7 Things About My Writing Process Meme
Jul. 18th, 2010 09:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
curuchamionI can't imagine why I keep posting these things, since obviously nobody is interested... but I rather like to natter on all introspectively about my writing process, anyway.
So. Seven random things about my writing process. Let's see.
1: I can write "on command" or to a prompt, but I much prefer the stories that just pop into my head and demand to be written. Not only are they a heck of a lot easier, they tend to come out better (as judged by the enthusiasm of the reviews). Sadly, the last one that popped into my head, I put off in favor of a college application essay, and now I can't seem to write anything. :-(
2: I tend to write my first drafts by hand unless the exact wording is already very clear in my head; seeing the words in my handwriting helps me keep my own voice, whereas typing them out on the computer often makes them more stereotyped and less original. I've never written an original fic piece where I didn't have to copy out every new draft by hand to get back into the headspace.
3: I can't write while anyone's in the same room. I just freeze up. I've always put that down to my family's energetic concrit - emphasis on the "crit" - of any drafts they happen to see, but apparently other people have this problem too.
4: I've never written a fanfic that wasn't influenced to a fair extent by fanon and the tone of the particular fandom, or directly inspired by specific fics. That will have to change if I wind up writing any Legend fic, as there is no fanon! ;-)
5: My inspiration usually comes from odd lines in fics or online conversations I read, or little things that happen in real life. Very occasionally it comes from the actual show I'm writing about - or from a different show altogether! Also, a single fic usually comes from two or more thoughts that collide in my head and produce a new idea.
6: I've never finished a story with Plot, but I do come up with Plotty ideas occasionally. I just don't seem to get around to writing them. (And lately, as stated above, even if I pull out a half-finished story and stare hard at it, it doesn't go anywhere! *growl*)
7: I prefer pen to pencil. Pencil gives me writer's cramp.
You know, I'd really like to read about y'all's writing processes, too...
So. Seven random things about my writing process. Let's see.
1: I can write "on command" or to a prompt, but I much prefer the stories that just pop into my head and demand to be written. Not only are they a heck of a lot easier, they tend to come out better (as judged by the enthusiasm of the reviews). Sadly, the last one that popped into my head, I put off in favor of a college application essay, and now I can't seem to write anything. :-(
2: I tend to write my first drafts by hand unless the exact wording is already very clear in my head; seeing the words in my handwriting helps me keep my own voice, whereas typing them out on the computer often makes them more stereotyped and less original. I've never written an original fic piece where I didn't have to copy out every new draft by hand to get back into the headspace.
3: I can't write while anyone's in the same room. I just freeze up. I've always put that down to my family's energetic concrit - emphasis on the "crit" - of any drafts they happen to see, but apparently other people have this problem too.
4: I've never written a fanfic that wasn't influenced to a fair extent by fanon and the tone of the particular fandom, or directly inspired by specific fics. That will have to change if I wind up writing any Legend fic, as there is no fanon! ;-)
5: My inspiration usually comes from odd lines in fics or online conversations I read, or little things that happen in real life. Very occasionally it comes from the actual show I'm writing about - or from a different show altogether! Also, a single fic usually comes from two or more thoughts that collide in my head and produce a new idea.
6: I've never finished a story with Plot, but I do come up with Plotty ideas occasionally. I just don't seem to get around to writing them. (And lately, as stated above, even if I pull out a half-finished story and stare hard at it, it doesn't go anywhere! *growl*)
7: I prefer pen to pencil. Pencil gives me writer's cramp.
You know, I'd really like to read about y'all's writing processes, too...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-07-19 01:46 am (UTC)That will have to change if I wind up writing any Legend fic, as there is no fanon!
*squees at an excessively loud volume*
The same points from my writing perspective...
Date: 2010-07-19 06:35 am (UTC)2) How I write: I'm a computer-software writer all the way. I rarely write out anything the old-fashioned way anymore. I like to have the facility for spell checking, thesaurus peering and dictionary assuring immediately at my fingertips.
3) Preferred writing environment: I definitely have to write while alone as well. I get distracted with people in the same room with me.
4) Writing inspiration: Not true for me, but MFU is the only fanfiction I write and that is more inspired by the effect of various episodes upon me, sometimes as little as simply one line in an episode. I can't say fanon hasn't inspired anything I've written, but honestly it's not my major source of inspiration for my fanfic pieces.
5) Writing inspiration, Part 2: Mine definitely comes in the main from the series itself, from specific things within episodes that intrigue me in some way. As I noted in the prior point, that something may be no more than a single line, but the episode themselves are really what start the ideas flowing for me.
6) What I write: I am a definite plot writer. I've only written one piece that could be really described as a vignette. Though I have also written a couple of MFU poetry pieces and those are "plotless" of course [wink].
7) Writing instrument: If I write anything out "longhand", yeah it's in pen. Pencils have to be sharpened too often to retain a proper writing point. [chuckle]
no subject
Date: 2010-07-19 04:55 pm (UTC)1. I write mostly short stories or scenes. What long stories I have trudge along very slowly, as I tend to get bogged down in detail. I love the challenge of getting my point across well without wasted words.
2. My inspiration comes from everywhere - a random remark, a discussion (frequently with my daughter), a scene in a movie, or, most often, my Muse waking up and saying, "Hey! What about..?" I'm always scribbling down ideas.
3. I enjoy a wide range of fandoms and thus write a wide range of fictions. If I like a particular fandom I don't care what other people think about it. Life is random and so am I.
4. Me, I can write anywhere, with anyone around. My time alone is so rare that if I waited for privacy I would never write more than a drabble a month. I write at work, home, on vacation, even at the airport (which is about as crowded as you can get).
5. I have a dozen or more stories, some fanfic, some original, that will likely never get finished, let alone published. But I like to nibble away at them now and then.
6. I've only ever finished one long, multi-chapter story (in The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne fandom). I published it at a yahoo discussion group which is now extinct. Sometime I ought to put it up at fanfic.net.
7. I love coming up with interesting cross-overs, but then it's such a challenge to write well in two fandoms!