Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Stage Fright
My last few posts have dealt with my wonderful new book that I am soooo excited about. I've done research, worldbuilding, created backstories for my characters, tried to find the perfect names for my hero and heroine, and tossed it around in my head until we're both dizzy. I've even come up with an actual plot that consists of more than just boy meets girl, boy likes girl, they talk and fall in love and stuff (Don't laugh...I have half written books pretty much like this. Don't make me show them to you). And I still haven't written a damn word. I haven't even written Chapter 1 across the page yet cause if I do then I really have to start writing. Why mess up a perfectly pretty pristine page? (Say that three times fast....go ahead, I'll wait). So what do I do? Okay, that was a rhetorical question. I know what I have to do. Write. Even if I thinks it's bad. Even if I know it's bad. It will get better. I know this. You know this. So why am still still sitting here staring at this post instead of writing? Oh right, cause I'm a big scaredy cat. Shut up and pass the milk.
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5 comments:
I start by brainstorming. I throw anything that comes to mind onto the screen, even if it makes no sense. I ignore capitalization and punctuation and just type words as they occur to me.
Most of the words, of course, turn out to be at least vaguely relevant. After a few minutes I've got something rather than nothing and am no longer staring at a blank screen. The rest of the process seems to just happen.
It is scary! I have the same feeling every. single. time. I sit down to write. And all that stuff about giving yourself permission to write dreck and silencing the internal editor - yeah, doesn't really work for me, either. Sometimes it takes an hour or two(!) of sitting at the computer procrastinating before I get up the guts to start writing.
I have no answers.
When I'm really, really stuck, I skip to another scene further along in the book - something that inspires me. Or dialogue - I find it easier to write dialogue.
Do you have a critique partner who can help keep you motivated and honest? That helps.
I don't have a critique partner at present mostly because I wouldn't want to inflict myself on anyone just yet. I'm much too undisciplined in my writing to be a good partner to anyone else.
When in doubt, I usually start with dialogue also but Ican't decide exactly where I want to start the book. I feel some backstory is needed to set up what is to come. But, how many times have we heard "just get to the action"?
Oh come now! You are a great writer.
I vote for starting with action - perhaps present your character with a snap decision - this can be a good way to introduce conflict and backstory:
There's excitement, there's a scuffle, there's a dilemma, and Bob does X.
Most other people would have done Y. Y was the [logical/sane/honorable/safe} thing to do.
But Bob wasn't [logical/sane/honorable/safe]. Bob was [whatever Bob is], and X was the only way to ... blah blah blah.
Just an idea.
Tessa, you make it really hard for me to feel sorry for myself. And how did you know my hero's name was Bob? ;)
One of the scenerios I've been considering does start right in the middle of the action. Just have to figure out how to layer in a little backstory without info dumping. Since I know basically where I want the scene to go, I might take a little from Steve's method and just start writing and see what happens. Thanks for the input!
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