Writing projects...

PostRe: Writing projects... by **Dalagonash** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:45 am

I've got a story idea, have done for a few years, but it's just finding the time to actually write it that's hard. Had a re-think of the plot last year though and cut out loads of the silly ocerblown things and brought it back down to earth, all for the better. Might give it another try soon.

PostRe: Writing projects... by **Eighthours** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:27 pm

Dalagonash wrote:I've got a story idea, have done for a few years, but it's just finding the time to actually write it that's hard. Had a re-think of the plot last year though and cut out loads of the silly ocerblown things and brought it back down to earth, all for the better. Might give it another try soon.

Start it. The blank page is the intimidating thing that goes away once you've finally put quill to parchment. You can over-think things, you know. Inevitably, once you start writing the project ends up quite different to how you originally planned it, anyway.

I've written a title page for my new project. Go me.

PostRe: Writing projects... by **DrDoom** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 8:46 pm

What's the title?

I just pitched a short story for an anthology and got a really positive response. It's going to be nice playing in another persons 'universe' for a change.

The blank page is definitely a form of resistance. I sometimes f*ck around doing anything but actually write until I've exhausted every procrastination avenue. Just start it.

I quote from it all the time but it applies here:

"We don't tell ourselves, "I'm never going to write my symphony." Instead we say, "I am going to write my symphony; I'm just going to start tomorrow."

PostRe: Writing projects... by **Eighthours** » Fri May 01, 2009 9:30 am

DrDoom wrote:What's the title?

Um... I shouldn't have said anything (I just got excited about starting it!), as I actually can't tell you. Sorry. Just pretend I didn't say anything, and that I'm working on a bog-standardly normal original screenplay.

I'll probably update early progress in this thread. Enigmatically.

Dr Doom wrote:It's going to be nice playing in another persons 'universe' for a change.

Yeah, I'd like to do that myself one day.

I'm very jealous of you comic-book artists, by the way. I'd love to be able to draw. It would certainly help me with conceptual stuff.

PostRe: Writing projects... by **DrDoom** » Fri May 01, 2009 9:45 am

Oh, I can't draw to save my life. Stick figures are about the limits of my skills in that area. I'm a comic book writer and that's pretty much it. The jealousy you speak of is the same I have for writer/artists who can do both.

Certainly saves the networking/looking for an artist angle. I've been very lucky with the artists I've worked with so far actually.

I do thumbnails to help me visualize the page layout. They look terrible but they help me a lot.

PostRe: Writing projects... by **Eighthours** » Fri May 01, 2009 10:07 am

DrDoom wrote:Oh, I can't draw to save my life. Stick figures are about the limits of my skills in that area. I'm a comic book writer and that's pretty much it. The jealousy you speak of is the same I have for writer/artists who can do both.

Certainly saves the networking/looking for an artist angle. I've been very lucky with the artists I've worked with so far actually.

I do thumbnails to help me visualize the page layout. They look terrible but they help me a lot.

Oh, well all respect to you for building those relationships, fella. How do you get across exactly what you want each panel to look like, and how much input do you give the artists? Ever been surprised by an artist's interpretation (presumably aided by their own input)?

I say all this as a total comics noob. I don't read them, and know next to nothing about the format so I'm interested in hearing about how it all works.

PostRe: Writing projects... by **DrDoom** » Fri May 01, 2009 1:02 pm

Panel description can depend on the artist. If it's someone I've worked with before I tend not to put as much description in. If it's a script on spec then I add a little more detail, maybe add a specific mood I'm going for if it's important. Other than that I tend to leave it up to the artist. If they can improve on what I've put, condense the number of panels, expand on them etc then I tell them to go for it.

A huge part of why I love writing comics is the collaboration and that moment when you get pages back from the artist. I guess it's like when a writer sees dailies (with the difference that there's likely been far less changes with a comic script).

PostRe: Writing projects... by **Eighthours** » Fri May 01, 2009 1:58 pm

DrDoom wrote:A huge part of why I love writing comics is the collaboration and that moment when you get pages back from the artist. I guess it's like when a writer sees dailies (with the difference that there's likely been far less changes with a comic script).

I suppose in a way it's also similar to a writing partnership where one person rewrites the other.

PostRe: Writing projects... by **DrDoom** » Fri May 01, 2009 2:46 pm

There's a lot of that back and forth (moreso if an editor is involved too).

