[Use Of Weapons]

WhiskeyJackDaniels, on 17 November 2009 - 03:47 AM, said:

Hey, sweet thread I just found it. I've just been fooling around writing some notes when I should be paying attention in class for the past couple weeks. I think my idea might be different from most people her though, cuz I thought of a story first, and I've been trying to build a world around it since. Is that how most people around here do it? Or do you come up with a world and characters and then develop storylines?

My answer is: it depends. Sometimes I get a character first, sometimes a title, sometimes a setting, sometimes a plot. And then there are the times where the whole thing gets revealed to me in a dream and all I have to do is write it down. (No kidding, this has actually happened. Once.)

But really, the answer is, there's no right answer, you just do it the way that works for you.

[Fist Gamet]

Agreed, the way forwards is not so clean cut and it's different for different people. I would say though that at the end of it all, you are telling a story and this should be the most important element - a good story. No point in having terrific characters is they just sit around doing nothing and saying nothing of interest. For me, you need to know the kind of story you really want to tell and then take this as your starting point. From here, you must develop all the other elements required - characters, world, background, set-piece scenes, plot, plot and plot, conflict, tension, the character's 'journey' (physical, emotional, spiritual or otherwise) and so on. A great idea is never enough to write a good story, it is just a good place to start, imho.

[WhiskeyJackDaniels]

I'd give a blurb on my story idea, but for most of the book it just plays on old fantasy tropes, and then there is a twist at the end. So explaining that would give away the whole ending, and explaining the first part would just make it seem boring lol.

[Use Of Weapons]

Fist Gamet, on 17 November 2009 - 03:09 PM, said:

Agreed, the way forwards is not so clean cut and it's different for different people. I would say though that at the end of it all, you are telling a story and this should be the most important element - a good story. No point in having terrific characters is they just sit around doing nothing and saying nothing of interest. For me, you need to know the kind of story you really want to tell and then take this as your starting point. From here, you must develop all the other elements required - characters, world, background, set-piece scenes, plot, plot and plot, conflict, tension, the character's 'journey' (physical, emotional, spiritual or otherwise) and so on. A great idea is never enough to write a good story, it is just a good place to start, imho.

You agree with me, and then in the next sentence you disagree?

[Fist Gamet]

jitsukerr, on 18 November 2009 - 11:12 AM, said:

Fist Gamet, on 17 November 2009 - 03:09 PM, said:

Agreed, the way forwards is not so clean cut and it's different for different people. I would say though that at the end of it all, you are telling a story and this should be the most important element - a good story. No point in having terrific characters is they just sit around doing nothing and saying nothing of interest. For me, you need to know the kind of story you really want to tell and then take this as your starting point. From here, you must develop all the other elements required - characters, world, background, set-piece scenes, plot, plot and plot, conflict, tension, the character's 'journey' (physical, emotional, spiritual or otherwise) and so on. A great idea is never enough to write a good story, it is just a good place to start, imho.

You agree with me, and then in the next sentence you disagree?

He he, agreed that there is no right answer set in stone and that everyone needs to find their own way and their own voice. The next bit was just to highlight how I do it.

[Use Of Weapons]

I thought it might be something like that. There are people for whom the story really isn't the important thing, though. I'm not one of them, I think story is hugely important. But they are out there.

[Sixty]

Story seems to be the most important things to most people. Without story, after all, there isn't exactly a, well, story to read.

[Use Of Weapons]

I completely agree. They are a tiny minority. In terms of writers and the craft of writing, however, not starting with the story is a fairly common approach. And every writer who does it differently would find it difficult to think of how you could even begin to think about story before you had characters, or setting, or all the other variables that can become a starting point.

There's a quote from Keats which is appropriate:

There are nine-and-sixty ways
Of constructing tribal lays
And every single one of them is right!

