Writer's Corner

[tinyxipe]

For the authors out there:

Is anyone interested in a thread where we can talk about the joys and frustrations of writing? I'm always interested to hear how others get their ideas and the processes they use to get it written down.

I've been a bit stuck in my story and needed to step away from it for a little while. It's coming along again, finally. Have any of you writing some of the longer stories ever had a rough spot and how did you get past it?

 

[Edcrab]

My writers’ block is near-crippling at times, but I find it better- at least with fan fiction- to develop it slowly and outside of the forums before bringing it in. Not so much to avoid grammatical errors- because they’ll always crop up if you’re as inattentive as I am- but so that I have a far more freedom when it comes to editing a segment or even rewriting it completely.

And that’s rather telling in and of itself, as I’ve tried writing things and then given up in despair when they’re not what I expect. I too find it helpful to more or less forget about a work until my imagination is rekindled or I regain my desire to create something.

But nowadays I’m finding that I’m increasingly likely to post it regardless and learn to live with my own personal gripes… or whinge about them in sizeable lumps of epic self-narration, whichever I feel like…

 

[tinyxipe]

I know I should have waited on some of my chapters. I still wish I could get the first four chapters of DM back for revision as I didn't have the plot figured out at that point and I think it shows.

I like to post as soon as I have the vaguest feeling of "It's finished", otherwise I'll revise it to death. I'm terrible about fussing with things endlessly. My Finished Projects track record is awful!

 

[bvasgm]

Be shure to finish it before posting it though...Ya reading this BetaMaster? Finish the story before posting it.

 

[Sloth]

stuff at bottom

I haven't writen Fan-Fic yet, i might get onto it soon...
But i do write my own stories, in their own universes. Tinyxipe, just telling you (and any others that want to read the post) i get my ideas from everywhere, mostly when i talk to myself (i know it's sad-ish) and just let it flow. Handy for long trips with noone beside you.

(If anyone would like to read, and help me make better, my novel please PM me and i'll be glad to send you some...)

 

[tinyxipe]

I don't think talking to yourself is sad. I do it all the time (in my head mostly, of course). I think it's one of the best ways to come up with ideas. When I'm working on dialogue, I'll sometimes say it out loud just to hear how it sounds. I like to lie in bed before I fall asleep or right after I wake up and run through dialogue and ideas.

I can keep myself entertained for hours at a time in my own head. I come up with a vague idea and start running it over and over and just adding more detail each time. I do pretty much everything in my head and then just write it out. I hate outlining. I've never been any good at it.

Do any of you listen to music when you write?

 

[Edcrab]

I tend to "playthrough" pieces in my head too- and although I rarely vocalise dialogue I find trying to picture an existing creation makes my descriptions more detailed and imaginative. Sad-ish-ness must help matters

I used to listen to music when I write- mostly whatever I had to hand- but these days I don't seem to bother. I should really see what effect it has- if any- on my style...

 

[eatbugs]

Hmmm, my writing career has kind of burnt out so I guess I could have a lot to say.

 

[Sloth]

Same as Edcrab, i listen to what ever crops up on the playlist. But seeing my choice of Music that'll mostly be Punk and Metal but listening to the Matrix and Ciruqe de Solei (sp?) soundtracks keep me on a different level.

My writers block has killed me, i'd have to say, i havn't written a paragraph on my story for almost 2 months... It might have to do with the fact that i don't have much time to write tho.
When i get the horrid block i start writing something else, mostly only a scene.

You people writing Fan-Fics have one good thing - a deadline (well sort of.) I write without one, and thus write slowly.

 

[AJ Rimmer]

I always speak my dialouge, and always go through the scenes in my head before I start writing. The problem is that when I start writing, I don't stop to think through some of the new stuff I come up with, and so sometimes those pieces stand out as much worse than the rest because they are not quiet as thought-out, but more just filling to advance the plot in a very clumbsy way. But this impulsive crappy writing still beats the week-long periods of writer's block I suffer from.

 

[tinyxipe]

But this impulsive crappy writing still beats the week-long periods of writer's block I suffer from.

I agree, but that's what rough drafts are all about. I tend to revise a lot as I go, but when I get on a roll, I just worry about it later. Sometimes that's my best stuff though. When I focus on the details too much, I start to feel like I'm writing sentence by sentence and then it all starts to sound stilted and unnatural. Try saving the impulsive "crappy" writing and looking at it later. You can probably pull some good stuff out of it.

I listen to music if the house isn't quiet while I'm writing. I finally went out and bought a pair of headphones and it's made a world of difference when there are too many distractions. I get distracted very easily. I'm pretty particular about what I listen to though as it will affect what I'm writing and sometimes I use this deliberately. Usually, it can't have any lyric although there are some exceptions. Large chunks of the action (especially the end of chapter 7) in DM were written to the Gladiator soundtrack. "The Battle" track is excellent. Peter Gabriels sound tracks "Passions" and "Birdie" are very good too.

Edcrab, what did you mean by "sad-ish-ness"?

