Challenge Fifty Titles in Search of a Story | We have a winner! Congrats to divapilot :)

brodiew I remember thinking to myself that you'd picked a good title for a TFA fic when you signed up. I'm glad to see that it works for you, that's what you wanted, isn't it?

Whenever you want However, if no one else is thinking of a murder mystery for their title, we might want to take that conversation to PM. What do y'all think?

divapilot I'm like you on that one. If I haven't decided where my story ends, I don't know where to start it.

However, a reminder to everyone that you don't need to start posting until 31 March, so there's plenty of time to develop and iron out your plots.

And now I'm going to answer the questions too

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My title is: If This Is a Man

What is your first reaction to your title? Do you feel inspired, uninspired, intrigued, mystified?

I think the correct word would be "daunted"

Did a particular plot bunny pop into your head?

The first idea I had was a Vader piece post-RotS, either introspection or something set during the Jedi Purges. But then a clone story could also work. Or maybe a combination of both.

Does the title evoke themes that you usually write or would like to write?

Both the title and the book have to do with themes that I like to write about -- namely, identity and the banality of evil -- but I don't think I should go for that combination in a fanfic. If anyone can help me dissociate the title from the book, I'd be grateful.

Do you already have an idea of the sort of story you want to write for it (genre, era, fandom, etc)? Or would you rather let it mature a bit?

I'm going to sit on it a little. For now what I have in mind is a super-angsty approach, but I'd like to turn it into a more starwarsy adventure story. It's definitely going to be Star Wars though.

Do you think it’s a good title, and why? (see also here and here for discussions about titles)

I think it's a great title for the RL book. For a SW story, I'm not too sure. I need to cudgel my brain a little.

Are you curious to read the work it was borrowed from, or have you already read it? Do you think that being familiar with the work in question is/would be helpful, or is it a hindrance? Why?

I've read Primo Levi's book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it yet (content warning: it's an autobiographical narrative of his time in Auschwitz). It's IMO one of the greatest pieces of non-fiction of the 20th century and it tackles very serious themes, which is why I find the title difficult to approach. I wouldn't be comfortable making a crack!fic out of it, yet I think that trying to adhere to the themes of the book would be, if nothing else, presumptuous.

*scratches head*

 

Chyntuck - this title is perfect for SW if you take an AU approach to Vader who survives past Endor or any one who feels they have to atone and so no longer feels like a person and has to rebuild or remake their identity all over again, either because of the things they did or experienced - e.g., an Inquisitor having to find a different role/livelihood. A clone trooper would also work splendidly.

 

I had an idea for my story last night while I was falling asleep. I should have gotten up and written it down, but I was having such a hard time going to sleep I didn't want to wake myself back up any more and now I've forgotten what it was. Hopefully it will come back to me.

 

mavjade You could try invoking the shower muse. It worked for Tarsier

 

The shower muse is the best! The bath muse also works sometimes... I've been known to write in the bathtub. (Haven't done that in quite a while, maybe I should try it again.)

What is it about the bathroom that has such magical muse properties??

 

mavjade - if you can remember even an image or a snatch of dialogue. Sometimes after I wake up, that's all I have to go on.

It must be the relaxation factor.

 

At least I am not the only one. Bath...and the best seat in the house are my favs. Just the tablet and me, no distractions.

As for pre-sleep stuff: speak into the phone or tablet mic or write a couple of words that will remind you of what you wanted when you wake up. Works for me...though sometimes it makes no sense in a fully awake state. I guess that's how surreal happens!

What Nyota's Heart said is basically the same thing, if visual cues work better for you.

 

Chyntuck another possibility for your title might be a cyborg-- particularly someone who's had extensive cybernetic replacements due to injury/disease/accident. How much of a person can be replaced with machinery and still be considered human? (Speaking as a transplant recipient, I can say the knowledge that part of your body is no longer, strictly speaking, yours is initially very strange)

 

Wrap-up week 1:

The titles that were attributed so far are:

Glor -- And Then There Were None (borrowed from Agatha Christie)​

yahiko -- Exile and the Kingdom (borrowed from Albert Camus)​

s_heffley -- One Thousand and One Nights (borrowed from... erm... medieval Arab literature)​