[Fist Gamet]

Yeah, I reckon I could create a few characters, sit them in some sort of room and just begin with some dialogue and let the thing grow of it's own accord. I believe that without a pre-conceived idea of where I am going with the story ir how they got there I could certainly write some kind of story that comes directly and entirely from the dialogue and the characters. It would be interesting (for me) but it could be done. In the end, I don't think it could be very long, nor could it really move outside of that room - and it will probably not be very good.

[Use Of Weapons]

You'd be surprised at how well it works for those authors who do work in that way though. For example, I believe Lois Bujold works by creating characters first, and then lets them decide how they are going act in a setting.

[WhiskeyJackDaniels]

I've been writing when I had a few minutes for the past week, and I just finished a rough draft of my prologue, and a later chapter that is important to the story and I wanted to get down on paper right after I thought it up. I know have even more respect for people like Erikson and other authors who can bang out thousand page books lol. Anyway since I mentioned I was working on something I figured I'd mention that I actually have ink on paper now.

[TeddyGraham]

Im attempting to write one as well, its fairl long but i seem to keep going back to edit and then get stuck in the editing phase. I believe im too critical of my own work and will take years to finish because of it. It is about a sorceror, who convinces people hes a god, a cult forms, and soon it becomes a trend among a few nobles, and civil war begins.

Later on, the gods get pissed when people stop their sacrifices to them, burn their churches etc, and remove their influence upon the world. Magic, which is a gift from the gods is taken from the world, and the laws of nature change. Babies become stillborn, the dead rise, and people dont die anymore. Once a tree is cut down, it will not grow back, a blade of grass scorched...will never grow back.
The main character is a disgraced noble, who turned to books, and uncovered vital information....that is all for now lol

[Ain't_It_Just_]

TeddyGraham, on 30 December 2009 - 07:31 PM, said:

Im attempting to write one as well, its fairl long but i seem to keep going back to edit and then get stuck in the editing phase. I believe im too critical of my own work and will take years to finish because of it. It is about a sorceror, who convinces people hes a god, a cult forms, and soon it becomes a trend among a few nobles, and civil war begins.

Later on, the gods get pissed when people stop their sacrifices to them, burn their churches etc, and remove their influence upon the world. Magic, which is a gift from the gods is taken from the world, and the laws of nature change. Babies become stillborn, the dead rise, and people dont die anymore. Once a tree is cut down, it will not grow back, a blade of grass scorched...will never grow back.
The main character is a disgraced noble, who turned to books, and uncovered vital information....that is all for now lol

Interesting...sounds vaguely Oedipal.

I've been kicking a story idea around in my head for the past few weeks now...it's about human consciousness and how some harness it for their own ends. I have a good feeling about it.

[Baudinsballs]

I too am writing a novel. After many failed attempts I am really happy about this one, I have a good feeling about this one. I currently have 4 and a half chapters written and I find it's going the way of Erikson. Separated into parts. The first chapter is long and then the fifth chapter is really long too. I'm currently writing it long hand.

If I tried describing what it was about I would end up filling up several posts so as best I can it's...

A boy is taken from a small village to become a Guardian (an army/police force group) and he is very excited by this having listened to all the stories and legends about them. Unfortunately it turns out life is different from fiction and the Guardians are not the heroes he thought they were. After disobeying orders he is forced to babysit a merchants daughter as she travels the continent. A journey which will see him confront his views on religion and force him to make a life changing choice. But as he is beginning his career another is ending, as a Guardian is forced to return his lover for execution, his choice will decide his path.

A girl is taken from her home with her sister to be schooled in a city half way across the world. Life changes when years later, they undertake a journey to begin apprenticeships, attacked by raiders, her sister is taken away while she hides. Believing her dead, she continues onwards to her apprenticeship only to find herself, after a series of unfortunate events, heading home, where she will cross paths with a resistance group and a Guardian.

The Scarred, a legendary mercenary group are hired to undertake a most dangerous journey to Mazure Island, other wise known as the Abandoned Isle, for something was unleashed there and in the blink of an eye its people vanished. They will be the first to journey to this place, untouched for over a thousand years.

