The Writing Column Q & A

Started by Captain Maltese, May 30, 2016, 11:22:15 AM

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Nico

Challenges are fine, but the setting has to interest me in the first place. Why would I write something I'm not interested in or lack the knowledge of?

Passing it on.

Mirrah

Quote from: Captain Maltese on December 08, 2017, 05:23:08 PM
New question: When you ponder a new story, are you looking for a familiar and comfortable setting or do you look for a challenge?

If the story fires me up, I would go for that new and unfamiliar setting. That said, I tend to go into experimental stages, and don't mind doing research, though I see nothing wrong with keeping to comfortable settings. I guess I want and like both, depending on the space my mind is in.

Passing it on.
"Dream... not of what you are... but of what you want to be." - Margulis
Status: Closed. Semi Hiatus. | Have you taken care of yourself today?

Caeli

Quote from: Captain Maltese on December 08, 2017, 05:23:08 PMNew question: When you ponder a new story, are you looking for a familiar and comfortable setting or do you look for a challenge?

I'm not sure that familiar and comfortable would necessarily be the same in my case - I am probably comfortable writing in a number of settings that I don't have actual role playing (or story writing) experience with, which would make them "not familiar" to me.

Thinking on my process, I don't think it's usually the setting that comes to mind first. When I come up ideas it's heavily weighted towards character interaction and potential for development; once I plant the initial seed for the idea, I then start working outwards from there on a number of things including setting. I ask questions about the  characters' backgrounds, start thinking about their immediate surroundings, NPCs they might interact with...

TLDR; the setting is incidental; I welcome the challenge if it comes but I'm more focused on character interaction.

New question!

What is your favorite part about world-building?
ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀғʟɪᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ɢᴏᴅ's ᴘʀᴏᴏғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀᴛ ʟɪғᴇ
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Xanaphia00

Quote from: Caeli on December 11, 2017, 01:03:14 PM
What is your favorite part about world-building?
Making everything fit together and make logical sense. I love when one things leads to another, leads to the next detail. For example, ahile ago, I started writing a political intrigue rp set in a fantasy kingdom. I have no idea about the kingdom, at all, no idea where to even beginning. So here I am, writing the wedding scene, introducing some of the cast by having them present gifts to the main couple I get to the male MC's grandfather, and decide he is gifting the couple a ship. Which means his lands must be on the coast. Now, since more of the continent is landlocked, his coastal region has a monopoly on foreign trade, and he is the most wealthy of the dukes in this kingdom, wielding significant power. All these details, just from his choice of gift.

Passing it on.

Captain Maltese

The question is very interesting. Because when I think it over, I almost never do build worlds. Most of my stories are in the real one in past or present or future, or in a close corollary like steampunk or with a spirituality theme. I will happily spend hours researching the historical background for a story; the food, the music, the cultural eccentrics. If I have to start inventing beasts and find new names for alcohol I lose traction pretty quick. Maybe it is something I should try to do more often. I'll hang on to that thought.


New question.
Do you model your characters on anybody, like other book characters or historical ones or even people you know/knew personally?

Posting status:  25th December: Up To Date 5 of 9 : last month 2, this month 5, total 38 posts for 2023.

O/O            Current stories

Nico

No.

I generally avoid it because I feel that it takes a way a lot of my freedom when it comes to writing. My characters are their own personalities. I write one historical person and even there I do my own thing, but my favourite characters are the ones I can create on my own, without restrictions. I never would base a character off of someone I know personally. That would feel very weird to me.

Passing it on.

Captain Maltese

There are movie and book characters whom I admire and/OR respect, and historical people and actors as well. They often show up as my avatars here on E. I don't use them in my stories. Not so much that they can't be used, as me worrying I won't be able to write them as well as the real thing. Both for my sake, and for my cowriter who has chosen to write against that highly specific character. But I am happy to let them inspire me and I can incorporate their way of speaking, their body language and their looks.

New question:
How much do you rely on classic story characters in your writing? Do you simply pick up an elven ranger archetype and play it out from there, or is the frame merely a box to think outside of?

Posting status:  25th December: Up To Date 5 of 9 : last month 2, this month 5, total 38 posts for 2023.

O/O            Current stories

Nico

I try to stay away from those as much as possible. It's so easy to fall into stereotypes and I really try to avoid those, too. ~laughs~ My character ideas just.. happen and then I roll with it.

Passing it on.

RedRose

My characters will never just be a stereotype or archetype. But if fitting, they may be based on a type I'm really interested in.

Passing it on.
O/O and ideas - write if you'd be a good Aaron Warner (Juliette) [Shatter me], Tarkin (Leia), Wilkins (Faith) [Buffy the VS]
[what she reading: 50 TALES A YEAR]



Scribbles

I tend to enjoy both stereotypical and niche characters, it all depends on how I'm feeling and which fits best for the current story.

Do you have any interesting methods for breaking through writer's block?
AA and OO
Current Games: Stretched Thin, Very Little Time

Captain Maltese

I am not sure if this counts as a method. When I have had a writing drought for a while, I notice that the first sign that the creative juices are running again when my head starts constructing sentences by itself again. I might be reading an article or watching a tv program or movie or just be driving, and something goes *click* and the words starts lining up together. When the brain back room's light goes on and I can hear "Considering recent events in France it should be noted that..." or "The summer night was warm, James' heart was cold and there was just enough gas left on the tank to drive to...." then THAT is my Batman signal and the time to run to the keyboard, because then I know I can start writing about any topic.

Passing it on.

Posting status:  25th December: Up To Date 5 of 9 : last month 2, this month 5, total 38 posts for 2023.

O/O            Current stories

Nico

Quote from: Scribbles on May 23, 2018, 11:47:59 PM

Do you have any interesting methods for breaking through writer's block?

The only thing that works for me is leave it be, not stress over it and wait until the muse jumps.

Passing it on.

RedRose

I don't do writer's block. I may be exhausted, too sad... But I won't remain unable to write for a long time. If I'm uninspired, I write something else, or start from the end, or just try to think about what the characters would do. I guess the only exception would be if I have a problem with the RP, from start or because it went a way I don't like. Then yes, I might just need to quit, but it got rare when I got picky.

Passing it on.
O/O and ideas - write if you'd be a good Aaron Warner (Juliette) [Shatter me], Tarkin (Leia), Wilkins (Faith) [Buffy the VS]
[what she reading: 50 TALES A YEAR]



Captain Maltese

When I fight the writing block I actively seek related input. So if I want to work on a story in a time and place I look for music from that time and place. Or a movie, or a nonfiction program, or even just pictures. Music works best because I get the ambience without getting sidetracked by the movie's story.

New question:
Have you ever been published, or tried to get published? Here defining publishing as having it bought or distributed by a third party.

Posting status:  25th December: Up To Date 5 of 9 : last month 2, this month 5, total 38 posts for 2023.

O/O            Current stories

Nico

No and no. Writing is only a hobby for me.

RedRose

I wrote a few articles that got published. My first book (non fiction) got published very recently and I've now sent my first novel to Publishers.
O/O and ideas - write if you'd be a good Aaron Warner (Juliette) [Shatter me], Tarkin (Leia), Wilkins (Faith) [Buffy the VS]
[what she reading: 50 TALES A YEAR]



midnightblack

All the time, but never literary works. Just technical peer-reviewed stuff.

I guess it's ok to throw a new question. What's the ambience that helps you the most when you work on fiction?
The Midnight Lodge (O2 thread & completed tales compendium)
Thy Nightly Chambers (requests) updated!
Zerzura (albeit short, the best collaborative story I've ever completed here)