Ewok Poet -- Darkness at Noon (borrowed from Arthur Koestler)​

jcgoble3 -- A Season in Hell (borrowed from Arthur Rimbaud)​

earlybird-obi-wan -- The Flowers of Evil (borrowed from Charles Baudelaire)​

SiouxFan -- Great Expectations (borrowed from Charles Dickens)​

Katana_Sundancer -- The Trouble with Being Born (borrowed from Emil Cioran)​

Admiral Volshe -- All Quiet on the Western Front (borrowed from Erich Maria Remarque)​

pregnantpadme -- The Book of Disquiet (borrowed from Fernando Pessoa)​

Lazy K -- Notes from Underground (borrowed from Fyodor Dostoevsky)​

LadyPadme -- Requiem for a Dream (borrowed from Hubert Selby Jr.)​

Shira A'dola -- The Invisible Company (borrowed from Iakovos Kambanellis)​

mavjade -- The End of Eternity (borrowed from Isaac Asimov)​

mute90 -- Our Kind of Traitor (borrowed from John le Carré)​

Raissa Baiard -- Blindness (borrowed from José Saramago)​

KELIA -- Time Regained (borrowed from Marcel Proust)​

SabyneAmberle -- Immortality (borrowed from Milan Kundera)​

Darthmagus970 -- The Last Temptation (borrowed from Nikos Kazantzakis)​

Chyntuck -- If This Is a Man (borrowed from Primo Levi)​

divapilot -- Season of Migration to the North (borrowed from Tayeb Salih)​

brodiew -- The Island of the Day Before (borrowed from Umberto Eco)​

Tarsier -- The Sound and the Fury (borrowed from William Faulkner)​

Nyota's Heart -- Much Ado about Nothing (borrowed from William Shakespeare)​

Judging from their responses, earlybird, EP, Raissa, Sabyne, Shira, LadyPadme and brodiew know where they're going with their title. Lazy K, Nyota's Heart, Glor, divapilot, mute90, mav, s_heffley, Tarsier, Volshe and Chyntuck are still thinking of it, but they apparently have the beginning of something. Oh, and we all agree that the bathroom is a good source of inspiration

We haven't heard back yet from yahiko, jcgoble3, SiouxFan, Katana_Sundancer, pregnantpadme, KELIA and Darthmagus970 -- which doesn't mean that we have to hear back from you of course, or that you can't answer the questions later on.

And now, on to week 2...

 

A little note: I tried to break down the discussion topics listed on page 1 into smaller ones, so that we can have an on-going discussion here -- which, again does not preclude returning to an earlier part of the discussion if you feel that it's necessary, or not participating in this or that part of the discussion at all. If you think that changing the topic every week is too often, please say so and I'll make it every 2 weeks or every month.

Week 2: Outlining

This is just a bunch of questions to get the conversation going, and I’m fully aware that some of them overlap. You don’t need to answer them one by one, the purpose is only to suggest different angles to approach the issue of outlining your story.

How much do you outline? Are you a control freak who needs to know every single detail before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), or do you write by the seat of your pants? Do you know the beginning, middle and end of your story before you start writing? Or do you just start on a general idea and let the story take you where it wants to? What positives and negatives do you see in either approach?

Where do you start? Characters? Plot? Location? Context? Themes? Something else? Do you brainstorm and jot down notes for random ideas? Do you discuss your options with other people? Do you just let your ideas ripen in your head? Why do you find any of these approaches helpful to come up with an outline?

What does your outline look like? Is it simply a one-paragraph summary of your story, or do you come up with a detailed breakdown of your plot? Is it a series of bullet points in no particular order? Does it include questions as well as answers?

How do you keep track of details for your story? Do you keep a list of plot points that need to be resolved, or of elements of character development that should be covered? Do you note in the margins titbits for which you want to introduce some foreshadowing? Do you deliberately plan for red herrings to mislead and later surprise the reader? Or is it all in your head?

What tools do you use? Worksheets? Flowcharts? Character sheets? Any other tools you think are useful? Pen and paper, or electronic, or both? Why? Any software recommendations?

Resources: See here for some useful writing tools, and here for some world-building resources. Also there was a discussion about outlining in the Writer's Desk last month, have a look here.

Feel free to suggest any extra questions that you would like to see discussed, I’ll add them to this list.

