Because I'm running a little low these days...
... what sort of things inspire you? Is it chatting with cowriters and tossing around 'what if' situations? Do you like to plot everything down beforehand using a flow chart and colour coded tabs? Do you prefer sending out random starts and seeing what comes of them? Do your characters just flow from one situation to another with no specific destination, but still somehow end up somewhere cool?
Where else do you get your ideas? Movies? Books? Is there anyone that you'd really, really like to write like, or write for?
Personally, I do best with a combination of pre-plots and chatter with cowriters. I can usually produce something coherant and entertaining when I know vaguely what the point, or goal, is in a post. Random coposts usually stump me, or else the end result tends to be a little on the dull side for the reader. (I'm weird in that I write as much for others as I do for myself. It's a bit of a handicap sometimes because then I stress out over plot holes).
As for other ideas... I sometimes snatch little things from other plots - vague things like, 'kid goes to magic school' or 'wizard releases something he shouldn't' or somesuch. Like a grain of sand in a pearl. I even have a plot that I've developed from a song! Or combinations of phrases - like 'Harki and the Heinous Pants' - which will be coming out shortly. ;)
And styles that I try to emulate or think are marvy - I really, really like the way Nevada Barr writes. I think she's amazing, and makes some of the most complex, realistic characters I have ever run across. I also enjoy Gareth Nix for his plotting/pacing, and Tanya Huff for her dry sense of humor. ;)
What about you all?
PS. and what do you do when you have writer's block that approaches on severe constipation? I've been suffering since late 2005!! WAAAH!
Well I usually wait for the inspiration to strike me. I watch a good movie or read a book and then like a particular plot or storyline and say: "Wow, thats cool, who could I use that on?" Other times I ask my friends for things they'd like to see in the story/copost/poetry and try to work it in. One thing I'm finding very helpful is having my RFA (Regional Fine Arts) class on writing. My mentor is trying to enlighten us to new types of writing, like sestinas (which I HATE!) or gives us a prompt to work with. And sometimes I page through old journals/writing books and see what I once tried and see if I can elaborate something or continue a plot.
Sometimes I get good ideas for plots while perusing the internet, thats how Cherlyn got pregnant. I saw the "Successful birth of Twins" in the Member Rewards section of the website when it first came out and said, I think thats something Cherlyn could do to experience, and it gave me plot lines for her in the future.
Now, I'm sure this won't come as a surprise to anybody, but I like to know where the copost is going before it starts. If there's no 'reason' for it then I start to stress. I can't just agree to do a post between characters A and B; somebody has to decide what the purpose of A and B posting together is!
That being said, rounding out a character by showing their daily life is a perfectly good reason in my eyes but it's not readable in big lumps, so that has to be balanced.
Since Pern fanfic is all I've been writing over the last few years I like to flick through the Atlas and DLG every now and then, just to spark really Pern-y ideas, since mostly my plots are just people plots.
And chatting is great! Ideas just seem to bounce about a lot faster in chat rooms so the opportunity to chat with coposters is always appreciated.
I don't know enough about writing to emmulate anybody, but I do sometimes feel my style has elements of my past writing partners in it. Hannah (Ridges / Shadows / Anchor's Fall) and I wrote together so often that I know I now use some of her punctuation and post styles.
I would love to be able to write like Patricia McKillip in her "Changeling Sea". If I aspire to anything, that would probably be it.
Nevada Barr! I'm just starting out with her books, having picked up Mountain of Bones / Ill Wind a couple of months ago and really enjoying it.
(Yeah, earned my 2 marks on this reply!)
Sometimes I plan, sometimes I don't.
The problem is that if I plan, my characters often don't go where I expect them to go.
If I run into a problem, I walk away and do something else.
I'm with Vix. Sometimes planning is a good thing, sometimes not.
If I have a set in stone place a post needs to go, I tend to be very short and to the point, because if I don't, I go off on tangents and don't get where I need to go. I like having a general idea of a purpose for the post, then ramble at will.
I've stumbled across great plot ideas that way. At another group I had a goldrider whose best friend was a bluerider. During one of their first meetings, he commented that the sharks would start circling soon, as she was a weyrling and pretty much a complete innocent. Next thing I knew, one of my other characters' dragon had an encounter with a sea-beastie of unknown origins. Plus of course, the weyrling goldrider had to find herself a man - and quick - to stave off those horny bronzers looking for an in with her before her gold's maiden flight.
