazooka joe comic strips, and i bet that guy is having a lot more fun at his job than mine.)
not exactly formulating an idea, but i steal liberally from myself. even a hack like myself is bound to write *something* decent every other blue moon, and if it's stuck in some goofy short story, i'll quickly steal it for a novel every day of the week. i just wish i had a good week's worth of top-shelf material, heh heh. (hey, don't make fun of hacks-- someone's got to write bazooka joe comic strips, and i bet that guy is having a lot more fun at his job than mine.)
- Status