WIP Challenge: Day 6 check-in

[sylvaine]

How is everyone doing on the fic front? Come share your progress!

Are you
- writing?
- researching?
- editing?
- planning?
- resting?

Discussion question: when you get a new idea for a story, where does that idea start from? Do you think of a character first? Or do you start of with a plot idea, like, "hey, I should totally write a story where runs away from home and ends up fighting dragons!" Or do you have a situation in mind that you want to write? Something else?

Comments

[sylvaine]

Haven't written anything yet today (though I'm hoping that'll still change!), but I've been assaulted by a plot bunny that I'm really excited about. Hence the discussion question!

I tend to start from a situation or concept, for instance, "someone has a biting kink and someone else discovers this by accident!", or "everyone should be a cyborg!" After that initial idea, I tend to get really excited about worldbuilding and make copious amounts of notes to myself about what, exactly, changes from canon, never mind that all these details will probably never make it into the story.
... it's at this point that I usually realize that I have a really extensive world or detailed concept, but have absolutely no plot. Oops.

[lacygrey]

More writing. Drafted the final scene needed for a short fic. Its not moving my editing forward but it feels productive. Next year I'll only count the words I post. My ratio of written to posted is about 7:1 for this year (though that does include planning).

I use both concepts and characters as sources of ideas, I think one can grow from the other. I like to know where a story is going before I get writing though, even if I don't have the details of the route it will take to get there.

[jagnikjen]

I'm resting today. Other real life things have distracted me, though I *really* should be writing/revising.

Discussion topic...TBH, I have no idea where they come from. Mostly from reading/watching canon. One plot bunny I stole from and unfinished fic I'd come across. Mostly I start with character, as I have preferred characters, so even if I get the plots first, they're generally with certain characters in mind.

[littlebutfierce]

I wrote 800-ish words. Mostly useless, but still trying to figure out my plot problem. If I keep writing & rewriting it, eventually my brain will figure out what's the right way to go. ^^;;

Sometimes I get vague random plot ideas -- I think those mostly relate to missing scene-type fics -- but I think more often they relate specifically to characters, like jagnikjen said: what's this character going to be doing in the future, what are they really thinking, how can I get them together w/this other one, etc.

[linaewen]

I am failing at getting writing done. I wish I could actually say I am resting, but I'm too busy even for that. Writing would actually be restful! My life is one unending interruption these days, which is NOT conducive to writing. However, my characters are starting to insert themselves in obvious ways into my life to get my attention, so all is not lost. We'll have to run away together soon and see if we can't whip up some story between us. ;-)

My ideas tend to come out of the blue, and often involve either just a line of conversation or a short scene "seen" in its entirety. These get worked into stories, or are the beginning of new stories. The ideas are sometimes suggested by something I'm seeing, hearing or reading, but it's not always a logical progression. I also get ideas from a situation that is predetermined (like a challenge prompt) -- often it comes without trying, but sometimes I have to stare at the prompt for a bit and test different characters with it to see what fits.

[pinstripefedora]

I didn't expect to get much writing done today, as Tuesdays are traditionally very bad days for me as far as writing goes, and I didn't really, but I did dash off about 200 words after I got home from my night classes. Tomorrow should be relatively free for writing, and I'm nearing the end of The Scene That Would Not Die, so I'm looking forward to my prospects for finishing this part up soon. :D

Where I get my ideas... usually I start with either a scene, which generally leaps fully formed into my head one day apropos of nothing, or a concept/situation that seems intriguing enough to run with. There was also the one occasion I was inspired to write a genderswap fic after I read one that was so rage-inducingly sexist, not to mention just generally ill thought out and poorly executed, that it basically came down to either I could write my own in response to it or I could explode into dark matter.

[bay_alexison]

Able to get a little over 250 words on my help_japan despite another long day today (and distractions, lol). Trying to get some dialogue going, but tomorrow that scene I should be able to finish quickly and then get started on another one.

I tend to think of plots first and then as I write the story have the characters let me know how they'll approach certain situations.