I'm always very interested in seeing how a writer creates their work, not to pinch or steal their processes, but looking for ways to see if my current procedures are correct. Like many, a story starts with an inspiration, something that jolts up and poses a question, and from there I try to 'picture' a whole scene. Characters, dialogue exchanges, themes all slowly build and when the mind flicks on the switch, I begin to type. The strange thing is, that this isn't always sat in front of the laptop and screen but out walking or waiting in a queue somewhere where I flip out my phone and I start composing a draft email to... well no one. When I free up more time, and the story builds and I can see the setting and see the characters, what they dress, what mood they are in etc... I open a new Word.doc and type, copy & pasting from my email and construct my story from there. I care very little about the SPaG nor really the structure of the story (my processes are quite different) and I layer the story with more details and align them with emotions to set an ambiance for the story and ... then the first rough draft is done! I usually let this story sit for a week or so and then return for draft two and when this is done I send it to some writing friends to gauge their reactions. Obviously, there are many errors for which I leave my mind open to, but then I let comments sink in and work on other stories before returning. This next step is one where I find the most critical and important as I need to incorporate the feedback and take points forward this, however, is one where I also look to alter words depending on their voice of the characters. I found that when I have been helping other writers with their stories, that often the characters all have very similar voices, in terms of language and choice of words and their style. I take away the emotion of a scene (a character maybe in a vulnerable state or in an angry position) but this can overwhelm how a character is, and thus their voice is very similar to others. Not sure if others have this issue or whether this is just my poor writing? That said, a lot of feedback about my characters are that they do stand out and are different but I am very wary that they sound like the narrator (I usually write first person) and feel this attention is critical, and then it is more fine editing to spot inconsistencies in tenses (a huge flaw of mine) and error spotting. I was wondering how others operate and work, and maybe there are better ways to improve my own current methods to write? Thanks for reading!
Ultimately, the best way, is the way that works best for you. Perhaps methods change as time passes? Perhaps one becomes more efficient as one develops the art? Either way, I don't think there exist one superior universal method that works for everyone. We must find out what's best for us along the writing journey. For me, things start with an idea. I let it rumble around in my head for a while, then I write it down. I dislike editing, so I try to write as well as I can from the start. Then I refine the idea through the various drafts. Perhaps I let it sit for a time before I continue. Sometimes I call it done, even if others still have suggestions for improvements. One could theoretially improve a piece until the universe grows cold. At some point you must give up ideas of perfection and say, "good enough".
the voice of the central characters are key and makes the plot believable. Hideoshi, you highlight some interesting points For me, each character should have their own unique voice as per RL. I tried to reflect this through dialogue, internal/external and reactions to different situations. I was recently told to screw on a set of balls on my male protagonist (Mr. Nice guy). The male antagonist was fine, but I found Mr Nice Guy, aka Mr Average, harder to write. He was too beige? So, I went back to basics and rewrote his character sketch. This exercise helped to develop the character further and ultimately drive the plot. My takeaway from this exercise while it was great to get the story down on paper (Nanowrimo 2012) I lacked preparation and a clear idea of the character. I was plot-focused, forgetting that the characters drive the plot. I also researched different protagonists, etc, and found this article useful: Protagonists vs. Antagonists. What is the Difference? ETA: I wrote this book in First POV then rewrote in third. Good luck Hidesohi
I had the great fortune to meet a writer a few years ago, sadly we don't 'talk' much these days as I've reached to him a lot but only silence replies but he is a wonderful writer, one I view as a great mentor and a person I learnt a lot about writing and, more importantly, about myself. He told me something about Walt Whitman, who wrote and rewrote a novel 60 times never feeling satisfied with the result, but stated that the story began to take on a different meaning through the years, a hint that stories change as we age. It was interesting and opened up a totally different outlook to how I view, read and construct stories. I know many writers who want much cleaner first drafts than having to fiddle about the writing with next drafts, but I think we all know that writing and its approach is different for everyone. I tend to write down the idea first to capture the rawness of thought and work on a story around that basis. Just interested to see how others worked on their stories to see if I can better my current routines. Interesting. I write the opposite to yourself PiP, I focus on characters and let the story develop in whatever way it wants to. I am one of those who believes a story changes because of the character and that the road they take are based on the decisions they make based on their personalities and traits. Many of the readers who have followed my stories have said that they never saw what is happening next and for me that's perfect.
To be honest, my process of writing a story is changing (or rather evolving) all the time. My current focus is on exploring concepts and ideas that I would like to think about more. (e.g. I liked the idea of 'predicting the future' so I wrote a story about it as a means of exploring the concept for myself) This motivates me to write because it takes me out of the mindset of trying to please some potential reader and to genuinely explore the ideas of interest for myself. Ultimately the stories I end up writing are around the concepts that I find universal, the ideas to which I end up coming back over and over and over again in my mind.
