Deciding What To Write - The Creative Process

DECIDING WHAT TO WRITE

I talked last week about when to write (piece found here) and I thought I would finish out this mini series by talking about how to decide what to write. I know a lot of people will be in the midst of NaNoWriMo, and some of them will have prepared and planned and prepped, or some, like me, will be plansting or pantsing their way through their draft. All of those are valid ways to do it, but sometimes you might find yourself stuck with which idea to choose, or where to take your story, and that's where this pieces comes in.

I've always been a writer who can, generally, think their way out of a plot issue. I've experienced writer's block before, but I don't get it often, and when I do the reason is usually unrelated to the story itself and more down to burnout and the like. But that said, there are some times when people just get caught up in the story and write themselves into corners, or when they have a whole bunch of ideas but don't know which one to choose, so here are some of my tips for both of these.

#1 EXPLORE THE NARRATIVE
This applies more to plot issues than trying to think up a brand new idea, but it can be adapted for like thinking of where to take a sequel for example. One thing I do when I feel like I don't know which direction to take the story is really think about the narrative so far. Like in Cramping Chronicles, I knew I was building to something big, but I really had to think about all that had come before it before I could pin down exactly which direction to take things. I still have moments of doubt about that, but I'm getting better at working out what's imposter syndrome and what's actually just my gut saying that this plot point won't work.

Thinking back over the story, and questioning character motivation and character backstory and actually diving into whether or not your character would do this or that, can really help you solve that plot beat and allow you to work through the problem. The only issue with this step is if you don't know your character well enough yet, and in that case you will just have to go with what you think the right path should be, knowing that you may well have to double back at some point, but that is literally what revision is for.

#2 GO FOR THE EXCITEMENT
This applies to new ideas and to plot issues. If in doubt, go for the path that excites you, take yourself, and your characters on that journey, and know that you will find your way through that excitement. There have been numerous times when I've found myself struggling with a plot, or struggling to narrow down which story I want to write next, and it's always been a good idea to either choose the story that fills me with ideas and passion, or to go down the plot path that I really think will lead to good things.

Now if you don't know which one, or you have multiples, then that can be another issue entirely. For the latter, multiple options that all excite you, then I suggest going back to the first one, and explore what all those ideas will mean for the story as a whole and bring in what you think your character would actually do. It's a lot of exploring and trying things out, but it really does end up bringing in the best results.

#3 TALK IT THROUGH ALOUD
Now I know there's this idea that writer's talk to themselves, and while it can be true, for this step I mean with a trusted friend. It needs to be someone who either knows the story as a whole, or someone who's opinion you trust. For this I will go to either of my two best friends, and just talk through the ideas, the problems, the characters and work it through that way.

You've heard of coders and developers using rubber ducks to solve issues? The same can apply to writers. Sometimes talking it through aloud allows you to explore different avenues that you wouldn't have thought of keeping it all in your head. For that reason, this one is a great one, and maybe you solve the problem with no input for the listener, but sometimes you do need their help to work things out.

So there we go, those are my three tips for working out what to write, whether that be a new idea, or a plot issue in your current works. I've found all three to be really useful and I hope they are for you too!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!

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Review of The Whisperer's Wish by Janilise Lloyd

For sixteen years, Laurelin Moore has been keeping a secret. She is a whisperer, and she knows that to reveal her gift now is a dangerous risk. Past whisperers have been exploited for their power. But Ausland’s queen is dead and acknowledging her magic is her only chance at becoming a Rook in the Pentax—a competition that will decide the kingdom’s next ruler.

Laurelin isn’t in it for the crown, though. She’s after the wish that will be granted to the victor. A wish that would save her dying brother, Pippin. But there are dangerous undercurrents to the competition, and Laurelin finds herself at the center of it. She begins to search for answers and discovers a secret with the potential to shatter the entire kingdom.

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My Review: 5 STARS

I picked this up because the title intrigued me. I was looking for a fantasy that has some aspects of real life in it and found myself very much at home with this book. It was a delight from start to finish. It tugs at your emotions, making the characters and the world seem so real, to the point where you’re desperate to keep turning the pages and finding out how it’s going to end. That ending almost destroyed me, but at the same time, it was perfectly bittersweet and would have been disappointed if it’d gone another way. Thoroughly enjoyed the book and an author I’ll read again. Very much recommended!

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Deciding What To Use To Write - The Creative Process

DECIDING WHAT TO USE TO WRITE

Last week I talked about deciding when to write (found here) and this week, I thought that I would focus on what tools you'll be using to get that writing done. Like I've talked about before, I didn't always use just a keyboard/tablet and the like to get my writing done. For a long time in the start of my career, I would hand write and then spend the evening typing everything up, which also allowed me to edit slightly as I went.

Now of course this was back in the days before things like tablets, and back when owning a laptop was way out of my price range. I wanted to have that comfort of writing where I pleased, but I also, back then, found that the words flowed better when it was just me, a pen and a pad of paper. I know that by the time I typed everything up, I would have a better first draft than if I'd just typed it into the computer because that pen could only move as fast as I could write legibly, and typing was always something I've been able to do quickly.

That said, my reason for switching to typing only was because one of my chronic conditions made it exceptionally painful to hold a pen for long so it was a necessary thing to keep writing the way I had been. I still do edit as I go, but that's more the day following when I read through everything again, but I digress. Deciding what to use can be a very personal thing, and it's not just in the tool of keyboard or pen, but writing software and all of that. I thought that I would break it down a little for you, and see if what I've stuck to can help you make that choice of what to use.

#1: PAPER IS EASIER TO DAMAGE/LOSE
One thing I don't miss about those early writing days was how easy it was for the paper to get torn, or wet, or lost, and then you'd have a whole chunk that you would either have to rewrite from memory or hope that the computer copy was up to date and saved in all the places.

I know there's a certain affinity for handwriting your work, and I understand the attraction. The thing that always got me at the end of the day was that in these times, you are going to have to type it all up at some point. You can no longer send through your pages in the mail as neatly written. It needs, in fact even then, to be typed at some point. Now, if, like me, you would type things up every time you wrote, then this is less of an issue, but if you choose to do it in larger chunks, then there's always the risk that something will get lost, or damaged, and having lost work on the computer before, I know how frustrating it is to try and reconstruct that work.

#2: PLOTTING VS PANTSING
This might seem out of place, or like it doesn't really belong in a post about deciding what to use to write, but I promise you I have a point. There is software like Scrivnr that works great for people who plot. I've never used it, because the majority of the features wouldn't be anything I have a use for. I may plot somewhat when it comes to drafting, but I have no need for scene cards and character profiles set up the way Scrivnr does it. So if you're a plotter, you're going to want a different kind of software maybe than a pantser would.

Of course there's nothing wrong with any kind of software, and pantsers and plotters alike can use whatever works for them, but for me, it just seemed like a waste of money, and time, to put it all together when the majority of it wouldn't be applicable to me. So if you're more of a pantser you might find that there's a different kind of ideal software to use, and if that's the case, then let us know in the comments!

My point is just that whichever you are, that's going to play a part in choosing what you use to get those words down from a software point of view. But as always, your mileage may vary.

#3: COMFORT, AGAIN, IS A BIG THING
I said above that typing is less painful for me, so of course I'm going to stick to doing the thing that doesn't cause me pain, and the same will apply to anyone reading. Whatever you choose to use, whatever tools you have, whether that be the type of pen, or the software of the like, you have to use whatever gives you the most comfort. There is little point in suffering for your words, and I can't really fathom that anyone would think otherwise!

Comfort matters, and it very much applies here too. Use what brings you that, and you're golden!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!

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