Vignettes: Do You Write Them?

Kate Thornton · Oct 4, 2006

And if you do - do you later ever use them to craft short stories?

I write vignettes - usually about a page - to get the feel of characters or settings. These are plotless depictions of people, places or events which for me may or may not develop into stories. I especially like doing this when I write from an unfamiliar aspect, i.e., as a kid or a man or as The Omniscient Narrator. It's good for practicing dialogue, too.

alleycat · Oct 4, 2006

I don't exactly write vignettes, but I do something similar for my own reasons. If I'm working on something and another idea for a story pops into my head (which often happens) I write it down. I have a file named Story Ideas and Premises. I go and write a little or a lot about the story idea (sometimes a paragraph or two, sometimes a page); then go back to what I was working on. That way I don't feel like I'll lose the new idea if I don't do something with it, but at the same time it doesn't become a major distraction.

MidnightMuse · Oct 4, 2006

I 'kinda do' in a way - that is, I don't write down my little experiments, but when I'm starting a new story or creating a new character, or even planning a certain scene, I'll go over it in extreme detail in my mind. Sometimes I'll do that over and over again, changing words here, dialog there, until I get it perfected.

Then I'll fall asleep, forget everything I came up with, and write something completely different

nevada · Oct 4, 2006

Am I the only one who doesn't do character sketches, vignettes, outlining, plotting? I just write what comes to my head. Then I leave it, then I fix it. WOrks for me. I keep trying vignettes and all those other things and it just doesn't work for me.

Kate Thornton · Oct 4, 2006

nevada said:
Am I the only one who doesn't do character sketches, vignettes, outlining, plotting? I just write what comes to my head. Then I leave it, then I fix it. WOrks for me. I keep trying vignettes and all those other things and it just doesn't work for me.

I stumble into vignettes by writing just what comes into my head - then realizing that I don't really have a story.

Sometimes I can develop & use them - sometimes I can't. Almost always they kick-start the old creative "what if" process, though.

alleycat · Oct 4, 2006

nevada said:
Am I the only one who doesn't do character sketches, vignettes, outlining, plotting?

A guy named Stephen King doesn't either.

Whatever works . . .

Kate Thornton · Oct 4, 2006

It really works well for him! He's such a writer, such a creative force, such a damn fine storyteller.

Kentuk · Oct 4, 2006

forum software cutting off end of message???

Kate Thornton said:
It really works well for him! He's such a writer, such a creative force, such a damn fine storyteller.

Ok what was the rest of what you were saying? He is what?

Jamesaritchie · Oct 4, 2006

vignette

If I write a vignette, it's intentional, and intended for publication as is.

CaroGirl · Oct 4, 2006

I've written several vignettes, some of which I've entered into postcard contests. It's actually an interesting exercise. Find a postcard, photo, picture, any image really, and write about it. You might come up with some surprising stuff.

PeeDee · Oct 4, 2006

The closest I come to vignettes are the Christmas card stories I do ever few years (when I remember and it's not February 1st...)

I do the occasional vignette character sketch, but I do it entirely in my head and never write them down.

Shwebb · Oct 4, 2006

Do I write them? No, I pour them on my salad.

Oh, wait . . .

Oh, vignettes! Um, never mind.

Yes, I write them. I call them story fragments. Or like prosey-poems. Sometimes they go places, and sometimes they are the dead alleys in the streets of my mind.

but I keep them and sometimes refer back to them; sometimes I can pull a place, a person, or impression out of them for something else. I guess it's what I would consider the raw material bin/pile. Sometimes when I write these I'm writing more intensely, so it helps when I need to add a bit of punch to whatever I'm working on.

Mark Lazer · Oct 5, 2006

I don't do that. What I do sometimes, is write uncohesive lines, which could define characters. I do this just to write, and at times things are good enough to include in stories, sometimes it's really crap. The thing is that I enjoy writing it, let my mind go wild... Some might even call it a vignette, but I don't make one intentionally, I guess.

Mike Coombes · Oct 6, 2006

Jamesaritchie said:
If I write a vignette, it's intentional, and intended for publication as is.

...which is exactly what I was going to say. I love them - well written, they stand as they are and need no further development.

September skies · Oct 6, 2006

I've always done vignettes on my travels - it's a great way to go back and relive something that happened without reading the traditional diary version. I've done this since high school and have some great memories of Guadalajara at age 16.
When I was in Holland, I wrote at least 10 different little vignettes about different experiences. One of my favorites is "Breakfast in the Netherlands" -- if I can find it, I'll post it. I love that one.

Also, if I have two or three ideas for which way a character should go, I may write a page each way -- I love that (reminds me of "Sliding Doors") and always, one story really jumps out and I know that is the way to go.

Kate Thornton · Oct 6, 2006

September skies said:
One of my favorites is "Breakfast in the Netherlands" -- if I can find it, I'll post it. I love that one.

I'd love to read it!

Jamesaritchie · Oct 6, 2006

vignettes

Mike Coombes said:
...which is exactly what I was going to say. I love them - well written, they stand as they are and need no further development.

Yes, vignettes are an art form in their own right, and the market for them isn't all that bad in literary circles.

Vignettes: Do You Write Them?

Kate Thornton

Still Happy to be Here. Or Anywhere

alleycat

Still around

MidnightMuse

Midnight Reading

nevada

Kate Thornton

Still Happy to be Here. Or Anywhere

alleycat

Still around

Kate Thornton

Still Happy to be Here. Or Anywhere

Kentuk

I want to write what I want to write

Jamesaritchie

CaroGirl

Living the dream

PeeDee

Where's my tea, please...?

Shwebb

She's the creepy-looking dude

Mark Lazer

Mike Coombes

Guru

September skies

cloud watching

Kate Thornton

Still Happy to be Here. Or Anywhere

Jamesaritchie