Disorganized writing.

[icarus]

I know that this is how I wrote Primer to the Dark Arts. The "day after" scene was written first, then the Harry/Ron attic scene, then the opening scenes, then it leapt ahead to the love potion. Chapter nine (of 27) was written last.

I realize that the final chapter of the Beg Me For It series was posted two years before the rest of the story.

Still. It's frustrating to have two scenes of Out Of Bounds written and ready to go, but un-postable because I have all this other stuff in between unwritten -- and what happens? I have this chick Sonja show up (because I'm learning more about skating and now have to deal with certain realities). And it's at least two scenes away from what I need to post next.

The Walls of Jericho spoiled me. Everything in that story was written in order. Largely because I had no outline or clue what was going to happen next. Of course, I write outlines because I write scenes out of order and then have to string it all together.

Also: all ye writers, learn from this. Always, always, always write down those bits of dialogue and scenes that popup right away. Because in addition to this story being completely out of order, I didn't, and now I'm having to scraaaaape my memory for what was once perfectly clear.

I hate everything I've written. But that's how I feel about all writing right now, including stories that I love, so I'm ignoring my feelings as best as I can.

Comments

[twistedrecesses.livejournal.com]

I'm having this issue where I had two really good ideas for potentially creepy stories and I left them to simmer in the back of my brain for too long. All I'm left with is the remains that've been burnt onto the bottom of the pot. It's really rather sad.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yep. You just gotta write it all down, at least in outline/note form or else they die. Sometimes the outline is enough to revitalize it (or you can just... write what's there).

I've never had this disorganization happen with a WIP. Because Primer was written in six weeks, so scenes out of order wasn't that big a deal. Then Beg Me For It was, okay, a slow project, but each of the seven parts of the series was written as an (almost) stand-alone story. So the sections were complete in their own right when they were posted.

I'm tempted to just burn through Out Of Bounds and figure it all out later. :) I mean, originally I was posting a scene a day. I never meant to take this story seriously.

Icarus

[twistedrecesses.livejournal.com]

I've never been able to finish a story that I didn't simply write my way through. Then again, I have the attention span of a fruitfly on cocaine (which, according to my roommate, is less than nil).

I find it interesting that people outline their stories - it's somewhat counter-intuitive for me. Then again, all the elements in your stories seem to weave together quite well, so there's probably something to be said for it :)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I can't say that I outline all stories. Each story has a different situation and I use different strategies accordingly.

I use outlines when the story starts to... overflow. Not so much on short stories, but on novel-length pieces, where I start ending up with plots and subplots and I wonder about the pacing and if this or that scene is a distraction.

In those circumstances I go back and write an outline (I've never started with one) which acts like a bowl. It keeps everything together, and gives me a chance to cut scenes that won't fit when they're in the idea phase, before I've wasted a lot of time on them.

Outlines don't help me much with characterization -- characters drive the outline rather than the other way around -- but they keep me from getting so into the characters that I ignore what I'm doing with the plot. As a writer, I don't know if this is different from anyone else, but I'm very character focused. I almost always find plot holes in writing the outline, and it always makes my story longer. Because my characters can leap from point A to point B without a fuss, but the plot will probably demand some explanation.

I didn't need a plot outline for the novella Walls of Jericho (http://www.icarus.slashcity.net/stories/wallsofjericho.html), I think because the story was plot-driven. Also, it was a simple action-adventure with a standard story arc and no subplots.

An outline also keeps me from getting overwhelmed on big projects. :D Instead of focusing on this HUGE story, the outline gives me one bite-sized piece at a time. Because I do tend to write scenes, or maybe a couple of interlocking scenes, rather than complete stories in one sitting.

Interestingly, the first part of Beg Me For It (http://www.icarus.slashcity.net/stories/begmeforit.html) was written not as an outline but bullet points of dialogue, even though it's complicated. It came together in one piece, possibly because it was written from Ron's first-person perspective. But it's nice when that happens.

SNAFU (http://www.icarus.slashcity.net/stories/snafu.html) on the other hand didn't just have an outline; it had maps, diagrams, and counter-outlines of the actions of the bad guys that didn't (and couldn't) appear in the story. But there I was dealing with three main characters who split up in the same building, so their three plots interwove; then there were three sets of bad guys, and two sets of attacking good guys, who all met up with my three main guys at various points.

I think that people who haven't used outlines imagine that outlines are static and rigid, and once you have one you can never deviate from it again. In reality, outlines constantly change and encourage fluidity because you're getting an airplane view of the whole story, and move things around in much more drastic ways.

Icarus

[amalthia]

I need to start doing this because I get conversations in my head and later when I'm trying to remember what they are it never comes out just like I imagined earlier when I finally sit down to write.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'm just winging it now with what I have in my notes. I remember with Primer I wrote down the point of my scene ("Ron can't deal with the gay thing with Harry"), then one or two notes I needed to hit ("Ron chases Hermione/avoids Harry"), and then whatever manages to hit those point is good enough.

I think I'm having too much of a "silver box" attitude, as if what I had originally in my mind is better than anything I could write later. Maybe that's not true.

Icarus

[teaphile.livejournal.com]

I always write fanfic out of order, and I learned long ago to write down everything as I think of it or else, as someone said above, it's never the same when I finally get around to it.

Frequently I'll tell my husband I'm going to bed, brush my teeth, and be back at the computer for another hour.

I'll actually be posting something later today that vaguely relates to that topic.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'm so grateful I'm not the only one. I have to go check out what you wrote.

[sam-gamgee.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to let you know that I recently found "Out of Bounds" and practically devoured it.

[icarus]

Thank you! I just found your comment here. I hope you enjoyed the skating epic.