writing meme ganked from skylark
May. 23rd, 2004 08:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maderrI think this applies to fanfics but meh.
1. Do you write your fics sequentially, or do you often find that you are writing the end first, and coming back to write a beginning later?
Sequentially, though I won't write a story until I have a rough idea of what sort of ending I'm working toward.
2. Do you like to write one story to completion before beginning another, or do you have several stories in progress at any given time?
I write several at once. My mood and whatnot influence what I feel like writing, and I'm a bit too spastic to be able to write one story straight through unless it's a one-shot.
3. What do you do to get past writer's block?
Oddly enough what works best is to watch something mindless on tv while making notes on one or several of my stories.
4. What inspires you for your fics?
Everything. From a line in a movie to a conversation with my brother combined with a song. Though often what inspires me is "why do I hate ---? What could I do that I'd actually like ---?"
5. What absolutely kills your ability to write?
Being made fun of. I don't mind criticism or whatnot - those come with the territory. But I hate the people in rl that make fun of what I write, or think it's funny to read over my shoulder in that "I'm pretending to tease you but I really think this is stupid" tone. I get too angry to see straight and I can't write for at least the rest of the day.
6. Do you plan your fics from beginning to end, or do you allow for some independent growth? If you do, how do you deal with any changes that arise in your story as you write it? If you don't, how do you bring the story to the conclusion you want?
I generally know the basics - the main characters, important moments or scenes. Changes I've learned to expect - I firmly believe that I don't write the story - the story uses me to write itself. If it doesn't go the way I wanted/planned it - serves me right for being presumptuous.
7. What time of day/place is most conducive to fic writing and idea gathering?
I'm a night owl so the later the better, and anywhere so long as I'm left alone. I can't write and talk/chat.
8. Do you tend to write certain characters, or do you try to push yourself to branch out into new voices? Why?
I think I tend to write the same chars over and over again, though I'm trying to fix that. I could just be paranoid though.
9. Do you like to stay within certain limits in you writing (like POV or tenses), or do you like to experiment? What is the most experimental piece of writing that you have done, and was it successful?
I don't generally like first person - I think it is very seldom done well. I have more fun in a loose third person. Have been playing with it for awhile via an lj-thingie but though I'm okay with it, I know it's not my best writing.
10. What was the most difficult story for you to write, and why?
Unequal is the hardest, b/c there are sooo many elements to keep track of and none of the characters is simple...and I know what is coming in later chapters and it's hard to write knowing all of that.
11. What determines your plots? In other words, do you like to write about issues, or to add them into the plot in some way? Or do you like pure character development? Smut? Or is it random development?
I live for the characters. 90% of the time it is the characters I know first, and the story reveals itself around them. Only once did I know the storyline before I knew the chars and that was much harder to write than the rest. I always try hard to make the story about them - going with the 'what do I hate about ---" with the blank being 'fantasy.' I hate that so many fantasy books get bogged down in setting and what a billion characters are doing about some ancient curse or another. It gets to the point you're like "wait, who are you?" and that always bothered me.
12. What are you doing currently to challenge yourself?
All my stories are some form of challenge to myself. I purposely put something in each of them that would be difficult for me to write. Except Rainbow, that story is a major anomally.
In other news S and I had a blast at King's Island but I'm too sleepy to make a worthy post so I'll do it tomorrow to kill time before my latest interview.
1. Do you write your fics sequentially, or do you often find that you are writing the end first, and coming back to write a beginning later?
Sequentially, though I won't write a story until I have a rough idea of what sort of ending I'm working toward.
2. Do you like to write one story to completion before beginning another, or do you have several stories in progress at any given time?
I write several at once. My mood and whatnot influence what I feel like writing, and I'm a bit too spastic to be able to write one story straight through unless it's a one-shot.
3. What do you do to get past writer's block?
Oddly enough what works best is to watch something mindless on tv while making notes on one or several of my stories.
4. What inspires you for your fics?
Everything. From a line in a movie to a conversation with my brother combined with a song. Though often what inspires me is "why do I hate ---? What could I do that I'd actually like ---?"
