Fic Talk > General Discussion
2 Writing 2 Thread
RokofAges75:
--- Quote from: nicksgal on February 13, 2021, 05:52:25 PM ---I showered when I got up this morning and asked my husband how sexy my Backstreet Boys shirt (perfect clothing to inspire some super productive fanfic writing) and messy bun were; he told me "You look like a sexy conehead hermit." So... that's where we're at! I wrote 695 words so far, did a tiny bit of research as I settled on a "plant used for medicine that grows at sea level," and did a little rereading inspiration to get back into this chapter and not the upcoming chapters. I think I'll finish it today (and possibly in the next hour as I already have parts of the next scene written).
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A BSB shirt is the best fanfic-writing hermit uniform! I am wearing a Harry Potter sweatshirt that says "I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I don't exist," which is my favorite "Leave me alone and let me write" winter wardrobe item.
Sounds like you had a good blend of researching, rereading, and actual writing!
--- Quote from: nicksgal on February 13, 2021, 05:52:25 PM ---Also a fun game. I wrote this line, who is "you": “You and Nick are really similar sometimes. Really stubborn, but really devoted to everyone you care about.”
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Hm... the description sounds like Brian, but I don't feel like someone would say he and Nick are really similar sometimes, being that they are/were Frick & Frack. So my guess is Kevin!
--- Quote from: nicksgal on February 13, 2021, 05:52:25 PM ---I still say as long as your research is productive and inspiring, keep researching! If I'm really going back and forth on something, I will write two different versions and compare them. If there's too many varying ideas, I'll try to narrow it down without multiple drafts, but just two it's almost better to get both of them out of your head and onto paper so you can really see the difference. Stay motivated! Length of time spent doesn't matter.
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Thanks! That's my thought too. This story is going to require a lot of research, so the more I can get out of the way early, the less likely I am to get derailed going down a rabbit hole when I actually get on a roll with the writing. It really is like world-building with this one.
I am gonna try rewriting some without getting rid of the original so I can compare. I think if I can get going on a new version, I will like it better, but the mere idea of having to scrap at least half of two chapters and rewrite them has kept me from working on this damn story in three years. I just need to get over this hurdle, and then I think I'll be back on track with it. I really like the idea; I just hate rewriting.
RokofAges75:
Here are a couple of questions related to our last posts:
How much do you have to write in a day/session to consider it a successful one? Are you happy if you write anything, or do you have a certain number of words/pages/scenes you have to write before you feel productive?
Do you think researching, outlining, rereading, revising/editing, and similar parts of the process count as "writing," or do you only consider it "writing" when you actually add new words to where you left off in a story?
nicksgal:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on February 13, 2021, 07:26:56 PM ---A BSB shirt is the best fanfic-writing hermit uniform! I am wearing a Harry Potter sweatshirt that says "I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I don't exist," which is my favorite "Leave me alone and let me write" winter wardrobe item.
Sounds like you had a good blend of researching, rereading, and actual writing!
--- End quote ---
Haha, that Harry quote always makes me laugh, also perfect for writing in the winter. I think I'm going to wear my BSB holiday shirt tomorrow since it's going to be sub zero and it's a surprisingly warm shirt.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on February 13, 2021, 07:26:56 PM ---Hm... the description sounds like Brian, but I don't feel like someone would say he and Nick are really similar sometimes, being that they are/were Frick & Frack. So my guess is Kevin!
--- End quote ---
Interesting that you thought it was Brian! But you're correct, the "sometimes" is important in the sentence; it is Kevin.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on February 13, 2021, 07:26:56 PM ---Thanks! That's my thought too. This story is going to require a lot of research, so the more I can get out of the way early, the less likely I am to get derailed going down a rabbit hole when I actually get on a roll with the writing. It really is like world-building with this one.
I am gonna try rewriting some without getting rid of the original so I can compare. I think if I can get going on a new version, I will like it better, but the mere idea of having to scrap at least half of two chapters and rewrite them has kept me from working on this damn story in three years. I just need to get over this hurdle, and then I think I'll be back on track with it. I really like the idea; I just hate rewriting.
--- End quote ---
I always hate those rabbit holes where you need to go back later to research, because I inevitably get derailed for days when I was in the groove. But, I know that any time I feel like I'm needing more research, I also know that it's not quite as good as it could be. So, it's a catch 22, I guess.
As someone who recently went back and scrapped a lot of already written things, rewriting for the benefit of the story is always better for it in the long run. At least you're at a point where you can decide between two possibly very different things without having to keep a similar vibe and over plot in the chapters. But it does suck when something like that keeps you from writing a story. I feel you.
nicksgal:
How much do you have to write in a day/session to consider it a successful one? Are you happy if you write anything, or do you have a certain number of words/pages/scenes you have to write before you feel productive?