Random posts often trip me up. I usually like some kind of idea as to what's going to go on. I'm also very fond of long plots. Y'know, the kind where you plan out a storyline that'll take months. THOSE are fun. I like setting up the basics for what will go on with the characters and then sitting back to an extent and letting them run off to where they want. Sometimes, however, they trot off to places you are NOT expecting. Then you kind of have to nudge them back on course.
Hmmmm... That's a tough question. I think I get my inspiration from:
Plotting - there are some co-posters that I have plotted and planned with litterally years in advance. I have a couple personas I know pretty much know where they will be doing months from now, even years from now. Most of that of course comes from chatting about it with other people.
Playing What If - Just throwing out ideas and grabbing onto one I like. This is mostly for personas I really don't know yet. That helps.
Surprises - that's kinda how Birigundi became a father. Dana and I were thinking "Hmmm... we have no posts... let's do something with Birigundi. Hey! Lets give him a pregnancy scare! Can you write an NPC? You decide if she will be pregnant or not." And his life hasn't been the same since.
Random Posts - D'cal and Dyaera took off after their first "Meet-and-greet"...
But my greatest source of inspiration is
Exploring their Humanity - I pick my personas apart in my mind. I studied psychology. I am a student of people. Nothing that a person does is a random act. Something in their past has lead them to do what they do, and what they WILL do. Events make a person grow and change. The U'kaiah that started two years ago is VASTLY different from the U'kaiah today. The events in his life have had an effect on him. I love exploring those twists and turns in a personality and following them to their logical conclusions. Almost all of my personas embody some facet of the human spirit I want to explore. I think that's what really gets me going :D
Quote from: "Eimi"Events make a person grow and change. The U'kaiah that started two years ago is VASTLY different from the U'kaiah today.
My Kel (ahh! my favourite!) started life in Ridges which was (from my pov) a young persons club so he was young, volitile, difficult. Then he moved to Shadows with an (predominantly) older writing group, and got aged 5 Turns in the process, which was a help. He was still volatile, but he'd matured a lot. Then I got him to very peaceful Anchor's Fall where we only had one writer under 30 and he changed again; settled down, learned to deal with his emotions, had kids.
I guess I'm trying to say that his growth as a character was influcenced by IC things - and his OOC environment.
I generally just wait for inspiration to strike...I'm a bit boring that way!
Sometimes I plot and plan, sometimes I just throw out random co-posts. But the best posts are those that actually have idea/plot behind them.
I get my inspiration from everywhere, books, music, movies...dreams.
I love character-development -posts and dips into the dark side. (Rigella's been thru those a lot!)
For me, I get my inspiration from plotting and from throwing around ideas for moments between personas, which eventually develop into full-blown posts. Like Eimi, I've plotted years down the line for a couple of my personas. :) I really do love to plot things out--when I have the time. Random posts are hard for me to respond to. I like to know where my personas are going and how certain posts will progress their storyline, or what they'll reveal about my personas.
I get ideas from my favorite books. And I've noticed that whichever author I read, her or his writing style is somehow reflected in the way I write. Music inspires me too! :)
Quote from: "Yvonne"PS. and what do you do when you have writer's block that approaches on severe constipation? I've been suffering since late 2005!! WAAAH!
Um, fiber? :D
Quote from: "Becki"Um, fiber? :D
*SNERK* Thank you, Becki, for your wonderful advice! I'll take it to heart. Or perhaps to stomach. ;)
Jane - I pick up elements of my writing partners' style as well. One writer I've written with for years - we could pretty much write each other's characters, and when one of us went on holiday we'd let the other 'borrow' them for a while in case there was an emergency plot that needed their contribution while they were awol.
Well, maybe if you actually eat paper books, you'll get physical fiber AND writing fiber?
Quote from: "Avril"Well, maybe if you actually eat paper books, you'll get physical fiber AND writing fiber?
Mmm... fiber! Books are better than bran!
Seriously, though, I think what I need to do is pick up a book of short stories. It's amazing what a good short story can do. Or lectures, or movies, or go to a gallery or anything else that stimulates the mind. Stimulation. Maybe that's what I need - not fiber, but coffee!
You know that reminds me of a joke I made up in 6th grade for a class:
What do you get if you eat a whole book?
Reader's Digest for a year!
hahahahahahahahaha :laughing5:
Oh come on, people, I was only eleven!
That's cute, Eimi :D Corny, but cute! ;)