 

[Edcrab]

Twas in response to evilsloth feeling that talking to himself was a "sad-ish" act. It works for me too

When I think about it the only music I have to hand- and rarely listen to- is an elderly Fatboy Slim CD. I should maybe go out and buy some audio for once...

 

[Steel.Inferno]

I haven't posted mine yet, just began it a few days ago, its about a resistance member (big surprise) on the coast.

I like to start a story with a scene, thinking it through in my head, and really visualizing what my character does, sees, is he tired, panting, angry, afraid, insane, etc. Sometimes I load up half life 2 and hunt down a spot ingame that is somewhat like what I want in my story. After thinking it through I just write it down (usually during my more boring classes in school) After I have one scene I usually then outline the main story events, all very subject to change, then do some background on the characters. Then I'll finish the 1st chapter and start on second, third, so on.

BTW should I post a chapter as its completed? Or wait till I have like four done and post? I'm new .


As far as music, I just run a large playlist of all my collected songs, audio bits, and all that good stuff. Its very large, and has a huge variety of stuff. I did some experimenting and it didn't affect my writing much, but it does help me tune out distractions alot.

When I was writing just your common fiction tales, writers block really shut me down, and I just dropped the stories. But fan fic I just load up the game, mess around, and try to play from my characters perspective (IE, not godly rambo man)

Also, does anyone happen to know what NLO stands for, its that resistance camp where you got your first RPG... need it for my story, doesn't look quite right calling it NLO without saying what it means.

And finally, a request. Could you guys please add an attachment with the file all together, AKA, an easily printable version for those of us who prefer not to read long things on a computer. Just a simple .zip with it in a .txt or .doc or whatever format. Printing it from the forums is a bit difficult. For example, I'm printing Malign Contingency out, and its like 50 pages :|

 

[Edcrab]

I'll take that as a hint- I've had several people requesting that I produce a document-version. Tonight I'll try and reverse the forum formatting and produce a slightly more cohesive .doc- although chances are the weirdy spacing will linger.

Note that I'm not going to be putting it all up- I'll update the .zip to match the thread, rather than the other way round- and that's purely so I can be a grammarian and check my spelling, rather than trying to be dramatic

As for your own story Infern0, I recommend you work a little in advance, but it's quite plausible to type it on the fly- as long as you have a fairly accurate idea of where you're going to go with it.

 

[tinyxipe]

Welcome Infern0!

I agree with Edcrab. Make sure you have a good handle on your plot before you start posting. I had the first few chapters of my story written but I didn't have the plot completely figured out. I think the first three chapters suffer for it.

Hold on to those dropped stories. They might lead somewhere some day. I know what you mean about loading up the game. I've done that too at a few points. I finally discovered the "Still Seeing Breen" machinima and its like a nice condensed shot of HL2. I'm not a big fan of that style of music, but along with the video, it really helped get me back in the HL2 mindset quickly. It really captures the feel of the game and it's a lot quicker as I usually plan on just "having a look" at something and end up blowing an hour or more.

NLO - maybe North, New (?) Little Odessa? My best guess.

I'll see what I can do about getting DM into a .doc. I had planned on doing that once I had finished.

 

[Steel.Inferno]

Thanks for the welcome and tips. I've finished (at least according to my small outline) the first chapter, but if anyone would like to read it through for me I'd really appreciate it. PM/Email, or my xfire, steelxinferno
New Little Odessa sounds familiar to me, but I'll run through the whole section again to make sure.

 

[tinyxipe]

Okay, to keep this thread going, I have another question.

What do you like to read and do any authors influence your writing?

 

[AJ Rimmer]

Okay, to keep this thread going, I have another question.

What do you like to read and do any authors influence your writing?

I get influence by anthing, a book, a game, a film, something good on TV I just happened to watch.
I really enjoy the way the Red Dwarf novels were written and whenever I write something I try to mimic the way those books change mood and twists the plot all of a sudden and particularly how they describe environments. But I do get influenced by lots of books and authors. But when it comes to Sci-fi, Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers and Backwards owns!

 

[Edcrab]

I'm a big Pratchett fan, and I've also read and re-read the Red Dwarf series until they turned to dust in my hands. The first (IWCD) and third (Backwards) books are probably the best- although the lack of dual-author colloboration for the last two means they contradict each other quite massively.

But in a world with alternate dimensions, there's a helluva lot of scope and an unlimited supply of plot hole cement

 

[tinyxipe]

I read a pretty wide variety of material. My current favorite authors are Tad Williams and George R.R. Martin. I would love to be able to write epic, complex stories like theirs. Martin's characters are so complex and fascinating. I love how they are neither black or white. And Williams is just such a great writer.

I've heard of Red Dwarf, but it's not well-known (I think) here in the US. Perhaps I should look into finding some of those books...

 

[Sloth]

Prachet all the Way. Also some wierd books that i can't remebr the names of.

(tinyxipe, i've re-written some of my attemp at a novel, thanks for the advice...)

