On Writing

[pensnest]

"Plot is, I think, the good writer's last resort, and the dullard's first choice."

Well, that's what Stephen King says. I've been reading his 'On Writing', and it's very interesting indeed. He has the idea that a story isn't so much made up as discovered, and that strikes me as very true. Sometimes you need plot, but it's a lot harder to write something 'true' when you have to keep to the plot. I don't know how people who do terribly complex stuff with immense amounts of foreshadowing and cleverness manage to do it. It's much easier to have a reasonable idea where things are going, and let the characters take you along. What do you guys feel about writing this way?

Anyway, I've been discovering a story for a couple of weeks now, having put my poor boys into a nasty situation I'm now finding out what they make of it. It's very interesting. I'm creeping towards completion, but I kinda don't want to finish because it's fun. Yesterday, I thought they ought to do something, but as I was writing, I felt it was awfully contrived... anyway, they didn't want to, and today, they've done something much better. You'll see soon, as I'm down for the August challenge on Monday. I hope I will have figured out a title by then.

I never did get round to talking about this year's Remix challenge, for which I was assigned phaballa as my mixee. Naturally I thought at once that it would be ideal to do the dark, sexy, serious version of now that's what I call a motherfucking oedipus complex. I knew exactly what I wanted to write... and I couldn't. Couldn't do it at all. In the end, rather than being sane and going to check out her other stories, I ended up doing the "so tell me about your mother" remix with batshit insane Justin telling his shrink how it was all everybody else's fault. I enjoyed writing it, but. hmm. I feel a bit guilty, as it means (presumably) that whoever gets phaballa next year won't be able to have a go at it then.

Getting her revenge for last year, topaz119, and what a gorgeous job she made of it, putting my "AJ as Lance's sex slave" story into a New Orleans period setting, and YUM! It's wonderful.

I still haven't read all the remix stories, sigh, but I hope to get some feedback sent to the very worthy authors really soon. The first few I did manage to read were excellent, yet again showing how this challenge attracts authors who enjoy the craft of writing.

Comments

[paperdollkisses.livejournal.com]

I never start with a plot. I know there's a beginning and an ending and usually have some idea of where it's going to go after a little while into it. But, that usually changes up about 8 times before I really get going. Somehow... if I can write a longer piece... there ends up being some plot. The story writes itself though. If I try to force it another way it comes to a dead stop.

[topaz119.livejournal.com]

I don't know how people who do terribly complex stuff with immense amounts of foreshadowing and cleverness manage to do it.

They write in multiple drafts and put the foreshadowing and stuff in after they've figured out where the characters are going in the first draft?

[nopseud]

I love Stephen King On Writing, and he says a lot of very smart things in it (possibly I just think that because he seems to have a pretty similar process to me), but I don't think he always sufficiently acknowledges that people really do write in very different ways.

[raynedanser.livejournal.com]

I usually at least TRY to have a good idea of where the story is going, certain plot points that need to be hit, but everything in between? Oh yes, definitely waiting to be discovered. ;-)

[turps33.livejournal.com]

What do you guys feel about writing this way?

I like it. I have three stories I'm jumping between at the moment and while I know how all will end, I've no idea how they're going to get to that point. I've pretty much pointed them in the right direction and said, go.