Taylor Harbin:
Oh, that is so hard, trying to make all those decisions for a new story: POV, writing style, present tense vs. flashbacks, opening scenes, plot flow, etc.
While running through all those options in your mind, you know that whichever choice you make, it will affect the entire look-and-feel of the story.
People who do not write, and who only see the final results, have no idea how many options there are, and how exhausting it can be to chose them!
Best of luck on yours!
Your post made me smile because I have no trouble at all with the decisions you find difficult to make. In fact, I never give them a moment's thought. My struggles start with the first word of the project because I'm unsure of what the next word should be. I'd wager that comes easily to you. We try to help each other, but damn, we are so different.Taylor Harbin:
Oh, that is so hard, trying to make all those decisions for a new story: POV, writing style, present tense vs. flashbacks, opening scenes, plot flow, etc.
While running through all those options in your mind, you know that whichever choice you make, it will affect the entire look-and-feel of the story.
People who do not write, and who only see the final results, have no idea how many options there are, and how exhausting it can be to chose them!
Best of luck on yours!
Taylor Harbin:
I found it interesting that you mentioned John Steinbeck. I grew up in Steinbeck country, and am familiar with many of the areas and places described in "The Grapes of Wrath".
I also took a trip to the Sea of Cortez some years ago -- which, as I am sure you know, Steinbeck wrote about, along with his friend, marine biologist Ed Ricketts, on whom he based his character Doc. I did not visit there specifically because of Steinbeck, but was vividly aware of his work while there.
WriteMinded:
You are absolutely correct: some of us find things difficult that others find easy, and versa vice.
And you are also correct: once the first major decisions have been made, the words tend to flow quickly, for me. The hard part (for me) is trying to figure out which words to cut out, as I usually end up with so many of them!
Conversations tend to come easily for me, too, though I often hear writers complain about how difficult it is.
Everyone & Anyone:
On a different topic, I was curious to ask -- does anyone else have trouble writing fiction when someone else is in the same room? I do, and have heard a few others say that they do, as well, so I was just wondering.
Curiously, I can write non-fiction easily when others are in the room, but for fiction, I enter a completely different mental state.
Anyway, just wondering.
Thanks!
It's really helped my inspiration!
My best friend and colleague finally got around to reading my book (he was the first to download it when it became available months ago, but hadn't gotten around to it.) He came over to greet me this morning at work by emphatically flailing about the plot event he'd reached (it had surprised him, and he was very excited) and then proceeded to finish another several chapters during lunch, after which he came by my desk to do some more flailing before we had to get back to teaching and making exams. I know he's my best friend, but he's a pretty straight shooter when it comes to critiques, so the fact that he really likes it is awesome and super motivating me to write more. He said he can't put it down - which are just the words every writer wants to hear! So that's the good thing from today.
