Jam Session

[colourmayfade]

This is an open post for writers to discuss anything you’re currently working on/pondering/struggling with, share inspiration, offer encouragement and commiseration. Feel free to discuss anything you like, as long as it’s related to writing

Comments

You don't know but I'm noticing

[dallasowens]

Uh, I'm working on this song. I'm just really not doing well with putting it to music. It's a slower song that I wrote for a friend who's going through some bad stuff and I just wanted her to always remember that I am aware of what's going on and I'm right here to help here through it. I play the guitar so I'm writing it to that, I just can't seem to find the right tune.

[khaman]

It's weird, but I've had an easier time writing fic since the show wrapped up. I don't know why for certain, maybe it's because imagination doesn't have to try to 'compete' with what comes next. The field's opened up

[colourmayfade]

From what I've seen, a lot of people feel the same way as you do, strangely enough. Maybe because so much of Lost seemed to rely on the finale. Though there is certainly a feeling of completion for a lot of people, there also is the sense of having a lot left to explore in the Lost-universe

[buongiornodaisy]

Question the first. I have a freaking queue of fics. Before it was like I'm pecking at this and that, but now I have a list of stories I'd like to get to in theoretical order. I'm pushing a Charladay request fic for valhalla37 at the top of the queue 'cause I know if I work on something before then I won't get her fic done until, idk, two months from now? Yeah. After her I'm likely going to finish a one-shot Lost/Persona 3 fic featuring Richard and Aigis (from Persona 3), then maybe a Jacob/Richard AU, finish some fics I've started a while ago, etc.

...largely I'm just writing about Richard now.

Question the second. I started writing for the Harry Potter fandom. Exciting, I know. I'm not sure anything's changed? I mean, I used to write a lot of comedy and now I write a lot of drama with some comedy interspersed. I started off writing gen and now I'm writing more romance. Granted, once I got into Lord of the Rings I started to write an awful lot of physical slash, but around the time I started writing for 24 my fic began to focus more on

[colourmayfade]

Well, now a queue of fics must not be that overwhelming, though! As much as you have to write, you do have all the time in the world. Well, in the sense of cannon interfering, I mean. Although it's probably good you're pushing the gift to the front of the line, I do the same thing. Whatever I'm doing for someone else comes first than my own, er, single projects

[buongiornodaisy]

Well, not all comedy is dialogue-heavy. Mine never was--in fact, it was similar to "Metaphorical Cats". I don't think I have ever been a dialogue-heavy writer, fic-wise.

A lot of people don't understand that comedy can rely on characterization and plot to be effective. That's the trap plenty of fic writers fall in to, thinking comedy is easy and can be achieved with a lot o random elements and zany dialogue.

To be honest: yeah, writing drama and romance is way easier than writing comedy, for me. Both require a great deal of characterization and plotting, but in order for me to do comedy effectively I need to be in full-on analysis mode: how does this character/concept work and why is it ridiculous? You can take the easy route of mocking, say, Richard by attacking his appearance, but if you want to be original you're going to have to dig much, much deeper than that.

[colourmayfade]

No, absolutely, I agree. Good comedy is harder to do than drama. A funny line here and there is easy enough, but writing an actual plot that makes sense, keeps people interested and laughing isn't. I find that when I read/watch comedies that aren't well done, it becomes a lot more frustrating and annoying than bad dramas, too.

That would be a good topic for a lengthier discussion, now that you mention it.

[purpleseas]

I finally got part two of my trilogy done and posted at my journal on the 28th. It was so difficult and took so long that I still can't quite believe it's over, but part three is much more agreeable. And will turn out to be much less depressing! My only other fic is an unfinished story from the Thief III game, but I've been doing original stuff for twenty-odd years. So, I guess these two Ben/Locke stories are my best fics by default, lol. I'm happy with them. I was able to use a scenario for Ben that I'd seen speculation about but not much fic, and a setting for Locke that it seems like everybody else has avoided with good reason, so I feel like they're pretty creative. Bocke fic isn't the most popular thing ever, but I get a lot of hits on my counter and some good comments on the entries and in my ads, which is awesome and more than I'd hoped for. I'm just waiting for my Ideal Reader to get through her exams and read part two. :D

[colourmayfade]

Congratulations on finishing! I know it's not always easy and the "it's done!" factor is sometimes under-appreciated.

