My writing process

[janus_74]

holycitygirl asked a while ago about the writing process, and since it's fresh in my mind (and the boy's sleeping) I thought I'd share mine:

Start with a line of dialog or an action. Then add in one or two other bits of dialog that sound good but are in no way connected to the first.

Freak out because there's no start or end. Make up a first sentence that sucks, knowing I'll replace it later. Don't worry about the end yet, I'm sure it will all work itself out. Add most of the dialog (sans tags) and actions, starting from the middle and working out toward the start/end.

Re-read and freak out again because it sounds like a ten year old wrote it.

Add in the he said/she saids and replace the boring actions with tags. Leave handy space savers [...] where I know something else should go but can't think of what.

Create numerous one line paragraphs for dramatic effect. Also make sure there is at least one sentence fragment per hundred words.

Realize there's no exposition. At all. Add some in. Replace the first sentence and put down something that might just work for the last line. Delete the last 2 space savers because it sounds just as good without adding anything.

And that's it. What's yours?

Comments

[holycitygirl.livejournal.com]

Really? See that amazes me. That just sounds hard to me. Having pieces that you fit together and make work.

Totally the opposite of mine. Which is - sit down - search my brain for an idea. Sometimes I just know what pairing I want, or the general mood (ie angst, fluff, etc) Sometimes there is a specific dialogue but very rarely.

Find the first sentence. Which never changes. For me the first sentence is the beginning of it all - it folds out from that. First sentence, second, third til it's done.

I rarely add anything in. I might edit, tweak, delete a sentence or two. But nothing ever gets longer. Once the last sentence (which is the hardest because I have to have some kind of punch of closure) is written it's done. I can make it shorter from there, but that is just my need to keep things simple and powerful.

The less time I spend on a fic the better. The more I think about it the more likely I will be to ruin it and throw it away.

[dragonsinger.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow...I would get all confused.:)

As for me, I have to start at the beginning and write the story stright through. No outline, no major twists, just an idea and characters. Then I go back, reread, and edit it. Then I do it again. Then I get somebody else to read it.

[janus-74.livejournal.com]

It does tend to go in a different direction than I originally planed :) I don't think I have the attention span to sit down and write start to finish.

[janus-74.livejournal.com]

I think my whole process is one big edit. I'm trying to remember if I've ever written anything start to finish. And I'm coming up with a big blank. The closest would be the first bit of Wrong.

[remedychild.livejournal.com]

i dive in with dialogue usually. i usually don't have a particular ending in mind, either. the only time where i'll skip a whole scene and continue with the story and then edit the scene in later is usually with smutty parts or a paragraph without dialogue.

i usually decide to go over it only twice because i'd end up deleting the whole thing if i read anything of mine over too much. other than that, i don't have much of a process. which is why, i guess, most of my fics/writings don't get updated or finished until god knows when.

[janus-74.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I didn't mention that before I write a single word I wait at least 6 months after my last fic. And smutty parts are always the last thing too :)

[dragonsinger.livejournal.com]

It's amazing how differently writers write. :)