Some writing advice which may or may not actually help anyone · 4:55am Sep 1st, 2014
Some weeks ago, Avox posed a question on my user page:
How do you usually go about writing your stories? Do you outline them beforehand, or do you just dive in headfirst? Do you finish them in one sitting, or do you write bits and pieces of them here and there? I'd love the chance to
dissect your brainlearn more about how you write, since you clearly know what you're doing.
Given that he was the one who asked, and that I didn't think a large number of people would be too interested in the answer (not that I'll get many here anyway, as my blog posts only tend to get 30-50 views), I responded via PM. Avox thought I should post the reply somewhere more people would see it, so... eh, why not?
So here's what my response was. If you have a rat's ass to give, leave it in the donations box.
I’m definitely not someone who follows a standard process each time. I don’t have a period set aside to write each day, I don’t go through any preparation exercises, and I don’t use the same method every time. Really, the main issue for any writer is to find what works for you. Just because a system works for one writer you may like doesn’t mean it will do the least bit of good for you.
There are a few things that I think help, though. For instance, look at how many of my stories came from write-offs (I always note in the synopsis when that’s the case) or are lengthened versions of minifics from write-offs. For me, that’s what it takes to be motivated to write. These contests are a fun way to push yourself to get an idea written quickly and get some nice feedback (usually) as part of the deal. Then when the contest is over, you can use that feedback to revise the story at your leisure. If you can get yourself to write anyway, that’s great, but this is what it took for me to have a consistent prod to come up with ideas and make them into something.
The minifics in particular are a great exercise. I’d encourage anyone to participate in the write-offs in general and the mini ones specifically. They have an upper word limit (usually 750, but it’s been as low as 400), which really forces you into an economy of words. You have to make every one count. And yet they’re short enough that all you need is to pick a character you’d like to write about and maybe a one-sentence concept of what happens in the story, and you’re off.
So, how to get started? Even for longer stories, it’s sometimes as simple as the minifics: a very brief description of the scenario or a character I wanted to write about. Seeing as how many of my one-shots are extended from minifics, even that small a seed can become something substantial. I’m one who doesn’t start a story until it’s all planned out in my head. I’ll get the initial idea, then roll it around in my mind for days, weeks, even months, until I know how I want the entire story arc to go. That doesn’t include the full detail, of course, because that’d be too much to keep track of, and you have to account for the little delightful things that occur to you during the actual writing anyway. You also have to be open to changing your mind about that initial plan to accommodate new ideas, massage things to get them to fit together better, or even make drastic changes when you realize your plan isn’t working. Because I plan first, I already have an outline in my head, and at times, I’ve formalized it by writing it out in a document. My outlines tend to run nearly half as long as the finished story, because while I do just keep to bare-bones action and description in this phase, I go ahead and write out most of the dialogue. Then when I’m ready to write, I add a few blank lines to the top of the outline and start expanding on what’s there. Other times, I just work from my head.
For me, there are two critical things to consider in a story. First is to keep asking yourself why. Why do these events happen, why do the characters act the way they do about them, why does the story matter? Even in descriptions, you can set a mood with how the room looks, but if it occurs to you to put some detail in there, like a particular knickknack on the shelf, why should it be there? Did you make some subconscious link to something about one of the characters that it’s supposed to represent? If not, can you invent a way for that object to be significant? You get some leeway for scene setting, but for the most part, if you can’t answer the why, it’s probably not worth including. I do want to call attention to one of those questions, though: why does the story matter? Too many stories skip this part, particularly comedies or random stories, but all types violate it from time to time. I call this the “before and after” test. Look at a snapshot of the world as a whole or of the specific characters at the beginning of the story and again at the end. Has anything changed because of the story’s events? It should. There should be some conflict that’s come up and gotten resolved, and at the end, we should see that life is different now, or that we’ve gained some new insight into one of the characters. To pick on comedies, too many authors are satisfied with telling the joke and leaving it at that. While it may be funny, it’s not a story.
The second is another kind of why: characterization. After all, that’s the establishment of why the characters act the way they do. We know enough about canon characters already, so you only need to worry about any personality traits that you want to add to their canon forms. For an original character, you need to plan them out so that you know more about them than you’ll use in the story. That level of familiarity will become apparent in your writing. But how to achieve that familiarity? Again, different things work for different people. Some imagine a list of very esoteric questions and think of what the character’s answers might be—things like their favorite sandwich, if they’ve ever been ice skating, etc. If that works, fine, but to me, that’s overkill. Often, a lot of those types of things can be knocked out with more broad ideas so that you only have to think of the exceptions. If it’s a shy character, chances are he hasn’t done stand-up comedy or gone skydiving. If he has, that’s the exception to remember, but a lot of the rest happens by default. Still, these things can be overkill as well. In my mind, it’s not really necessary to plan the character beyond things that are tangentially related to the story’s events, but even tangential things can be pretty far removed. For example, his reaction to causing a fender bender could be influenced by how his grandmother treated his mother when she was young. Relevance is the key.
If you know your character that well, it will be easier to figure out how he behaves in any given scenario, and you really do have to consider that. Take on that character’s persona and adjust for differences in personality. Or perhaps consider an acquaintance who reminds you of the character. Then really ask yourself what you or that acquaintance would do or say in the situation. When you constantly make yourself tie that character’s behavior to what a real person would do, he comes across as so much more authentic in your writing. And character is the strongest thing in a story. That’s why the reader is there. Events are far more interesting because of who is there experiencing them. Great characters can survive with little plot, but the opposite is rarely true. I have a test for this as well: the “but” test (go ahead and snicker). If you want to describe your character in a short paragraph, how many times do you have to use the word “but”? This is why Rarity is my favorite character: she’s full of internal contradictions. She demands the finest in fashion, but she doesn’t ridicule her friends when they come up lacking. She has expensive tastes, but she doesn’t mind sharing those things. She’s obsessed with social status, but she takes great pleasure in being with friends who would certainly not fit in those circles. Real people are like this, full of unexpected quirks and competing interests, so it’s no wonder that written characters become more interesting when they show such traits.