Well, even though you haven't written much in fic yet, twenty something years of original background must give you a hell of a background. It's funny to see someone say they started out writing original pieces because more often than not it's the other way around. What made you want to try your hand at fanfiction?

Well, it might not be the most popular of pairings but hey, if you've got an Ideal Reader, that's good feedback!

[purpleseas]

Twenty-plus years sounds a little more portentous than it is, really, seeing as how I was around twelve when I started doing it seriously. Or as serious as you can be at twelve. But yeah, I've had a lot of time to learn and figure out my niche and voice while generating stuff that will never see the light of day, so it's helpful to have all that experience when I start doing new projects like fic. With fic, it's more about filling in the blanks in the source material or taking it in directions the original writers didn't explore. But the basic motivation is the same as it is with originals. I can't not write, and I always feel like any useful idea I get has come to me for a reason. It's pretty hard to ignore an idea that really grabs you, so it has to be written. It's also unfortunate when there's hardly any fic for your ship, and I can't expect anybody else to write exactly what I want, so here I am. As ships go, I've had a few passing fancies, but this is my first big OTP

[colourmayfade]

Starting really young is good, and I think it's a valid experience. I started with fic around the same age. As much as you want to believe that someday, when you're 64, you'll just sit down and write Your Great Novel, and everything will come out perfect, with a consistent style, etc etc, the truth is writing well is as much about actually doing it, finding out what works and what doesn't, discovering the kinks in your sentences and plots, as it is about talent and... wisdom. When you start that young, it shapes the way you read. What other people wrote and what you wrote, by default.

Anyway, that's an interesting perspective. I feel as though original is harder, though, especially because of the characters. It's not easy to make the reader care. With fanfiction, readers have a predisposition to like what you're writing. Either because they love who you're writing about or because your story is about something they wanted to see, too. But I suppose that the - "work" of writing - is more or less the same.

You should PM tellshannon815 about that,

[angela_weber]

I'd like to think that my writing style has changed for the better since my first Lost fic--by my last count I've written over forty. I think I've evolved in the sense that I've become more sensitive to characterization--although that's probably just the result of having written these very characters, almost exclusively, over and over again. I've also (hopefully) learned to tone down the descriptors, although I still find myself struggling with wordiness. As I'm sure you can see in this very post, lol.

I'm in a rush, but I'll be back later to try and pick out some 'greatest hits' (eek!).

[colourmayfade]

Over forty?! Is that just in Lost or overall?

As I'm sure you can see in this very post, lol.
Nah, you're good. I tend to be very wordy myself, so I know what you mean. You know from my posts, lol. But I love description, sometimes it's the part of a story I most love while reading and it's certainly the easiest part of writing for me. I agree that there has to be a right amount of it, though. Otherwise you end up with a Proustian novel.

♥ do that, then. :p

[angela_weber]

Is that just in Lost or overall?

Um, both? Haha, I'd have to do another count to be sure, but I think the number is somewhere around 60 overall and 40-ish Lost. There're a lot of drabbles and ficlets mixed in, so don't be misled, it's really not very much. At least, it doesn't feel like very much. ;)

Well . . . run miles in the dark is the one fic of mine that I actually enjoy re-reading, for some reason I've yet to figure out. Maybe because it's both schmoopy and short. I'm rather proud of turn the snowglobe upside-down because it was a huge stretch for me writing-wise, and given that I usually don't even finish the more difficult pairings/situations that I attempt, it really felt like a victory.

Aaaaand . . . I can't pick a third, lol. I tried! ;P

[valhalla37]

I totally get what you're saying about adjusting the wordiness -- because lord knows I'm guilty of that too -- but I still maintain that your writing balances description just perfectly; there's always so much atmosphere and colour to your fic, without ever evoking the cringe-inducing part of flowery writing. <333