I guess it depends on what my goal is that day. In some ways, I miss NaNo where my goal was "write something every day," because it didn't matter how many words, scenes, pages, or chapters as long as I wrote something down. Here where my goal has been "finish ch. 22" since last weekend, it does feel kind of unproductive that it's been a week and the chapter still isn't finished (nevermind that I wrote the entirety of ch. 24 during that same time). I guess I have been getting a little down on myself as my hoarding lead dwindles away, especially since I started writing this chapter on January 30th; I would probably feel more comfortable being twenty chapters ahead of whatever I'm posting. And no matter how far ahead of this chapter I write, if it's not done, it could be really derailing. That being said, it is almost done. So I will call this day productive and then probably make my goal for February to continue building back my hoarding lead.
Do you think researching, outlining, rereading, revising/editing, and similar parts of the process count as "writing," or do you only consider it "writing" when you actually add new words to where you left off in a story?
I would like to meet a writer who writes without any researching, outlining, rereading, revising/editing, etcetera. Because I can't think of anyone (here, famous, whatever) who doesn't do those things and they're often necessary to either write new words on the page or get a story ready for publication/posting. I think it's all writing as long as you're actively engaging with the story in some way (unless you're rereading your own work for fun?). If you're scrolling twitter or instagram and saying "I should probably write instead," that's not writing. Sometimes y'all inspire me, so I'll call here a fine line. Depends on how focused we are on discussing writing and how long the break to chat here is from the actual writing related work. Obviously several hours here is not writing popping in for twenty minutes: maybe.
RokofAges75:
--- Quote from: nicksgal on February 13, 2021, 08:26:16 PM ---How much do you have to write in a day/session to consider it a successful one? Are you happy if you write anything, or do you have a certain number of words/pages/scenes you have to write before you feel productive?
I guess it depends on what my goal is that day. In some ways, I miss NaNo where my goal was "write something every day," because it didn't matter how many words, scenes, pages, or chapters as long as I wrote something down. Here where my goal has been "finish ch. 22" since last weekend, it does feel kind of unproductive that it's been a week and the chapter still isn't finished (nevermind that I wrote the entirety of ch. 24 during that same time). I guess I have been getting a little down on myself as my hoarding lead dwindles away, especially since I started writing this chapter on January 30th; I would probably feel more comfortable being twenty chapters ahead of whatever I'm posting. And no matter how far ahead of this chapter I write, if it's not done, it could be really derailing. That being said, it is almost done. So I will call this day productive and then probably make my goal for February to continue building back my hoarding lead.
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I totally get this. I was feeling this way toward the end of Bethlehem because the climactic chapters and their aftermath took me much longer to write than they probably should have, and instead of being ten chapters ahead of myself, I only had a few hoarded and was starting to feel a bit of pressure to be productive enough to make sure I could stick to my posting schedule. It obviously didn't turn out to be a problem, but I understand that worry. It sounds like you're still in good shape, though, and I have faith in you that you'll finish this chapter and start amassing your hoard again!
For me, it depends on the day and how long I've spent in front of the computer. If it's a weekday and I write ANYTHING, that's a success! If it's a weekend, and I've been on the computer with my story open for most of the day and still haven't hit 1000 words, that's a fail. Obviously any number of words is better than nothing, but I waste a lot of time not-writing.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on February 13, 2021, 08:26:16 PM ---Do you think researching, outlining, rereading, revising/editing, and similar parts of the process count as "writing," or do you only consider it "writing" when you actually add new words to where you left off in a story?
I would like to meet a writer who writes without any researching, outlining, rereading, revising/editing, etcetera. Because I can't think of anyone (here, famous, whatever) who doesn't do those things and they're often necessary to either write new words on the page or get a story ready for publication/posting. I think it's all writing as long as you're actively engaging with the story in some way (unless you're rereading your own work for fun?). If you're scrolling twitter or instagram and saying "I should probably write instead," that's not writing. Sometimes y'all inspire me, so I'll call here a fine line. Depends on how focused we are on discussing writing and how long the break to chat here is from the actual writing related work. Obviously several hours here is not writing popping in for twenty minutes: maybe.
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That is very true. Those are all important parts of the writing process. That being said, at some point, you have to stop researching, rereading, etc. and actually write. No one wants to read a summarized version of a story in an outline; they want to read the actual scenes with action, dialogue, description, and all that jazz. Researching, rereading, and revising help me stay engaged with a story, but I don't feel truly productive unless I've actually put new words down on the page that move the story forward. The rest just feels more like "getting ready to write" to me than actually writing. Still better options than wasting time on social media, which I do a lot of too. This forum can go both ways; it can be distracting, but it also makes me feel more connected and invested in fanfic, which is important. Talking about fanfic on here is definitely motivating.
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