I’ll be back next week with a wrap-up of the outlining discussion. Also, I have an idea for an outlining exercise, is anyone game?

 

Wonderful summation of week #1. And I like a discussion every two weeks, although of course they're open-ended.

~~!

I like to outline broadly. Usually, I outline by chapters and/or scenes, what I want to have happen during and by the end of a scene. I usually have an idea of how many chapters the final story will have.

I put in the following things: 1. major plot points and 2. things the characters have to do, i.e., decisions they have to grapple with, things they need to disclose to another person, etc., Or if they continue to be indecisive ....

Lines of dialogue that make the whole thing more umphy go in there.

I just use a regular word processing program, nothing fancy like a spreadsheet.

For the DDC, I needed to have at least 24 entries, so I clustered them and then added details later. For instance, if I were writing a Mara Jade post-Endor thing, I might say the first 4-6 entries are her feeling very adrift emotionally and professionally and the last one has her "accidentally" meeting up with Talon Karrde.

 

I wish I could say I'm another Faulkner, covering the wallpaper with my copious notes. But no...
I have found that using the table function in Word helps me. I set it up with the chapters as the rows and the characters as the columns, and add one column for notes. I put in a brief (phrase, maybe a sentence) summary of what that character is experiencing during that chapter. I like using the table function because it automatically expands as I type.

I find that this method is especially helpful for making sure my secondary characters are also developing along with the main charaters. It also helps me keep track of the way the arcs are intersecting. There will be multiple conflicts that need to be resolved (each main character usually has some kind of internal and/or external conflict), and they are not going to all be resolved at the same time.

For the last long fic I wrote, I had to make a secondary table to keep track of everyone's ages.

I guess it's kind of in my head. I like to sprinkle breadcrumbs that are not so much foreshadowing (there's no gun on the mantle, Anton). It's more like priming the reader for what I know will happen so that the reader is prepared when it hits and doesn't feel like it came out of nowhere.

 

Great wrap-up of week 1! (Though at this point I think I could be moved to the first list - I think I pretty much know where I'm going.)

Outlining
For something this long I usually have an outline, but it's very basic - a number for each chapter and a bullet point for each section. The bullet points can be extremely simple ("Luke wakes up" or "dragon") if I can see the scene clearly (or it is already written), or it can be a rambling summary or list of events and sometimes bits of dialogue. I usually write in third-person limited, so I will note the POV character and use the outline to make sure there is a good rotation of perspectives.

I usually have the end in mind pretty quickly after I come up with the premise. If I don't see an end right away, the premise will probably be abandoned before it even starts. The middle is the toughest part for me. Often the third-quarter is a black hole that I hope I'll be able to bridge when I get to it. Sometimes it works out, sometimes my stories stall out there.

I use Microsoft Word. I've tried using Scrivener, but it was just too complicated for me. Occasionally, I'll feel like hand-writing a scene or summary, I can't really explain why. I don't generally keep lists for character development or plot points or anything. It's all in my head or worked into the outline. I can't say I've ever really consciously planned to use any plot devices like foreshadowing or red herrings.

 

How much do you outline? Are you a control freak who needs to know every single detail before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), or do you write by the seat of your pants?
Seat of the pants writing with some detailed planning in a spreadsheet.

Do you know the beginning, middle and end of your story before you start writing? Or do you just start on a general idea and let the story take you where it wants to? What positives and negatives do you see in either approach?
I know the beginning and end and make up the rest during writing.

Where do you start? Characters? Plot? Location? Context? Themes? Something else?
Characters and plot

Do you brainstorm and jot down notes for random ideas?
Some notes in the timeline (a spreadsheet I am keeping for all my fics)

Do you discuss your options with other people?
No

Do you just let your ideas ripen in your head?
Yes, during cycling to and from my work.

Why do you find any of these approaches helpful to come up with an outline?

What does your outline look like? Is it simply a one-paragraph summary of your story, or do you come up with a detailed breakdown of your plot?
Is it a series of bullet points in no particular order? Does it include questions as well as answers?
A detailed timeline for all the characters involved is what I use

How do you keep track of details for your story?
Do you keep a list of plot points that need to be resolved, or of elements of character development that should be covered?
The spreadsheet is very useful

Do you note in the margins titbits for which you want to introduce some foreshadowing? Do you deliberately plan for red herrings to mislead and later surprise the reader? Or is it all in your head?
All is in my head or on the spreadsheet timeline

What tools do you use? Worksheets? Flowcharts? Character sheets? Any other tools you think are useful? Pen and paper, or electronic, or both? Why? Any software recommendations?
Excell and I make drawings, paintings of scenes and characters.