A young child witnesses her family murdered by creatures of nightmare, only to find that her rescuing by a mysterious women signals the beginning of a new nightmare.

Meanwhile a woman who has survived the destruction of her own family seeks to rescue others, with only a list to guide her and a notorious ladies man to help her. Soon she will meet others, a women twisted by revenge and years spent being a slave and a man expelled from a city after being betrayed.

Soon all roads will become one and even then they are unaware of the tiny manipulations in their lives as war between immortals reaches Endgame.

Okay that turned out longer than I thought.

[Ain't_It_Just_]

Baudinsballs, on 03 January 2010 - 06:41 PM, said:

I too am writing a novel. After many failed attempts I am really happy about this one, I have a good feeling about this one. I currently have 4 and a half chapters written and I find it's going the way of Erikson. Separated into parts. The first chapter is long and then the fifth chapter is really long too. I'm currently writing it long hand.

If I tried describing what it was about I would end up filling up several posts so as best I can it's...

A boy is taken from a small village to become a Guardian (an army/police force group) and he is very excited by this having listened to all the stories and legends about them. Unfortunately it turns out life is different from fiction and the Guardians are not the heroes he thought they were. After disobeying orders he is forced to babysit a merchants daughter as she travels the continent. A journey which will see him confront his views on religion and force him to make a life changing choice. But as he is beginning his career another is ending, as a Guardian is forced to return his lover for execution, his choice will decide his path.

A girl is taken from her home with her sister to be schooled in a city half way across the world. Life changes when years later, they undertake a journey to begin apprenticeships, attacked by raiders, her sister is taken away while she hides. Believing her dead, she continues onwards to her apprenticeship only to find herself, after a series of unfortunate events, heading home, where she will cross paths with a resistance group and a Guardian.

The Scarred, a legendary mercenary group are hired to undertake a most dangerous journey to Mazure Island, other wise known as the Abandoned Isle, for something was unleashed there and in the blink of an eye its people vanished. They will be the first to journey to this place, untouched for over a thousand years.

A young child witnesses her family murdered by creatures of nightmare, only to find that her rescuing by a mysterious women signals the beginning of a new nightmare.

Meanwhile a woman who has survived the destruction of her own family seeks to rescue others, with only a list to guide her and a notorious ladies man to help her. Soon she will meet others, a women twisted by revenge and years spent being a slave and a man expelled from a city after being betrayed.

Soon all roads will become one and even then they are unaware of the tiny manipulations in their lives as war between immortals reaches Endgame.

Okay that turned out longer than I thought.

Jeez, that's convoluted. I hope you can tie it all together into a lovely story.

[Baudinsballs]

Yeah I'm beginning to bring them together. They are all interlinked in small ways and hopefully by the end they'll be at a point where they meet up.
The only concern is sorting out the timeline.

Also I don't know if this is bad but I'm writing it long hand and I'm 46 pages in and half way through Chapter 5

This post has been edited by Baudinsballs: 05 January 2010 - 12:17 AM

[Ain't_It_Just_]

Baudinsballs, on 04 January 2010 - 09:42 AM, said:

Yeah I'm beginning to bring them together. They are all interlinked in small ways and hopefully by the end they'll be at a point where they meet up.
The only concern is sorting out the timeline.

Also I don't know if this is bad but I'm writing it long hand and I'm 46 pages in and half way through Chapter 5

How many chapters are you aiming for?

[Baudinsballs]

I was aiming for 56 chapters. This was before my computer crashed.

[Fist Gamet]

I just wanted to say that I am now half-way through reading "Balerian Fire" by our very own Yellow, and I am enjoying it. It is taking a long time because I must read off the screen in Word, which I find very hard on the eyes after a while.

[Baudinsballs]

Update. Update. Bloody UPDATE! can you tell what my post is about yet?

I've hit middlebook Itis. I've practically finished the second section of the book and I'm currently setting up other plot lines. But I think I've lost interest. Want to tell the same story but maybe in a different way.