TNT2: the process

[azuire]

Hello everyone! Hope you're all getting a plethora of ideas for the Week 1 Topic! Meanwhile, it's Tuesday, and here's another TNT column! Remember, if you have an idea for a discussion, feel free to PM it to us!

Allons-y!

My favourite parts of the writing process are:
a) characterisation. I enjoy giving each character the breath of life, so to speak. Learning strange things about them: how they react under pressure, what their favourite colour is, and if they're prone to putting ketchup on bananas. One of the first questions I ask a character is, 'If you're in a dark alley and someone attacks you, what do you do?'
b) endings. I love that satisfying feeling of finishing a work: I have so many half-baked ones lying around. Especially if it's a long work, that I forgot about and came back to.

So, what are your favourite parts of the writing process? And what are your least favourites, if any?

Share away :-)

Comments

[so_wordy]

Everything.

I love the insanity that precedes writing. The moment when an idea strikes me and I begin to unwind it in my mind, turning it over and dissecting it. Something small (and completely random) expands into a larger piece. The fact that my brain multi-tasks (ideas strike at strange moments) is a plus.

More often than not I have no idea which direction a story is going to go in until I start writing it. This can be problematic. I'm terrible at planning ahead, but at the same time the actual writing (and discovery) of plot, characters, and other devices, is (though frustrating at times)an adventure.

Most of all I love having completed a project. It gives me a deep sense of satisfaction and renews my belief that writing is what I was meant to do. Of course everything doesn't come out as planned, but that's okay. A win here or there, I'll take it.

Also, it's deeply gratifying when people connect with my work. It makes me realize there are other people out there like me. Hi kindreds!

But that's another story. :)

[pipisafoat]

Something small (and completely random) expands into a larger piece.

OMG THAT. I was playing in a commentfic party a couple weeks ago - commentfic! where plot isn't really required at all! - and made a snap decision to kill off a character, and another snap decision that his fiance was pregnant. It has since expanded into a huuuuuuge universe of its own that I'm slowly writing down. omg. I'm so in love with the characters though. It's so nice when a character - in this case, the baby boy - just sits down with you and says "Okay. It's time to get out of this rut. You're going to write my story. Here's your keyboard, here's your word processing program. Go."