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C. Bird
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It's all gone rather quiet here. Can I introduce a new topic? How do you go about writing your novel? Do you plan in detail, or make it up as you go along? Which bit do you write first? Do you know the ending at the beginning, or half-way through? Does the beginning come to you at the end? Personally I set out with a vague idea of where I'm going, but keep getting lost. There must be a better way...  Kit
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RiteStuff
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I'm nearly ready on my reupload - Rasco Villant. I think most people start with a rough outline I do. I plotted it from start to finish but when I started over again I found the story took me in a different direction.
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opradine
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I'm writing my first story since the classroom and haven't got very far! Is it normal to have your characters do things you don't want them to do?? they are hard to keep in their place! I read that Mrs Rowling had her final paragraph written by the time she got home from her famous train journey where she thought of the book idea. How she managed that wonderful achievement I don't know as the ending was 7 books later before she'd written a thing. No doubt it will be a perfect ending and they say it is all about plotting. Does have a drawn out plot destroy it being natural though or is that how a bestseller is done??
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BriS
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Quote: opradine, Friday, 2 Jun 2006 20:07I'm writing my first story since the classroom and haven't got very far! Is it normal to have your characters do things you don't want them to do?? they are hard to keep in their place! I read that Mrs Rowling had her final paragraph written by the time she got home from her famous train journey where she thought of the book idea. How she managed that wonderful achievement I don't know as the ending was 7 books later before she'd written a thing. No doubt it will be a perfect ending and they say it is all about plotting. Does have a drawn out plot destroy it being natural though or is that how a bestseller is done?? I'm also struggling to write something new. I wonder sometimes if writing is getting the demons out of your system (like with music) as the best stuff always seems to come when you're unhappy. I notice this with musicians that when they chill out the music gets worse. At the moment I'm having a great time and can't conjure up the drama needed so I start and then drop stuff. Personally I'm just a hobby writer which is probably why I spend more time writing stuff on here and other boards then doing any work. When writing the newsagent it was for a creative writing class and I followed all the stuff about plot and character as best I could. It was fun at the time. I may try something aimed for the market like a film. Maybe follow the traditional hollywood narrative which many blockbuster writers do which is a normal situation (something like Alien, they explore the planet as part of their routine mission, or the Godfather (reminded of Murray's picture and analogy, which was a really good one, where it is family business as usual) Then an inciting event (In Aliens John Hurt gets 'impregnated'; in The Godfather, the drug dealer guns down Brando) Then a struggle (in the Godfather all sorts of personal struggles both personal and business for Michael as he seeks to protect his father while also betraying his own values) Then the character gets into more and more extreme situations and is pushed to the limit (Michael finally commits murder) Then resolution (all family business is sorted) You see this in just about every hollywood film and formula blockbuster. The hard bit is doing it originally as people hate cliche and stuff they've read/seen a million times before!
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HJW
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Interesting topic. I think it varies..at the moment I am writing something that started with just a 'what if?' idea about two characters, I had no real idea of the plot. I'm having loads of fun writing it. Usually I have an idea of the beginning and maybe the end, but not much about what happens in between.
Are you hooked? Oh blogger
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HJW
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Quote: opradine, Friday, 2 Jun 2006 20:07I'm writing my first story since the classroom and haven't got very far! Is it normal to have your characters do things you don't want them to do?? they are hard to keep in their place! I reckon that if your chatacters are taking on a life of their own, you must be doing something right!
Are you hooked? Oh blogger
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curranbun
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I make it up as I go along which is quite obvious from my writing if you don't enjoy it somewhere at least somewhere then something has gone wrong. I read about some successful authors who are fed up with writing as they have to write to the boring formulas that made them successful. The money helps them though!
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opradine
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Quote: HJW, Friday, 2 Jun 2006 20:50Quote: opradine, Friday, 2 Jun 2006 20:07I'm writing my first story since the classroom and haven't got very far! Is it normal to have your characters do things you don't want them to do?? they are hard to keep in their place! I reckon that if your chatacters are taking on a life of their own, you must be doing something right! Thanks I'm a bit worried about some of their criminal activities though as they were meant to be all fairly nice!
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Cathf
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I never konw where I'm going with a piece of writing until I get there. That causes a lot of problems, imo, but makes it more fun. I generally have a vague idea where I want to get to, but then the characters go off on their own and go somwhere different. I've just started a new piece of writing where, for the first time ever, I had the title and full synopsis before starting to write a single word though. So it'll be interesting to see if I actually get around to writing it or whether finishing the synopsis makes writing the full thing actually seem redundant and dull 
This post was last edited by Cathf, 03 Jun 2006, 16:08
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barryl
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I wrote my last two chapters first, but can now see that they will change quite a lot. After reviews, there will be some changes in the opening chapters as well, but I want to get on with the rest. I find the more I write, the better I can rethink what has already been written , but resist the temptation to rewrite now. Also, I have just seen Flight 93 which I was worried might just impact badly on my story, but am happy to say I don't think it will. May even do it some good. I have one major writing problem though. How to explain to my wife that when I have a glazed look as I stare out my study window at my boat which is now in it's summer mooring, that I am actually working. Perhaps some of the females on this site may have some good advice.
The pen is the tongue of the hand and remember A double negative is a no-no
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What comes first, the beginning, the middle, or the end?
02 Jun 2006, 19:51