 

May I have #37?

 

I've been busy making sure my fic-gift gets posted and resting my brain after writing 5,000 words in two days. Unlike some people, I can't write multiple days in a row without getting burnt out super-quickly.

I'm going to set aside some time to answer both the week 1 and week 2 questions tonight, and I may need some quick brainstorming on my title. I have a couple ideas (something related to sports, or a war story), but I'm open to hearing other possibilities.

 

Welcome ZaraValinor Your title is Perfume (you should have received it by PM as well), and I added you to the list on page 1.

 

Wellllll . . .

- The suns of Tatooine act up simultaneously, resulting in horrendous weather conditions for Luke and the Larses (or random OCs ).
- An actor faces stalker fans, hostile co-stars, Imperial bureaucrats "suggesting" story ideas, clueless writers, and more.
- Palpatine, stripped of the Force in the afterlife, attempts to take over Hell.

 

The Palpatine one would make a good crack!fic, but I doubt I'd be able to sustain a fic of the length required by this challenge with it. Still,

The other two are a bit intriguing, though.

 

I think this may be the first story in which I employ an outline. The structure of this exercise certainly lean toward it being a good idea. *ponders how to make an outline*

 

Too bad this isn't my title. This sounds insanely fun.

 

Okay, so I have been himming and hawwwing joining this challenge, because it looks like an immense amount of fun (SOMEONE needs to write that Palpatine crackfic), and because the titles all look great (seriously, I got bunnies from some of them). Plus, seeing as I unexpectedly finished my (former) WIP, I'm going to join, because WHY NOT?

I will join out of competition since I am a rather 'seasoned' longfic writer (ha! I'm kidding myself here).

I will take #23, please?

 

How much do you outline? Are you a control freak who needs to know every single detail before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), or do you write by the seat of your pants?

At first, not at all. I write out the first chapter and plot things out afterwards. I like to know every note I'm trying to hit, and make one-sentence notes that act as mile markers. The idea of writing without some kind of plan makes my head hurt.

Do you know the beginning, middle and end of your story before you start writing? Or do you just start on a general idea and let the story take you where it wants to? What positives and negatives do you see in either approach?

When I start, I often have at least a vague idea of how the story will end. I never really have a very clear path for the middle portion, more like jotted down notes for things I know need to happen at some point, then I have to fill in the gaps. I can only see positives in plotting out a middle act, since I've neglected to do so on other projects and it's come back to bite me.

Where do you start? Characters? Plot? Location? Context? Themes? Something else? Do you brainstorm and jot down notes for random ideas? Do you discuss your options with other people? Do you just let your ideas ripen in your head? Why do you find any of these approaches helpful to come up with an outline?

I usually jot down notes, often in random order, which makes sorting through milestones awful. If someone shows interest, I'll share and discuss with them. If I can find someone to preread my stuff, I'll normally do that and hit up some rewrites. Either way, talking through ideas is one of the most important things any writer can do. That way someone can stop you and say, "Bro, that doesn't make any sense."

What does your outline look like? Is it simply a one-paragraph summary of your story, or do you come up with a detailed breakdown of your plot? Is it a series of bullet points in no particular order? Does it include questions as well as answers?

Bullet point breakdowns of certain events, usually many questions without answers in haphazard order at the top of the page. I usually have a fully detailed outline after the first chapter.

How do you keep track of details for your story? Do you keep a list of plot points that need to be resolved, or of elements of character development that should be covered? Do you note in the margins titbits for which you want to introduce some foreshadowing? Do you deliberately plan for red herrings to mislead and later surprise the reader? Or is it all in your head?

I don't plan red herrings or foreshadowing, that stuff just sort of happens and I don't know if it's a good thing or not. I tend to keep breaks between chapters for character development notes.

What tools do you use? Worksheets? Flowcharts? Character sheets? Any other tools you think are useful? Pen and paper, or electronic, or both? Why? Any software recommendations?