PostRe: Writing projects... by **Eighthours** » Sat May 02, 2009 12:43 pm

Research day today. This new thing is proving to be a lovely distraction from the stress of my upcoming nuptials. First couple of scenes are written (I thought it was important to get something down to see if my opening was going to work), and there's a vague outline in place for the first half: one of those A to B to C things that I like.

Now I need to nail the tone, and exactly what I want to achieve. The nature of this project is such that the early decisions are going to be terribly, terribly important to get right. If I get them right, the thing will fly. If I get them wrong, it'll fail hilariously.

PostRe: Writing projects... by **DrDoom** » Sat May 02, 2009 10:02 pm

Eighthours wrote:Now I need to nail the tone, and exactly what I want to achieve. [b]The nature of this project is such that the early decisions are going to be terribly, terribly important to get right. If I get them right, the thing will fly. If I get them wrong, it'll fail hilariously.[b]

This is like the project I've been working on for God knows how long now, and why I keep starting again. I've allowed myself the day off today. From tomorrow until next Saturday I'm going to be incredibly busy.

I write a lot, currently have about ten files full of stuff but non of it is completed, I always end up getting an idea which makes me go back to the drawing board. I tend to try writing novels but I also have a screen play somewhere which I was really into at the start then hit a dead end. I currently am getting back to a project I've been fiddling with for about four years now, I have about two hundred pages of it but I need to restructure and change a lot of it.

I wouldn't say my writing is much good though, I'm doing creative writing at university in September so hopefully I will get some pointers.

An idea for getting ideas I use is to carry a small notebook around, everytime I see/hear something interesting I jot it down.

PostRe: Writing projects... by **Eighthours** » Thu May 07, 2009 10:29 am

Fruits Punch Samurai wrote:An idea for getting ideas I use is to carry a small notebook around, everytime I see/hear something interesting I jot it down.

You've just jogged my memory. I thought of a very good character introduction scene in the shower this morning - must write it down before it goes again!

It is a bugger if you forget good stuff. My best ideas usually come when I'm drifting off to sleep which is a pain as I can't exactly right them down.

I always seem to have good ideas in the bath. Must be something about the relaxed vibe (and all those scented candles can't hurt, am I right guys?).

Uh, anyway, baths. Good places for creativity.

PostRe: Writing projects... by **Ginga** » Fri May 08, 2009 8:02 am

Just don't use your laptop. Although I'm sure it'd provide great sparks of creativity...

PostRe: Writing projects... by **Songwriter** » Fri May 08, 2009 2:05 pm

I'm happy to post something I wrote...It's quite long though 33 pages and quite odd.

I'm finally going to record some songs of mine this month too...

PostRe: Writing projects... by **Eighthours** » Fri May 08, 2009 2:55 pm

Songwriter wrote:I'm finally going to record some songs of mine this month too...

Are you a singer-songwriter or an instrumental songwriter, songwriter? Or maybe getting someone else to sing while you play...?

PostRe: Writing projects... by **Songwriter** » Fri May 08, 2009 6:41 pm

Eighthours wrote:
Songwriter wrote:I'm finally going to record some songs of mine this month too...

Are you a singer-songwriter or an instrumental songwriter, songwriter? Or maybe getting someone else to sing while you play...?

Singer songwriter...

PostRe: Writing projects... by **Mr Yoshi** » Sat May 09, 2009 11:35 am

Eighthours wrote:
Mr Yoshi wrote:Just know that it can be damn hard, obviously telling the story is a completely different affair than within a novel, or short story.

Writing in screenplay format seems to come more easily to me than writing a novel, to be honest (though there are different challenges involved...) - just the comparative lack of so much necessary description helps to keep the thing much more streamlined and less finickity. How do you personally find them in terms of difficulty compared to other forms of writing? I've been boning up rather a lot recently for a particular calling card project (though, being indecisive me, I'm now trying to decide which one of about four to go for), so I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Final Draft FTW.

FTW indeed. I've got the Mac version as well if anyone wants it.

I like my words Eighthours to be honest, and I feel slightly more natural describing things in 'beautiful' prose rather than quickly skimming over them like you do in scripts. Then again, I also love to write dialogue (which I aim to make witty, yet not overly so & clever) and stories.

I'm 50 pages through mine now, and I already love a couple of scenes. The plot and characters still need a bit of work though.

Fave line so far....

"I feel all I can do now is dance this self-destructive dance towards an inevitable downfall.”

Writing projects...

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