Ok, I always have a ton of ideas running thru my head, i see them like a movie in my head and i always have to write the scene down asap so i don't forget it. My question is, does anyone write out scenes or even endings before they've even truly started the story? And does anyone else see their story in their mind like a movie or is that just me??
I do, I write down things before I actually start writing. I also see it like a movie, but I need music. It's somehow essential to my process.
If you've written a scene, you have begun the story, even if you don't have the opening scene written. In fact, the opening scene is probably among te last parts of the story you willo finish, regardless of when you first penned it. The beginning is that crucial - if you lose the reader there, it doesn't matter how good the writing is in the rest of the story.
I do see it like a movie but I have trouble making sense of what it is I'm trying to say. If I do eventually write it down I usually have to have music playing as it helps me get in the zone.
I always write ideas down in a notebook when I don't have my laptop nearby. I write down complete scenes, dialogue and random ideas.
I'm not sure about a movie, but I suppose that strong visualization skills are an important element in a writer's repertoire.
I see the scenes as movie as well. It plays over and over in my head and I have to get it down. I have no problem with writing it down or anything. Usually my whole scenes are the first chapter. My problem is after that spur of inspiration as I begin to write Chpt 2 or 3 they don't have that zing Chpt 1 had.
When I play through a scene in my head, whether it's an idea that just came to me, or while writing, I am that character. Same goes for when I read books. The best writers bring the characters to life in such a way that you can understand them perfectly, and become that character in your mind. I always write in third person past tense, but I only write what the character knows or is likely to notice. I'm still working on this - bringing the reader in touch with character. There is often much going on that I don't necessarily write due to concern over cumbersome detail. I try not to sound like I'm giving stage directions. But it's easy to add this later. I never forget anything. When I first started I used to write a lot of notes, thinking I would surely forget some details of a multi-perspective trilogy... but, nope! I never bother to look at my old notes. The story is as solid as solid can be. I didn't start writing until I had it all mapped out. Mind you, I'll often walk into a room and forget what the heck I came there for... Or where I put my keys... or that pesky appointment at 2:00... I guess it's a matter of priorities. With that said: I wrote the ending of my first book before I even finished a starting chapter. It was just too awesome to resist!!.
I’m kind of like you, I have a really good image and scene in my head. But i don’t write them down, i generally remember what i saw. I had a dream 6 months ago, which i figured would-be a very satisfying ending to my book. Today i feel the same way, but i have never put it on paper, its still in my head exactly as i remember it. The only thing i put on paper before writing it chapter names, which aren’t really chapters names there just checkpoints in my story i need to pass at some stage.
I really wish I could invent a machine that you plug into your mind and it records exactly what you see, could make movies or anime in minutes! lol Would be fun way to write or 'scan' stories down!! lol
I see scenes from my story in my head like in a movie. (In fact I had a "creative writing" instructor rebuke me for writing in such a way once.) So we're alike on that much. I don't think it's unusual. As for writing scenes out of order, I used to do this occasionally with a scene I really liked imagining before the story was written, but now, for the most part, I don't do it, because by the time I get to that scene in the story, so much will have changed that the written scene will have become obsolete. I prefer to write things in order now so nothing ends up out of continuity. I write the beginning first, and the ending last, no exceptions. I don't tend to forget such things because I mull my stories over a LONG time before writing and they just become history in my head, things that seem to have been there forever. Any scenes that are interesting enough for me to want to write them down immediately, are so interesting I won't forget them.
Lots of writers (myself included) have the ol' movie in the head thing going on. What you need to do is find a proper medium to channel it into. Lately, I've been trying to translate what I see into words. For example, if I see an action scene with a car chase and exploding helicopters, I try to put it into sentences and think of buzz words that would sound good on paper. I seek out words to describe the screeching tires, the smell of burning metal, the heat of the blast, flying chopper blades ricocheting off the pavement, etc, etc. Train yourself to think in words as well as pictures. I'm also very good at getting in touch with my characters' emotions, but I always have to remind myself to translate that into words as well. How else can I expect readers to feel what they feel? Just seeing the "movie" is no good if you can't put it into terms other people can enjoy. That's the difference between a writer and a daydreamer. Oddly enough, I don't write down the scenes. I'm not a fan of writing parts of the story I haven't gotten to yet. I have a pretty good memory and the things worth saving are usually very memorable, so I just keep 'em in my head until the right time comes. Minor details may change between "here" and "there," so it would require heavy editing if it were written down.
Well, when I get an idea that I think is good I try my best to remember it later. If I don't, it must not have been worth remembering. But like you, I don't work linearly or with a plan. I may have an ending in mind or a specific scene but more often than not, by the time I get to it, the plot has changed completely and I need to come up with something else.
Hah hah! I must agree with this. I can see the angle of the 'camera,' the way the character's look, each action and reaction that occurs in nearly every instance. Slowing down, arms gently falling to the character's sides; the one foot landing, then the other, gradually with purposeful and patient movement, coming forth and then being set juxtaposed. As it touches the ground, a small, semicircle of dust unsettles and billows outward, growing bigger but also more transparent until it disappears. The look in his eyes, the strand of hair falling over the tip of his nose. But you can't write all of that in a book. There do not seem to be enough words and ways to write those words to efficiently and concisely describe the scene; instead, it just drones into boredom and repetition. More on topic, if I think of something that would be entertaining in my story, I often write the scene as it might happen.
I always write a brief outline in my notebook, though sometimes I'll write a few lines of dialogue that represent the core/theme of the scene or chapter, so when I get to writing the piece, the three or four lines with put me right into the picture, so to speak. As for how I view my work, I see it from a 'flash-by' point of view, with the emphasis on feelings more than actions.