5. What absolutely kills your ability to write?
Being made fun of. I don't mind criticism or whatnot - those come with the territory. But I hate the people in rl that make fun of what I write, or think it's funny to read over my shoulder in that "I'm pretending to tease you but I really think this is stupid" tone. I get too angry to see straight and I can't write for at least the rest of the day.
6. Do you plan your fics from beginning to end, or do you allow for some independent growth? If you do, how do you deal with any changes that arise in your story as you write it? If you don't, how do you bring the story to the conclusion you want?
I generally know the basics - the main characters, important moments or scenes. Changes I've learned to expect - I firmly believe that I don't write the story - the story uses me to write itself. If it doesn't go the way I wanted/planned it - serves me right for being presumptuous.
7. What time of day/place is most conducive to fic writing and idea gathering?
I'm a night owl so the later the better, and anywhere so long as I'm left alone. I can't write and talk/chat.
8. Do you tend to write certain characters, or do you try to push yourself to branch out into new voices? Why?
I think I tend to write the same chars over and over again, though I'm trying to fix that. I could just be paranoid though.
9. Do you like to stay within certain limits in you writing (like POV or tenses), or do you like to experiment? What is the most experimental piece of writing that you have done, and was it successful?
I don't generally like first person - I think it is very seldom done well. I have more fun in a loose third person. Have been playing with it for awhile via an lj-thingie but though I'm okay with it, I know it's not my best writing.
10. What was the most difficult story for you to write, and why?
Unequal is the hardest, b/c there are sooo many elements to keep track of and none of the characters is simple...and I know what is coming in later chapters and it's hard to write knowing all of that.
11. What determines your plots? In other words, do you like to write about issues, or to add them into the plot in some way? Or do you like pure character development? Smut? Or is it random development?
I live for the characters. 90% of the time it is the characters I know first, and the story reveals itself around them. Only once did I know the storyline before I knew the chars and that was much harder to write than the rest. I always try hard to make the story about them - going with the 'what do I hate about ---" with the blank being 'fantasy.' I hate that so many fantasy books get bogged down in setting and what a billion characters are doing about some ancient curse or another. It gets to the point you're like "wait, who are you?" and that always bothered me.
12. What are you doing currently to challenge yourself?
All my stories are some form of challenge to myself. I purposely put something in each of them that would be difficult for me to write. Except Rainbow, that story is a major anomally.
In other news S and I had a blast at King's Island but I'm too sleepy to make a worthy post so I'll do it tomorrow to kill time before my latest interview.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-23 06:23 pm (UTC)For what it's worth, I don't think you do. There are certain elements and occasionally certain personality traits that are alike, but you make each of them unique. Like, you'll have characters like Bastion, Nankyo and Katan who are reclusive, but they're reclusive for different reasons, they each react to the other characters differently and their personalities are just different. Nankyo, I think, gets a kick out of being mysterious and befuddling those around him and there are reasons beyond his control that make it necessary. For Bastion, it's more that he simply does not want to deal with the hassle involved in explaining everything to someone and I think he's embarassed by the attention. For Katan, it's more of a personal achievement thing and a not wanting to deal with people who have the potential to be extremely phony with him.
But I hate the people in rl that make fun of what I write, or think it's funny to read over my shoulder in that "I'm pretending to tease you but I really think this is stupid" tone. I get too angry to see straight and I can't write for at least the rest of the day.
You know, this is why I like the internet. I don't let people in RL read what I write. I have a couple high school friends who have read what I've written, but they live in Florida and while we talk about writing with each other, I don't let the conversation stay very long on the things I've written. Back when I first got to writing seriously, I tried to get my mother to sit down and read something I'd written. I think she got to about the second paragraph before she put it down and said she'd read it later (which I knew meant never). I also made the mistake of reading some of what I'd written to my brothers, which was an inherently stupid idea because they like making fun of everything.
I hate that so many fantasy books get bogged down in setting and what a billion characters are doing about some ancient curse or another. It gets to the point you're like "wait, who are you?" and that always bothered me.
*tackle glomps* I totally second that.
I was useful
Date: 2004-05-24 06:39 am (UTC)