I was in an appointment today that I always have on Thursdays. In this appointment I basically just sit for a really long time, so I was thinking about my books (specifically Death List) and where I want to take the plots. After some time of doing this, I got to thinking about all of you and how well you seem to know your own books. Some of you know every event that takes place in your book before you even start writing it. The planning that you do is so intense, and all of your books sound really, really awesome. So it just sort of struck me...I would quit running into problems with my own writing if I just dedicated some time to extensive planning. If I didn't just jump into my stories without really knowing where they were going or how they were going to end up, I might not wind up with so many issues. Because I just kind of jump in to a book, I always get tangled up in details and have problems with where I want the plot to head. SO the obvious solution is to stop writing and start planning, which is what I am hereby swearing to do. All of my books are being put on hold until I have a serious outline and KNOW where I want them to go. I'm posting this mostly so that I have witnesses to my promise to NOT WRITE until I know what the hell I'm writing about. If I start posting about how I just wrote something interesting or whatever, you all have permission to destroy me in an angry mob.
In other news, I really like Cori's idea of redoing the blog. Obviously I haven't been on here that long and SAAWAKM's look is still somewhat new to me, but I don't know. I like creativity. I would offer to redo it (with everyone's consent, of course), but I am also a technological idiot and therefore have absolutely no idea how to. Even so, I just wanted to tell everybody that I'm pro that idea and to reintroduce it to everyone. I know that it's been brought up before.
Well, I'm stupidly tired and am considering taking a nap after I finish everything that I want to do today because it's summer and I can do that. In theory. I can't actually sleep during the daytime, but it's worth a try. I might be on here later today to annoy all of you with more of nothing to say, but, until then, au revoir!
-Iridian
Haha I never used to use an outline. The Caged I'm writing is actually the seventh draft; it used to be a lot less awesome than it is now. The first draft, which I wrote at the age of 12, is actually only 20,000 words long - a far cry from the 75,000 it's at right now.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do now is put down Chapter One, and then write about what I want to happen in that chapter. Then I rewrite it until it looks polished and all. Then I write the chapter itself xD! I make a lot of changes as I go on, too, so the outline may turn out to be the complete opposite of what you're writing later on in the story.
And don't EVER stop writing! If you want to write "something interesting," as you put it, do it. You never know: you might actually use that interesting little something somewhere in your book. It might even turn out to be a major plot point. =D!
Au revoir, ma copine!
-Cori
My god the plotting.
ReplyDeleteSuch an intense, painful process.
So long.
I freaking love it.
Coming up with an idea and getting to know it, to me, that's absolutely the best feeling. By the end, I know my story better than I know myself and I haven't even written it yet.
I'll delve into details later, if you care to know (and don't already) the intense-ness (no, not intensity, intense-ness) of our plotting process.
The worst part is just making yourself sit down and get to work.
-H