WIP Challenge: Day 2 check-in

[elf]

Keep tapping those keys! The second day of a writing challenge is when you can either say "wow, I'm on schedule! I'm maybe ahead of schedule!" or sometimes, "well, at least I'm not very far behind."

Poll #10062 April 2 check-in

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 11

View Respondents

What fanfic writing activities have you done today?

View Answers

Wrote some fic.
6 (54.5%)

Edited some fic.
5 (45.5%)

Worked on my outline/notes.
5 (45.5%)

Talked with beta.
1 (9.1%)

Planned to write some fic.
5 (45.5%)

Took a break from fic writing.
3 (27.3%)

Discussion topic: Changing Plots. How strictly do you try to stick to your original plotline? Do you push to get the characters back on track, or just let them do whatever seems to come to mind? If they wander far from the original plan, do you keep the original plotbunny and try to use it later? When you want to get the story focus back, do you have any techniques you use--talk with beta, re-watch canon, watch that vid that inspired the fic in the first place?

Comments

[crowdog66]

I've finished and posted another chapter of "Impulse" (~2000 words, mind the warnings!), so it's been a pretty successful day.

I let plots grow organically, although I haven't had much trouble with keeping things on track thus far in cases where I have later scenes of the fic written that I'm aiming toward. If a plot bunny dies in one fic I will indeed keep its corpse around in hopes of resurrecting it somewhere else.

To get focus back when it flags, I re-watch canon and re-read earlier chapters of the fic in question.

[aoifes_isle]

I love the "plot-bunny resurrect" spell. I write what I write and stitch it together again afterwards - scenes I thought belonged to one story often end up in another.

If I'm trying to write a long fic than I'm dependent to an extent on my co-writer/beta/cheering squad to keep me on plot if my muses aren't cooperating as I tend to just follow the muse and see where xhe wants to go.

[insignia]

I've been sorting out some plot-tangles in "Pieces". And don't even get me started on changing plots; my brain will strangle me if I try to talk about that right now.

[barbayat]

Did not feel much like writing - thank you period combined with migraines, thanks very much. But I did play a bit and ran the outline for the later part of the story through my head and figured out how to proceed - I guess that is something.

I did a bit of editing as well - but not really all that much.

[barbayat]

Finally some time for the question ...

I usually have a basic idea for one part of the story and then think about how to make that happen. Then the plot thickens and at sometimes I realise what I started with was not that good and I change it. Sometimes I start out with an idea of how the ending should be like - but abandon that idea when I feel it does not work.

For example, for Dark Matters I have this three act story arch and I know what will happen at the end of act 1 and act 2 will also end with a specific event. Minor details are not yet set in stone and I know certain events will take place in the third act but I don't yet know how the characters will develop and what their standing will be with each other. I have to write everything up till that point and then I can figure out how things are going to end and who is going to end up with whom romantically and/or as allies or friends ... but first I need to finish act one ...

[crowdog66]

*skids in with a late word count*

I've written about 1000 words on a story set in the ReBoot universe, tentatively titled "Lethe's Curse" (Bob/Megabyte, will be R at least, current bits PG-13). I've posted three excerpts here, here and here. Yay for a new universe to play around in!

[bay_alexison]

No writing done, a pretty bleh day today. Tomorrow I'll might edit/outline my help_japan fic (REALLY need to get to that) or Big Bang, depending if Beta A has some beta notes ready.

I tend to change my plotlines, half the time the middle and end get changed a bit as I go along with the story. Mostly I'll change the plot if either I let my muse wander or if my readers/betas suggested the changes.

[elleth]

I edited and posted a fic, wote another one-shot of ~1100 words and having that looked at by my lovely beta, so that was a fairly successful day.

As for plotlines, it depends on the fic. Up to 5,000 words they usually pop into my head fully formed and I rarely change plots, but I'm having near to no luck with writing longer chaptered stories because plots usually abandon me halfway through. :|