Question for Fic Writers!

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (LadyKate63) — Sun, 06 Jul 1919 15:10:37 GMT

Oh yeah, that is a great suggestion!

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (Xedra) — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:17:22 GMT

Wow, that's really an excellent idea, starting the story with the scene I already have.
Thanks!

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (dark hunter silver) — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:54:22 GMT

I'm really guilty of this, I've done it with just about everything I've written fanfiction wise. I've thought of a scene which I thought was really good then written a whole story around it.

This is going to sound mad but if you can't work your story scene in from the start, don't write the start of the story. Instead carry on writing after the scene you really like. You can also write a few chapters before the scene just to see how it might play out in the...

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (Xedra) — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:18:55 GMT

Thanks for the advice everyone! It's really helpful!

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (cobalt snow) — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:41:17 GMT

Xedra,

This thread LadyKate started also has some info that could help you-and on it I posted a few ideas:

LadyKate Writer's Question Thread

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (cobalt snow) — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:34:48 GMT

Xedra,

Two words for you:

Index Cards.

Write a scene onto each index card. It doesn't matter if the scene may be silly; it may come into use later. Try and find a unifying theme to all these ideas for scenes. The great thing about index cards is that you can re-arrange them into any order you want, so this way, you can figure out a chronology for the story. You can also do something similar on your PC, where you just...

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (SalviaWillow) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:37:29 GMT

I know what ya mean Xedra, there is one part that won't get out of ya head before you write it down. I can't blame my muse, she's always there to help me for which I am very glad, but you know...I am not always satisfied. I know that: Having written a story long time ago but for a while it seems as if you can't add anything to it or sometimes nothing fits anymore. I would say you grow into it and you grow yourself too...so it might be cool to write on it a bit later because...

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (Xedra) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:43:48 GMT

Great advice, thank you!

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (TheJollyApe) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:27:39 GMT

Put on a kettle. Light a few candles. Sit down in your kitchen. And think with a pen in your hand.

I get scenes all the time, that's how I get into a story. I see something, then I sit down and I work out who the characters are. I write complete backstories on who they are from their parents and place of birth to their favourite colour. Fill a notepad with useless information on the characters in your scenes. And as you slowly make them into 3D characters you will start getting...

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (Xedra) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:22:51 GMT

Thanks, I think I'll try that! Sounds like a fun challenge.

I won't be able to make my little orphan scenes into vignettes, though. They really need to be full-out stories. My Muse is poking at me to write and I go to all my unfinished stories and see which one is yelling the loudest to be worked on. The little orphans cry a lot and I feel bad for them.
...

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (calliopes muse) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:08:32 GMT

No, it wouldn't have to be that short, but it could be a tough challenge.

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (Aurora Goddess) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:06:35 GMT

Well, they wouldn't even have to be 200 words (though that would be an interesting challenge!--I think we had something like that on here a while back) but could be a couple pages long or something. I like writing ones like that.

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (calliopes muse) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:03:46 GMT

One of the forums I post on call those "drabbles." They're little mini scenes (100-200 words) that pack a lot of punch. I have yet to be able to write one because they're hard as hell, but it does hone your skills in being able to pack lots of emotions, thoughts, and characterization into a little span of time.

Xedra, I've done exactly the same thing with scenes. If I don't get it out of my head and on paper, it drives me nuts so I write it out and hope...

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (Aurora Goddess) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:38:17 GMT

Well, basically, you just write the scene that you want, you'd lead into it, and end it some way but you don't have to write a whole lot of plot before and after that scene. You can make it really short or a bit longer. You might get into the head of a character and talk about what they are thinking during the scene, it might be a first-person piece or it doesn't have to be.

I'll have to see if I can dig up some links to some good vignette's to check out.

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (Xedra) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:30:15 GMT

I don't think I've ever tried to write a vignette.

Any pointers?

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (Aurora Goddess) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:05:21 GMT

Oh, Xedra, you just said some things that I've done too. I enjoy writing short story/vignettes. I intend to write some more of those. They're fun.

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (LadyKate63) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:25:42 GMT

Don't have time for a long post right now but Xedra, you might want to try your hand at vignettes.

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (Xedra) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:37:09 GMT

Thanks for your comments! And, please, I'd like to hear more from everyone else, too!

Something that used to be a big obstacle for my writing was that I thought I had to write from beginning to end.
When I write, I always start out with an outline, something basic that states what the story is about - this happens, then this happen, then this... on and on, writing down things that I want to happen in the story, then I go back and flesh it out, fill in the gaps until...

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (Aurora Goddess) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:00:14 GMT

Been there.

I can imagine certain scenes just like you, or I know what I want to do at the beginning and the end but figuring out the middle takes more work. I think it's one of the reasons I have started to get back into writing fanfic in a way where I'm not writing long, drawn out plots just to get me started. I haven't written fanfic in a while but I'm seeing if I can work on a short XA story recently....

Re: Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (calliopes muse) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:36:29 GMT

Yep, happens all the time to me. Got an uber one right now that started out that way. Eventually, the scene I was bound and determined to have in there was deleted because I just couldn't make it work. The characters refused to head in that direction.

Don't try to force it. It'll come if it's supposed to. As all writers know, the characters have a life of their own. We can't control them just give them voice.

Question for Fic Writers!

feeds@yuku.com (Xedra) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:39:21 GMT

Has this ever happened to you:

You have an idea for a story... but not a complete idea... more like, you have a scene in your head that you want to build a story around.

The scene is very clear, you even write it out, but it's only one little bit of a bigger story.

Except, you don't know how to write the rest of the story!

You have a great excerpt, but you can't figure out how to write what leads up to it and what comes after.

Does...