Stories that rely on situational emotions need to develop that situation with as much care as a character. If a reader is to feel invested in a romance or a sad situation, he has to feel like he knows that situation as well as he’d know a character. So it’s not enough just to say that two characters are in love, or that one is sad that another has died. You have to give the reader enough context to know exactly what’s at stake. For a sad story, you need the context to establish why it’s sad. Don’t just show me John Doe on his deathbed. Show me what led up to it so that I know everything he means to Jane. Then I miss him too, and I feel bad for Jane. Otherwise, it’s no more sad than reading a stranger’s obituary. For a romance, prove that the couple works well together, that they have chemistry. This can happen either by showing the gradual start of the romance, so I see the little dance of getting to know each other and melding of two individuals into a unit. Or well after they’re a couple, show me the little banter and interactions that couples have. In some way, give that relationship the same depth you’d give a character. Starting with “John and Jane are in love” is no better than starting with “John is a financial analyst who drinks a lot and suffers from depression, so go ahead and care about him already.” It all comes down to demonstrating those things to the reader and convincing him. If you leave it to him to invent the reasons he should care, many will decline to do so and just wade through the story with a minimal attachment, if they don’t give up altogether and move on to another story.
For a write-off entry, this all necessarily takes whatever the allotted time period is, three days for most of the one-shots, and one day for the minifics. But when I revise them later on or write a story not connected to a writing event, I work on it in bits and pieces. I only get a few hours a day to split between reviewing stories and writing, so it’s just whatever time I can scrape together. Sometimes it takes a day or two, but it may well stretch more than a week.
There, all that long-winded stuff is the writing part. It’s not really worth getting into the physical part. Whether you work well in front of the TV or need a quiet place is fine. There’s really no good advice there. I just wanted to describe the types of pitfalls that I’m conscious to avoid as I type.
Afterward, then. I put the story down for at least a week. Go find other things to do, don’t go back and look at it, try not to think about it. You want it out of your head as much as possible. It’s surprising what you’ll see when it’s not fresh in your mind. I’ll find phrasings that are unclear, and I can’t remember what I meant them to say. I’ll find a word I used in three consecutive sentences. I’ll find something a character said that I’d intended to be a recurring thing but forgot to include in the rest of the story. And lastly, get an outside opinion, someone who you trust to be honest. Even if it’s someone who can’t help you with the grammar, he can still tell you that he didn’t understand what a sentence is trying to say, or that he doesn’t believe a character would reasonably act in a particular way. A lot of these kinds of problems are things readers can sense intuitively, regardless of whether they’re good writers.
I hope this answers what you wanted to know, Any more questions, please ask.
I have been wanting to write more shorter stories to work with different settings, characters and perspectives. That and to speed up the overall process since I often get bogged down too much on getting it right the first time. I just have to finish my latest fic first but that probably won't be until next year.
I have to say outlining the basic story really helps in the long run. You get an idea where you need to go and what you'll need to get there. This is especially true if there's certain things you want to happen within the story. In most cases, this requires proper set up so that the the story has a natural flow to it. Otherwise, it's a jarring experience to the reader if the moment leaves them wondering "Why did that happen?" Not everything needs an explanation but it's better to anticipate and have answer to potential questions that may crop up.
Do you have any advice on naming new characters or character introduction? Are there some approaches or types of names that seem to go off well more often than others in stories you review?
I find this to be one of the biggest setbacks in my writing. I have to pay a lot of attention in my normal day to come across something that will finally trigger an appropriate name, and it can sometimes take weeks to finally get it.
I find it interesting that your advice focused strongly characters. It makes sense; most of your things are somewhat short character-driven pieces rather than epic adventures. Good stuff all around.
Just wanted to say thank you for sharing this!
I'm glad that you decided to post this.
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I often spend some time mulling over what to name characters as well, though at least they tend to follow the pony's talent or profession to a degree. Still, it can be hard to come up with something that flows well. It's an unfortunate thing when you find yourself snickering through a serious story because the character name is so awful.
But since this is largely an aesthetic matter, it's hard to come up with some broad advice on the matter. I tend toward names that are not so grandiose. The show itself uses ones that are relatively simple, cute, and whimsical, and I prefer that type. It helps if there's a clever little play on their personality in there, but like writing in general, subtlety works best. It's actually not much different from trying to pick your story's title, which I'll often spend several hours on.
A few examples of OC names I've used to illustrate:
—A Royal Guard, one of Celestia's personal staff, indeterminate race: Bronze Patina. (related to weapons, but almost implies something more ceremonial than functional)
—Bronze Patina's son, a personal guard on Twilight's staff: Bronze Javelin. (more focused on the "guard" side of his job that his father and a bit of an allusion to Goliath)
—Celestia's personal assistant, a pegasus: Pinwheel (air-related, but also something seen as insubstantial and trifling, showing her insecurity about how Celestia perceives her)
—Twins that own a craft shop, indeterminate race: Kit & Kaboodle
—Cheerilee's daughter: Joy (continues a family pattern related to "cheer")
Of course, it's usually pretty easy to come up with ones from the Pie or Apple clans.
Fairly simple, flowing, descriptive, relevant, not overwrought... that's pretty much what I go for.
Thanks for sharing! I'm sure some more questions will come up later as I get writing more often.