Nothing too fancy. Just OpenOffice. I never use pen and paper unless absolutely necessary. A) Because I can't write very fast. B) When I try to write fast, I can't read what I write. This shames me.

Also, earlybird-obi-wan it's pretty cool you do drawings/paintings of certain scenes. Would you ever be willing to share those once the story is complete?

 

My drawings will be in the story

 

Okay, here we go with Week 1 questions. Title is A Season in Hell.

What is your first reaction to your title? Do you feel inspired, uninspired, intrigued, mystified?
"Intrigued" would be the best word to describe it. Maybe a bit of "mystified" as well.

Did a particular plot bunny pop into your head?
Not really, just a couple of general themes.

Does the title evoke themes that you usually write or would like to write?
No, it doesn't.

Do you already have an idea of the sort of story you want to write for it (genre, era, fandom, etc)? Or would you rather let it mature a bit?
No clue at this point.

Do you think it’s a good title, and why? (see also here and here for discussions about titles)
I honestly can't answer this question.

Are you curious to read the work it was borrowed from, or have you already read it? Do you think that being familiar with the work in question is/would be helpful, or is it a hindrance? Why?
Never heard of it. I'm curious to read a plot summary of it, though I don't think taking the time to read the whole thing would have any additional benefit.




Week 2: Outlining

How much do you outline? Are you a control freak who needs to know every single detail before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), or do you write by the seat of your pants? Do you know the beginning, middle and end of your story before you start writing? Or do you just start on a general idea and let the story take you where it wants to? What positives and negatives do you see in either approach?

A: I'm definitely leaning toward control freak. I like to have a full plot summary before I start. And thatlot summary can be pretty detailed at times. For reference, my fic-gift this year was slightly over 5,000 words, and the plot summary I had before I started writing was 1,250 words. I absolutely cannot start on something until I know where I'm going to end up with it.

Where do you start? Characters? Plot? Location? Context? Themes? Something else? Do you brainstorm and jot down notes for random ideas? Do you discuss your options with other people? Do you just let your ideas ripen in your head? Why do you find any of these approaches helpful to come up with an outline?

A: I typically start with the plot and match it to characters at an early stage (though OCs aren't named at this point). Location usually comes late in the process (and sometimes isn't developed until I'm in the actual writing phase). Usually I need something to sit and ripen entirely in my head before I start taking notes; I find that if I start writing things down (or typing things) too early, it kills my muse and I never get around to doing anything with that plot bunny.

What does your outline look like? Is it simply a one-paragraph summary of your story, or do you come up with a detailed breakdown of your plot? Is it a series of bullet points in no particular order? Does it include questions as well as answers?

A: Usually a paragraphed summary; I aim for one solid paragraph per planned chapter (though that can change as I write). I've tried the bullet-point approach with another fic, and I've come to the conclusion that it isn't working. So paragraphs it is.

How do you keep track of details for your story? Do you keep a list of plot points that need to be resolved, or of elements of character development that should be covered? Do you note in the margins titbits for which you want to introduce some foreshadowing? Do you deliberately plan for red herrings to mislead and later surprise the reader? Or is it all in your head?

A: It's all in my head usually. However, if I think of a little detail (a piece of foreshadowing, character development, etc.) while I'm writing the plot summary, I'll usually go back and insert a mention of it at the appropriate place in the plot summary, but once I'm writing, it's all kept in my head.

What tools do you use? Worksheets? Flowcharts? Character sheets? Any other tools you think are useful? Pen and paper, or electronic, or both? Why? Any software recommendations?

A: I absolutely, positively CANNOT write on paper. I have to have a computer or something else that allows me to go back and edit as I go. This was the major reason I nearly failed English class in high school: because the teachers often forced us to write on paper. My brain is simply not wired that way. I critically MUST have the capability to jump back and forth from one section to another and to massively edit and/or replace previous sections and insert entirely new sections anywhere, or else my brain will throw up a complete block and refuse to put anything down until it is 100% positive that the word it is about to put on the sheet of paper in front of me is the final word that it is guaranteed to never want to change... and of course that never happens.

I have nothing special in the way of software, just regular old Open Office. I've thought about giving Scrivener a try, but never done so.

outlining exercise, is anyone game?

A: Perhaps. What would this entail?