Open Thread: Oracle Hotline

[mithen]

--Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I'm actually even unusually rigid in this area--it's gotta be from start to finish. I don't even know why, but if I'm jammed on a scene the story's not moving anywhere until I get unjammed. Maybe it's that I'm afraid that if I skip it, I'll write lots more of the story but never be able to fix that early scene, and thus it will never be completed?

My Yuletide story is done, betaed, and uploaded! And is almost 3x longer than any previous Yuletide story I've ever written--I guess I was inspired? Now I have to resist poking and tinkering with it too much and move on... How about you? What's drawing your attention this week?

Comments

[prince0froses]

Both. I do scenes out of order from their spot in the plot, but I have to do the individual scenes from start to finish.

I am doing well and not well on writing this week. I have good ideas and am going at a decent pace, but falling short of my goals for output.

[mithen]

I kind of like that answer! It's a good mix of linear and non-linear.

I hope you're feeling okay! Falling short of goals--especially this time of year--is kind of part of the human condition. :)

[me_ya_ri]

I'm in order 98% of the time. It just works better for me. The rare times I have written out of order it's been a struggle for me. Generally if I get stuck on a story I look at the scene I'm stuck on, see if I can plausibly cut / combine it with another more interesting scene and then move on. So far, every 'stuck' scene has turned out to be one that I didn't actually need in the story after all. Which is cool!

I've done really well this week. Not as many words as I wanted but I think I just found the end of my current book. It's going to be short, between 36K and 45K, depending on if I do a final chapter for each of my three POV characters, but that's okay. Stuff is happening, romance is blooming and I may yet get my lesbian wedding in there. *cheers*

Then I need to edit one of the novels I finished last month based on beta feedback, get that out, create another collection of short stories, get that out, do my online class homework (writing short stories because I just don't think I do it very well), and figure out what story to write next. *laughing groan* Always too many things to do at one time. Good luck on your next story!

[mithen]

Generally if I get stuck on a story I look at the scene I'm stuck on, see if I can plausibly cut / combine it with another more interesting scene and then move on.

You know, I don't think I've ever expressed it that clearly, but I think I do this as well--basically, I tend to say "Well, if this isn't working, can I skip ahead and just recap the effects of this scene in the next one? Like "Clark stared at the mirror. The things Bruce had said--! Well, it was obvious they wouldn't be seeing each other again." If I can do that gracefully, it does usually seem to mean I didn't need the whole scene anyway...

Sounds like the writing is going great, I'm thrilled! Did you get that lesbian wedding in there? (What's threatening to keep it out?)

[me_ya_ri]

I hope I will get the wedding. Haven't had the time to write it yet. The question is whether or not I end the story on the current chapter (no wedding) or give it another 2-3 chapters (wedding!). Won't know which way I'm going to go until I finish the current chapter.

Which I really ought to go write. *grin*

[mithen]

OK, I can hear you on that! SO the wedding is happening, it's just a matter of whether it's "on-screen" or not, and like you I almost never know these things until I'm right on top of them.

Happy writing! I got a pleasant chunk done yesterday and am hoping to tackle some more today!