WIP challenge: April 17 check-in

[insignia]

Another day of infinite creativity! Maybe. How did you spend it?

• Writing
• Researching
• Plotting
• Cackling maniacally
• Something else

Discussion: When you post a work in progress, do you ever change your mind about the plot based on reviews/comments? Or do you decide the plot beforehand and stick to it?

Comments

[crowdog66]

Today I wrote and posted a 1500-word chapter of "Ache" (ReBoot AU, Bob/Megabyte, NC-17), and while I'm proud as hell of the dialogue the tags on the fic are really starting to worry me... let's just say that in someone's universe I've hit all the squares on the Kink Bingo card from hell. :)

My stories tend to be rather like Michaelangelo's sculptures: they already exist in the unquarried rock, it's just a matter of carving away the extraneous bits. Which is to say that as far as I can tell my subconscious has a specific shape in mind for each story that's organic and inherent in the tale itself: while reviews/comments might lead me to tweak a detail here or there to heighten the effect in the minds of the readers, generally speaking I can't alter the underlying structure of the story. I can't think of a single occasion when I've changed what I'd planned for a fic based on outside input of the sort readers give (although I've amended ideas when another writer who I work with on a weekly basis points out more efficient ways to realize a particular plot point, or brainstorms with me on things such as the politics of an alien culture... but even then that's cladding, not the structure that holds up the building, so to speak).

[linaewen]

I'm still involved in research and planning, but I'm getting closer to the writing part of things!

I have a pretty detailed plan of what's happening or going to happen, and I'm confident with it, so rarely do I change something based on comments. There was once a time, however, when I changed an entire plan because a reader was convinced I was on the wrong track. Because of our relationship, I heard her out, and very quickly realized she was right and I was actually about to make a mistake with a character that would have had him acting out of character. It took awhile for me to figure out how to change my plan without rewriting anything already posted, but when I did figure out, it turned out to be awesome (if I do say so myself!). The change opened up possibilities with various characters that I wouldn't have had otherwise, and it made the story much better. I am forever grateful that this reader had the courage to tell me stop what I was doing and change my plan!

[roane]

I'm still poking away at my stuff. I'm hoping to finish chapter 3 this weekend. If not before, but probably not before.

I've never changed my mind about the plot due to comments, but I did add a plot element once and had to go back and tweak.