 

[tinyxipe]

Glad I could help.

 

[Sloth]

It's been soo good, that somebody said it was "publishable" material...
:thumbs:

 

[tinyxipe]

This question is only loosely related to writing but I’m curious.

I was reading a thread about dreams the other day and I was surprised at how many people said they never remembered their dreams or only hazy details. When I was young, I always had vivid dreams and I had the impression that adults didn’t dream as much. I recall feeling sad that I would lose the wonderful dreams I had when I got older. I’m happy to say that I still have memorable, intensely vivid and often bizarre dreams on a nearly nightly basis.

I was wondering if this might be part of the “storyteller” mindset or if I’m just lucky. I often take bits of dreams and play around with them in my mind during the day to turn them into more developed scenes. Do any of you often recall your dreams and/or get story ideas from them?

 

[Sloth]

I start ideas from single words. They just roll bigger and bigger.

Dreams... I don't always remember them, but when i do they add on to a good paragraph or two of writing...

 

[Edcrab]

My dreams have been a source of great inspiration to me for years- I get the distinct feeling that my subconcious has better ideas than my apparently developed brain could ever nurture.

I've played around with my fiction for such a long time that it's not unusual for me to dream myself into situations within settings or amongst characters of my own devise. It's incredibly inspiring although, sometimes, it's pretty damn sinister.

There's nothing like realising how you'd react to your own little piece of tension or a combat scene, however. Really puts things into perspective :O

 

[FCBob]

Okay, to keep this thread going, I have another question.

What do you like to read and do any authors influence your writing?

now I ain't much of a writer if any, but I really enjoy Clive Cusslers writing. While sometimes the plots of his books can be laden with too much action he is very, very, descriptive and always has a way to intertwine tons of seemingly unrelated plot info into a coherent and believable story arc.

 

[Sloth]

Does anyone want to have a Writer dissucion? (sp?)
Like over AIM chat room or something else?

 

[tinyxipe]

Does anyone want to have a Writer discussion?
Like over AIM chat room or something else?

Ooo, that sounds good! We need to do something to liven up this forum in any case. It's been ominously quiet lately. I know I've been consumed by Guild Wars, so my writing has been suffering. I still need to finish the epilogue to DM.

 

[FCBob]

Hey thanks for the feedback on my fan fic tinyxipe. I would definately like to get a aim chat room like that going. However I probably live in a time zone that's way out of wack with a few of you guys. Plus i don't feel i'd have much to contribute to a discussion on writing. I've never takin any course or really studied anything on writing style. It'd have my support if you tried to organize somthing like that.

 

[tinyxipe]

You're welcome.

Plus i don't feel i'd have much to contribute to a discussion on writing. I've never takin any course or really studied anything on writing style.

That's ok, I haven't either. I'm just always curious how others work and get ideas. I've been finding it very helpful just to talk to others about their writing.

 

[Sloth]

same, i'm at a publishing company

 

[Sloth]

same, i'm at a publishing company, work experence.

And it's really sad when you have to say that a piece of writing isn't good enough / right style for the publisher i'm working at.

you know you crushed someone's dream :angel: honest

 

[Sloth]

Has the Fan-Fic section died for a while, no authors have posted in a while, i know that Tinyxipe, has finished her story, but what about everybody else.

(Bugger it, i'll re-post an old story, just to get some reaction)

 

[Edcrab]

As much as I'd love to add to MC I'm effectively absent without leave- but you're right, it is very quiet right about now. Damnable real life issues!

I'll give your story a read sometime tommorow- it's a bit late right now but hey, I have to find some free time to check this place after work!

 

[Sulkdodds]

I've never read any of your stuff Edcrab. :O Now I'm interested.

 

[Sloth]

LOL,check it out, it's in his SIG, awsome stuff

 

[Sloth]

Just asking, do / did any of you guys ever think of being an Author as a Job?
Or is it just for fun?

 

[Sulkdodds]

I think it's supposed to be best to do it when you already have a steady source of income, or after you've retired. After all, you never know if you're going to make any money at all from writing - just like drawing for a living, it's best to have it as a backup. :E

 

[Sloth]

Am i Necro?
NECRO I AM!

I thought i'd have another go to get the Writer Corner alive again, flame at will i guess.

I was told, by the school's Carrer Consuler (sp?*still tired*), to start doing 'random' jottingins, writing whatever came into my brain.

And it always seems to come out in Poem form... /
Behold:
* * - - * *
One drop of Rain.
Falls upon the grass.
One green blade of grass

One Drop of Rain
Falls upon a roof
A sound of Stampeding
Beasts echo across the hall

One Drop of Rain
Falls upon my head
“Aww shit!” Wet hair
Cold chills but I walk on

A gust of wind
Blows through the window
A howl of shrieking ghosts

A gust of wind
Blows through my hair
For a moment it’s alive.
**- -**

Anygood, i'm not sure if to go on with some random jottings or lead on with KRA and a Sci-Fi i'm fiddleing with.
Advice?