A Bad Case of the DWBs...

usually i re-read what i've written already, make some sort of correction, then as i'm reading i picture what happens next...

it's like a movie in your head; once it starts, you have to keep watching to find out how it ends, you know?

but first, i make some sorta outline-plot before i even begin putting the actual words on paper, so if i forget what SHOULD happen next, i can go back and refresh what i HAD in mind. (for my fellow ADD vics, this helps )

then i go back and put more and more detail into the outline-plot, until i can visualize an entire chapter. THEN i put it on paper.

dinnertime. gotta go.
-SoL

 

Heh, I actually should start doing that more often myself, SoL. For some reason, I seem to think flying by the seat of my pants is a good idea. I mean, it works for "Planet Hopping", but I know those characters so well, I may as well be writing a biography. It is a bad habbit though, if your characters aren't second nature (most aren't)

11th G - It's starting to work you say? Something I suggested actually works!? Dear Holy God...
Hold on a moment, I'll be right back. I have to go check the temperature of Hell, see if it's dropped any.

 

This is really good advice. (even though I can lucid dream, not to make you jealous or anything)

I'm big on dream-powered stories. There is never a time when I don't have a notebook or tape-recorder next to my bed to put ideas down in.

I'll do this a lot: read a book that "I think has a good idea but I could have done it better"

I'll also jump to another scene if its just a scene block. Most of my longer stories have a 'scenes' folder in the story folder where I stash randomly written scenes...like, I'll be writing in my Dark Luke/Light Anakin AU, and think hey, I can't seem to get this lightsaber fight done, but I can get into the father/daughter moment with Leia I'm thinking about sticking in somewhere down the line. Then later, you can re-read scenes you've written that you like and want to get the story to, and sometimes that will let you bridge the dwb gap.


Here's one I do occasionally that I don't think I've seen yet. If I'm REALLY REALLY stuck, I'll ask someone else (a beta, a reader, a friend) to take it and write a page or two from the point where I'm stuck. Then when I get it back, either I'm like, "no, that's not what happened!" and feel the need to change it, or it will be a good jumping point to head off with. (I never really keep exactly what I get back, but I've some great ideas have come from seeing what someone else thought should come next)

Pyxelle

 

The write-as-I-go-along method worked for The Droid Empress because I knew the story and important characters very well before I actually started posting, and went through several long drafts of a summary beforehand. (Well, I didn't decide who the father of the most major OC was until I was actually writing chapter 9, but otherwise, I knew her character! Despite being a fairly important detail, the truth of her paternity didn't affect anything except the fine details of a lightsaber duel in chapter 17. Yes, it's a long story. ) It didn't work as much for my more recent WIP and that one is basically dead, although I might revive it at a later time.

What about control over semi-dreams? I have a very vivid imagination, and when I'm going to sleep it does get sharper, but not a whole lot. Was that what you meant? If not, I'm very, very curious...

<i>I'll do this a lot: read a book that "I think has a good idea but I could have done it better"</i> That was what powered one of my stories - although what really happened was that a scene was hyped up in discussion forums, and I got confused, mistaking an extremely tame earlier version for the one that was being discussed, and went all "Dude, just give me the keyboard." And then I found several books later that Stover did much, much better than me.

 

I find that helpful too.
Though sometimes it's an excuse for being lazy. i should be working on the next chapter for one of my fics but instead I've come out with two Viggies and two other challenge replies that I posted up on the challenge threads (deeming them not worthy of a regular thread.)

 

Bringing this up by request.

 

Well, i hope the requestee found what she/he/it was looking for. There are soem very good ideas here.

-The One
-The Only
-The Flir

~Brant_Flir

 

There are some excellent ideas, I have to admit. Thanks for upping this, VaderLVR!