Writing today...

[seawasp]

About 4300 words done in "Trial Run", the next Jason Wood story.

It's interesting the difference between writing things like Boundary and my normal writing style. The Jason Wood stories I have NO IDEA when I start exactly how things are going to go. I know the endpoint -- the "blow-off", as it's sometimes called -- but no idea how to get there. Boundary and Threshold I start with a pretty clear outline.

Comments

[baronger.livejournal.com]

Please don't put up a NaNoWriMo counter ... :)

I'm terrible at writing, everything I write gets hijacked by my characters. Which usually means the story always ends up in strange places.

[alex swavely (from livejournal.com)]

everything I write gets hijacked by my characters.

I've seen this answered by several authors that say you should consider writing a loose outline first. Not detailed enough to stifle your characters, but just enough to keep them on task.

I can't say personally whether it works -- I have ADD and don't recall ever finishing a story I've started writing. ;)

[baronger.livejournal.com]

tried outlines ....

only problem is sometimes the characters lead the story in a more interesting direction. I almost believe in muses sometimes when this happens. Either that or I develop a sort of multiple personality.

I...

[seawasp]

... get driven by ideas and scenes. My characters will obey. Sometimes they surprise me with side issues, but they know better than to try veering off in non-plot directions.

Some writers are much more character driven, however, and they seem to produce books that are just as good; so just because the characters are driving doesn't mean you're "bad at writing".

Insofar as NaNo, can't do it even if I wanted; I don't have the time to devote to it. Without a contract, I'm lucky to get ONE day a week to write in. WITH a contract, I get two.

Re: I...

[baronger.livejournal.com]

I seem to be more character driven when I write. Of course you have the thing all NaNo writers dream about, a nice contract. Not only will you have the satisfaction of writing a novel, you get paid for it.

I have the kernal of a idea for a novel. Actually came from a fanfic I wrote that went off in a tangent. Maybe I'll give it a shot again, last time I tried it my characters went to the dark side.

Re: I...

[seawasp]

Actually, I don't have a contract NOW. I finished the draft of Threshold, and can't do any more on that until Eric finishes his input.

Re: I...

[alex swavely (from livejournal.com)]

What, you can't write 10k words in a day? Slacker..

;)

Re: I...

[seawasp]

Not in only 4 or 5 hours, no. I can only manage about 1200 or so words an hour, and I need a bit of time to get up to speed.

[shana.livejournal.com]

Goody. Another two or three chapters!

[shana.livejournal.com]

So with Jason Wood it is more exploratory -- like trying to get the PCs to the big finale with the boss monster in a game?

Yeah, sorta.

[seawasp]

I know the direction I have to go, and as I write it I realize the things I need to do to move Jason in that direction -- what kind of clues he has to find, what can mislead him, what will delay or accelerate his discovery, etc., and then I can create the circumstances necessary to provide him with what he needs.

Re: Yeah, sorta.

[shana.livejournal.com]

What would keep Verne or Sylvie from helping him...

Re: Yeah, sorta.

[seawasp]

Syl isn't the major problem, it's Verne. Syl can be annoying but I can do things to mess with her emotionally enough to keep her from blowing the entire plot a lot of the time. Verne, however, is quite capable of literally walking right THROUGH almost anything Jason runs into. (the Maelkodan, for instance, would have taken one look at Verne and run like a whipped puppy).

Re: Yeah, sorta.

[shana.livejournal.com]

Which would have made tracking her down a lot harder...

Re: Yeah, sorta.

[seawasp]

Not really. Verne would catch her pretty quick. Her only chance would be if she could somehow get out of his sight and then disappear into a crowd, AND if he didn't know what her mortal form was like.

Re: Yeah, sorta.

[shana.livejournal.com]

And since her picture was on the internet, it wouldn't take him long to find her.

Is he resistant to her power?

Re: Yeah, sorta.

[shana.livejournal.com]

Definitely like a game. You have to get the high powered NPCs out of the way so that the PCs have to handle the problems. :)

Re: Yeah, sorta.

[seawasp]

Or create problems which the NPCs *cannot* solve ("Bonds of Earth" will be like that, and "Viewed in a Harsh Light" was, too).

Re: Yeah, sorta.

[shana.livejournal.com]

Although without Raiakafan taking a hand that would have ended badly for Our Hero.