Thoughts

[k_a_webb]

I've just been making some notes on characters I want to write about and things that I feel I need right now, like a couple of maps and lists of magics or characters so I know what I'm doing. The lists of magics are going to difficult because a lot of them are still in the process of being created. When I write I basically write about what I know before working around that, which means I know certain parts but the rest of it doesn't really exist in my head. It's not until I have someone doing a different part of the magic that I know what's happening there. Nothing I write is ever completely thought out when I start and often I find things changing as I write.

I have a love hate relationship with that process. Some days I am happy to let things work out the way they do when I'm writing because I've never been able to work from a definitive plot or keep characters out of storylines when they have something to say that they think will add to whatever it is I'm writing. That's probably why I'd never really be any good at being published by one of the big publishers. They'd want me to take bits out that I thought were important and I don't think they'd appreciate having a huge cast of characters simply because some of them won't shut up. :) Other days I just wish I could plot something out, write it, and then not have one of the 'secondary' characters step up to wake me round the head with a plot line. I don't know why. I've never been like that.

The other thing I find myself wanting to do is change decisions and show why certain choices worked better than others, which means that I could easily end up with six different versions of a story. It interests me to see the way my characters deal with different situations. Maybe I sound really weird when I say this but when I write I let them make their own choices as though they're real people. Then they want a redo because they know they haven't made the right one. It's like life, only you get the chance to have a redo. However there are some stories where I know the decisions wouldn't be different. The characters in the Donor House are one example. Every one of the characters I have written about or am thinking of writing about would absolutely stand by the decisions that they made and make the same choices if the situation happened again. I don't know why.

Anyway, the plan at the moment is to get some full character lists down, especially for the stories where I shove a collection of characters into a house or a school and then leave them to it. I think I like writing about communities more than I like writing about anything else because I like character interaction. I am much more a character writer than I am a plot writer, and maybe that's why I've never been able to stick to a plot. I really wish I had is more people naming characters so I don't have to. I'm really stupidly picky about names.

Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>>I've just been making some notes on characters I want to write about and things that I feel I need right now,<<

This sounds like a good idea.

>>like a couple of maps and lists of magics or characters so I know what I'm doing.<<

Maps! Mappity goodness! Yay! Will the maps be eligible as bonus material?

>>The lists of magics are going to difficult because a lot of them are still in the process of being created.<<

I highly recommend the book Authentic Thaumaturgy by Isaac Bonewits. It was written by an accomplished magical practitioner, for people who wish to design a coherent magical system in fiction or roleplaying contexts. I have found it very useful for figuring out how things work in a particular setting.
http://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Thaumaturgy-Isaac-Bonewits/dp/1556343604

>>I have a love hate relationship with that process. Some days I am happy to let things work out the way they do when I'm writing because I've never been able to work from a definitive plot or keep characters out of storylines when they have something to say that they think will add to whatever it is I'm writing.<<

I so sympathize.

>>That's probably why I'd never really be any good at being published by one of the big publishers. They'd want me to take bits out that I thought were important and I don't think they'd appreciate having a huge cast of characters simply because some of them won't shut up.<<

One of the things I love about crowdfunding is the lower tension level. I don't have to fight with authors or editors or publishers. I can throw out ideas and let writers use what they want. My fans give me ideas, I use what I want, they buy what they like. Much much less stressy.

>>Other days I just wish I could plot something out, write it, and then not have one of the 'secondary' characters step up to wake me round the head with a plot line. I don't know why. I've never been like that. <<

Sometimes it's fun to stretch and do things a different way. I've gone from loosely outlining stories with scene snippets to writing down lists of things that need to happen in a story, which is useful for sequencing, which I ordinarily tend to suck at. It's possible to learn new skills. Just don't obsess over doing it like some book says. Your version may wind up looking quite different.

>>The other thing I find myself wanting to do is change decisions and show why certain choices worked better than others, which means that I could easily end up with six different versions of a story.<<

I find this fascinating. I've only explored it a few times in my own work. It can be fun, or really disturbing. I look forward to seeing what you do with this.

