WIP Check-in: 5th September

[barbayat]

Middle of the week - another day passed ...

Made any progress with any of your stories?

Remember: Editing, Discussing, outlining and all that other stuff is important, too :D

Discussion Topic: Outlines*

What approach do you take for your fanfics? Do you just run with an idea and see what develops, do you have theme or a number of events that will take place or do you tend to plan everything ahead?

*I remember we had something similar about do you stick to your outlines - but I guess this is different and besides I am lacking a better idea today :(

Comments

[barbayat]

After not doing much all week, I did much better today. Finished a chapter for my Roman (the bad guy from the tv show Life) fanfic for which I had to rewrite a few paragraphs and add a couple. Also began the next chapter on my POTC AR, both fics combined however did not amount to more than 1000 words ... and still no progress on my big one (the Avenger fanfic) ...


I usually start with an idea, then I get ideas for events and often that goes into a more detailed outline. However, I seldom outline the end - I need to see how the characters are doing. On occasion I need a new plan, when I realise that an event could not take place because my protagonists develop in a different direction. Often I just have later events outlined very roughly and go through the scenes in my mind to figure out possibilities. So I guess my outlines are mostly unfinished skeletons that still need to be fleshed out a bit :D

[gramarye1971]

A little bit of progress! If I can get this one section finished, I'll be able to start posting one of my WIPs to the fandom's kink meme -- it'll give me a bit of impetus to finish up the rest of it, knowing that I've started the posting clock ticking, as it were. Since it's technically a collaborative fic, I'll have to run it by my co-writer, but I'm fairly sure that she'll okay it.


As for approaching a fic, most of my stories start out with me banging out a few lines of dialogue or a scene in my head that won't leave me alone. If I can get that much down, I then start filling in around it with the scenes that I want to have happen or the important plot points that need to be made. Most of these are in very rough format, usually in brackets with placement/transition notes like [knocking on door] or [standing around chatting, mention the battle]. I can't simply sit down and write a fic from start to finish -- most of the time, some bit in the middle comes first, then the last few paragraphs and maybe some section near the opening, and then the filling-in happens. What's most important to me is whatever encourages the momentum to keep writing!

[insignia]

Just popping in before bed to declare that I actually wrote today! Not much, but still :D

[hamimi_fk]

What approach do I take on my fanfics? Does sitting down and just writing whatever comes to mind count as an approach? xDD Because that's what I mostly end up doing.

Sometimes I get a strong idea though, either a scene in my head or a line of dialogue or an event happening. It's usually sparked by either a prompt or whatever theme I'm writing for (so sometimes it helps when the fest I'm writing for has a specific theme, such as horror or angst or even polyamory). Things like that help me focus more on a specific type of idea-mindframe (lol) instead of wading through the vast number of ideas I could come up with something more broad (such as a random idea or a theme or prompt that either is only fandom specific or open).

Also, I'm still behind on my writing. =\ Working on it though.

[lacygrey]

A thoroughly bad day for non-writing reasons.

Yes I always outline, though no necessarily at the start. And the stories do tend to escape their bounds anyway.

[linaewen]

I was sick yesterday, alas! The day was only good for moping and sleeping. Better today, but now I have to catch up on Real Life before I can think about writing. I really need to make some time for it, though; it would be so encouraging to get some actual words written!!

When I get an idea, I write it down in its raw form and then start researching it. I'll make copious notes about different possibilities, and basically work up an outline. If it proves to be an idea I can go with right away, or if it's for a prompt that I am currently working on, I'll go ahead and plan by coming up with an outline -- which usually gives me what I need for a theme and the number of events. If its an idea that's too good to discard but I don't really need it now, I save it in a folder on my computer and add to it as ideas related to that idea occur to me. I have a number of such folders full of ideas for fics in fandoms that I'm not currently writing in, but I expect I will someday, because the ideas are so well developed at this point, it would be foolish not to write them! But I really don't need any more WIPs at the moment, so I'm trying to hold back. ;-)

[the_rck]

I didn't write. I used up all my spoons on a trip to the library and on emptying the dishwasher. I simply had no energy.

I tend to start with a vague idea and a sentence or two. I just write and see where it goes. For my long WIP, I have a file of world building notes so that I don't forget details I've established already. I also have a list of ideas for future scenes. Some of those will end up in the story and some won't. A bunch of things not on the list will end up in the story because they're what make sense at the time. Somehow, it all works out.