writing meta. sort of.
Dec. 23rd, 2009 11:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaydeefalls
The solution to boredom is, apparently, to post way too damn much. Sorry for inflicting my blather upon you all. :/
So because I'm bored out of my mind, I pulled up one of my perennial WIPs. This one I started over a year ago, got about twenty pages in, and then got completely stuck. It's been stalled for a very long time now. I love what I have, but I just couldn't figure out where it was GOING. Or, well, I had the emotional arc all figured out, but the actual plot was just...stuck. I had all these things happening, but couldn't figure out why or how they were connected or how to resolve them. (This is how most of my plotty fics work: I throw a lot of interesting stuff at the wall and see what sticks, then play connect-the-dots and call it a plot. Don't even ask me how my Big Bang managed to come together, I really have no idea. Pure luck.)
Right, so the WIP. I just started typing randomly -- not prose, just working out what the problems were and trying to figure out how to start connecting the dots. And I kept beating my head against the brick wall of Why This Stuff Is Even Happening, and trying to mold it into something familiar, and utterly failing.
And then I stopped trying to shape it, and just let it be, and it worked. I had been trying to be all, "well, x exists, but what equation BROUGHT x into existence?" and failing; instead, I worked out the ramifications -- "okay, if x and y happen, then the result would be z" -- and all the separate pieces just...came together. It makes sense, and now I can see what original event a occurred to set it all in motion. And that's kind of awesome.
I mean, I still have to do the writing part. But it's a start.
So because I'm bored out of my mind, I pulled up one of my perennial WIPs. This one I started over a year ago, got about twenty pages in, and then got completely stuck. It's been stalled for a very long time now. I love what I have, but I just couldn't figure out where it was GOING. Or, well, I had the emotional arc all figured out, but the actual plot was just...stuck. I had all these things happening, but couldn't figure out why or how they were connected or how to resolve them. (This is how most of my plotty fics work: I throw a lot of interesting stuff at the wall and see what sticks, then play connect-the-dots and call it a plot. Don't even ask me how my Big Bang managed to come together, I really have no idea. Pure luck.)
Right, so the WIP. I just started typing randomly -- not prose, just working out what the problems were and trying to figure out how to start connecting the dots. And I kept beating my head against the brick wall of Why This Stuff Is Even Happening, and trying to mold it into something familiar, and utterly failing.
And then I stopped trying to shape it, and just let it be, and it worked. I had been trying to be all, "well, x exists, but what equation BROUGHT x into existence?" and failing; instead, I worked out the ramifications -- "okay, if x and y happen, then the result would be z" -- and all the separate pieces just...came together. It makes sense, and now I can see what original event a occurred to set it all in motion. And that's kind of awesome.
I mean, I still have to do the writing part. But it's a start.
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no subject
Date: 2009-12-24 01:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-24 01:31 pm (UTC)Okay, so what time does your train leave?
no subject
Date: 2009-12-24 01:35 pm (UTC)Trufax: I haven't booked yet, but either 4:05 or 5:05. I was leaning towards the latter. What're you thinking?
The prices appear to have gone DOWN since 2 am. I am deeply confused.