>>Maybe I sound really weird when I say this but when I write I let them make their own choices as though they're real people. <<

There are two kinds of writers: those who make things up, and those who write things down. I am by far mostly the latter ... sort of an interdimensional journalist, if you will. And I tend to prefer reading the same.

>>However there are some stories where I know the decisions wouldn't be different. The characters in the Donor House are one example. Every one of the characters I have written about or am thinking of writing about would absolutely stand by the decisions that they made and make the same choices if the situation happened again. I don't know why.<<

Fascinating! Series can be really different. Yours are. So are mine. I've got one poetic series, Path of the Paladins, that refuses to go in reverse. It starts with "Shine On" and anything related to earlier action is flashback material only. Part of the underlying theme for that series is, "You can look back, but you can't go back." If your Donor House characters stand by their decisions, even the mistakes, then that is unique and interesting, worth exploring further.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>>Anyway, the plan at the moment is to get some full character lists down, especially for the stories where I shove a collection of characters into a house or a school and then leave them to it.<<

That sounds very useful, especially if you include thumbnail descriptions and a list of where they appear. Hm, I ought to do that for some of my series. (You've started me thinking about supportive material, bonus material, etc.)

>>I think I like writing about communities more than I like writing about anything else because I like character interaction.<<

That's okay. It's good when writers understand their own strengths and play to those. This helps to attract a cohesive audience interested in the same things.

For me it varies. I love reading and writing about communities and relationships, but it can be any kind, and I like other stuff too. Some of my poetic series have a strong communal element, such as Fiorenza (focused on village life in fantasy-historic Italy) and Monster House (urban fantasy that amounts to householding with humans and monsters). I think the communal aspect of Donor House is one thing that attracts me to that series -- not just the interpersonal relationships, but the whole idea of making the vampire/human connection symbiotic rather than parasitic.

>>I am much more a character writer than I am a plot writer, and maybe that's why I've never been able to stick to a plot.<<

Different people are good at different things. I tend to favor characterization myself, both as a writer and as a reader. Occasionally I'll focus more on plot, when writing, but it takes a VERY strong story-of-idea to hook me as a reader. Milieu fiction is easier; I like a good setting and don't feel compelled to rush through it. We do a lot of milieu stuff in Torn World.

The very best stories are a unique mix of character, setting, and plot: what happens when you put one specific person in a certain location, based on the interaction of character and setting. But those are hard to devise. Given that some of your settings are quite distinctive, and your characters will grow as the project continues, I suspect that more of this combined material will emerge later.

This also has me thinking about something unique in your writing. You don't do much with titles. A lot of the stories are just "Introducing (Name)." I had thought about suggesting that you could let readers propose titles, because the intro titles don't really convey information about the story. Except ... you lean so much on character, there is kind of a point to it when you introduce them all the same way, with a focal story. So then it becomes a feature of your writing style, of this project. It's different from what other people do. You may wind up turning that into an asset.

>> I really wish I had is more people naming characters so I don't have to. I'm really stupidly picky about names.<<

I would be happy to do more of this. I enjoy naming characters, and I'm generally good at picking names that will suit them. I have most of a shelf full of name books, including some for different cultures. If I remember, I'll also mention to my audience that you'd like to get more folks involved in character naming. Maybe that'll help boost the participation there.

Re: Thoughts

[kajones-writing.livejournal.com]

Maps! Mappity goodness! Yay! Will the maps be eligible as bonus material?

They should be, once I have a working scanner. I own one but at the moment I don't have space for it so I might have to get my partner to scan them for me.

Re: Thoughts

[kajones-writing.livejournal.com]

You don't do much with titles. A lot of the stories are just "Introducing (Name)."

I don't do much with titles because I'm not actually very good at creating them. It's much easier just to use the main characters's name and it seems to have worked out pretty well, especially as it makes it easier to write the stories.

If I remember, I'll also mention to my audience that you'd like to get more folks involved in character naming. Maybe that'll help boost the participation there.

That would be great. There are naming rules for a couple of the worlds, but if I get someone interested then I'll tell them what the rules are. Most of the worlds are simply pick a name, any name. Of course it is a donation perk, so I'll have to work out how I can keep it being a donation perk and also let people name characters at random. Maybe I can do it by main characters and secondary characters.