outline junk and unprogress in dollLand ~

[lookingland]

i'm tired of being poor at the moment. this morning i couldn't find my pencil. the thought of going out to buy a new one gave me angina (what kind of writer only has one good pencil anyway?).

i still can't find my pencil. but i've decided to do something else that doesn't require one.

: o p

i'm too disorganized. so i'm going to go back to outlining.

i'm going to try something a wee different this time. i'm going to try working with card again. if i recall correctly, i used notecards to organize Exposition and i used them for at least of the drafts of FSM at some point along the road. i also used them for last year's NaNo, The Kidnapped Christ. i was sort of sloppy about how i used them, but nevertheless used them (and had i not, i would have never finished NaNo).

normally i just outline on paper and run with that. it's contained and appeals to my sense of heirarchy, not scattershot like cards tend to get. but considering the way my brain is working lately, scatter-shot sounds more the order of the day. so i'm going to set up paper outlines, then make cards based on them, and then throw them in a hat and just work on whatever comes to the top. if i can discipline myself to write at least one scene a day, i think i could maybe get something done.

i've got an outline for Figfield done. invariably these things always end up more complex than i think they will be. it took me all afternoon betweens naps to finish it. (yes, it's a hard life i lead). anyway, the next step is making up the cards. then i'd like to get to it.

i also have a sort of outline (the 10th at least) for The Company We Keep which i keep revising. i'm thinking of working on the two simultaneously, so i'm going to make cards for it as well to keep that rolling forward.

The View from the Back Porch and The Hot Spot are officially on the backburner until i get these other two pieces sorta sketched in.

~ * ~

i don't normally make paper dolls of famous people/famous characters, etc, but i so started to make a V (from V for Vendetta) paper doll. i sketched the design for it and then managed to restrain myself from actually executing it. but i don't know how long i can hold off (prolly until i find my pencil ~ hahahahaha). i would have scanned the prototype to share, but that sounds like work. hahahaha ~


who knew i could be such a fan girl?
but as they say:
one man's terrorist
is another man's freedom fighter.
something to think about.

Comments

[bachsoprano.livejournal.com]

I hear you about the pencil. I will search through the house looking for the one pencil that I like, and if it's been gnawed on by the DH....well....

I hope you found your pencil and tied it down. They like to go walking :)

Cards - okay, question....you've got scenes on the cards? So, when you plot, you do so by scenes? Plotting is something that I don't do much of ahead of time - I do take notes (and well, you know all about me and endings) and right down themes I want to play with, and then there's the endless research, but I've never thought in scenes. How do you link the scenes? Or, do you just write them and then worry about the rest later? And, if you're writing scenes out of order, does that mean you flesh out your characters before departure?

And....Dear Fangirl, I'd like to see the prototype if you have time! :)

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

you've got scenes on the cards?

ayup.

So, when you plot, you do so by scenes?

not usually. i sometimes start with scenes as a springboard, then plot in broader strokes (what happens), and then break down into scenes for ease of handling.

How do you link the scenes?

scenes usually end up being whole in and of themselves (they're sorta very french that way), so transitions are often merely a matter of white space.

Or, do you just write them and then worry about the rest later?

continuity is usually the bigger issue. that's something that needs a lot of attention once the draft is finished. i often end up completely rewriting, reorganizing, and sometimes adding/cutting scenes when i see how they work or don't work together.

And, if you're writing scenes out of order, does that mean you flesh out your characters before departure?

i can't write anything unless i know my characters pretty intimately. and especially if i'm writing in first person pov, i really need to know them well and their affectations and speech patterns before i'll dive in.

i find it facinating how different people approach their work. i could never write something just by completely winging it or trying to discover who the character is along the way. i have to know more about what i'm doing to be invested in it. i admire people who jiust sit down and go go go ~ i find that amazing.

as to the prototype: yes, i found my pencil (yay!), and maybe i'll work on it tonight ~ hahahahaha

: D

[bachsoprano.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing! I, too, like learning about other people's processes - and then gleaning :)

(Ooops....sorry about the anonymous comment....I didn't realize that I wasn't signed in!)

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

there needs to be more gleaning in the world.

glean glean glean!

: D