Wild Moon Swings

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

What Should I Write?

Okay, I think this is about the lamest question an author can ask. It's just that lately I have come across a lot of requests from writers on my online archives asking for advice as to what they should write or where they should take their story. HOW LAME! I'm sorry, but in the last year I've also developed a policy about story boards - an author should have a complete one before they even start writing.

When I was a teenager, and still writing novels in cardboard folders with blue Bic ballpoint pens, I never had a story board. I would start writing, and I would progressively lose steam, but I would try my best to finish the stupid thing because it's not my style to leave things undone. I want everything wrapped up in a neat little package. So, my story would begin with all kinds of sparkle and freshness and slowly lose it, because I had no ideas past the opening. Now in my adulthood, I see that sort of behaviour as extremely bad planning. My brain has been honed by hours of office work and I know the golden rule for any sort of work:

WORK SMART, NOT HARD


See? Wasn't that easy? Four little words to help you with everything that you do. I just find that if I have a rough outline of what I want, I can whip my way through a story without anything holding me back. I'm precise, accurate, my readers appreciate how quickly I work, I don't forget my inital ideas for the story, forget what I'm doing half way through, or take over two years to write just over 8000 words. That was actually something I saw on fanfiction.net a week or so ago. Not that that's so bad, but they were begging for ideas at the ends of their chapters. Granted, it might all be B.S. and they're just trying to squirrel some extra reviews, which isn't necessarily a cheap tactic. I just wish I knew what their motives were.

Anyway, one of my heros, Bill Waterson, says that he seldom writes a story with the ending in mind. He wants the story to develop a mind of it's own and go where the characters take it. So, not everyone's style is the same, but I think his tactic takes strong characters and a writer who's willing to go there with them. Neither of these things are necessarily the case with ameteurs, but great ideas are what separates the men from the walnuts, in my opinion. Anyway, the point is - I acknowledge that not everyone is the same. Someone might work great by not going with my tactic.

One of the great complaints on my archives is that people don't finish their stories. Yeah, I find this frustrating. I compelled one of my favourite online writers to get on with their story. It was a pity it didn't maintain the same quality as the parts they wrote when I wasn't pestering them. So, now I'll keep my thoughts to myself, and let people write on their own clock.

I just hear so many writers complain that they're muses are dying and there's nothing lighting them up again, so they're giving up on their projects (I know I haven't finished 'The Dance of the Twelfth Moon' or 'Shadow Magic: Pictures of You", but in all fairness - hardly anyone was reading them to begin with, so I don't feel guilty). I just don't get it. Yeah, creativity comes in waves, but like everything else in life - you need to practice. You need to practice generating ideas. Yeah, some people are naturally gifted and some people aren't, but everyone can improve with practice.

I guess it all boils down to laziness. They want someone to spoon feed creativity and progression to them instead of working their can off for it. Instead of begging - why don't you bounce? Bounce an idea off your readership instead of begging for ideas?

2 Comments:

  • Was I helpful?

    JQ

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:36 a.m.  

  • Yeah! Of course. Talking to you that one time was partly what influenced my tirade. Of course you're helpful.

    By Blogger Sapphirefly, at 8:23 p.m.  

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