I'm still new enough to have the shiny on the wrapper, so if this sort of thread doesn't belong here, I apologize, but I didn't know where else to start it. I've been enjoying the fanfic I've hit in this forum so far, and I thought it would be nice to have a thread to discuss how we write. How do you come up with an idea? What's your source of inspiration? How long does it typically take for you to go from concept to execution? Things along that line.
I also thought that perhaps specific questions or challenges could be addressed here, not the contest challenges, but writing challenges, such as writer's block, passive vs. active voice, how to deal with word limits, etc. So, anybody up for some writing talk? And if this is the wrong place to put this sort of thread, any suggestions on the right place to start it?
I'll go first on the subject of word limits, since that often can be a challenge, particularly if you have more concept than you have room to depict. My solution is usually first just to write. Get the whole thing out there so I can look at it and start trying to organize. If I'm way over the word limit, I start looking for sections that aren't vital to the story I want to tell.
They may be appealing, and they may have merit, but long descriptions or excess characters can really kill you if you need to stick to a limit. I'm ruthless at this point, going sentence by sentence. If it doesn't serve the narrative whole, it's gone.
After the initial pruning process, if I'm still over the count, I examine phrasing. Is there a more succinct way to say what I want to say? Have I over-used any particular words or phrasing? Is there anywhere I'm repetitive or redundant? At this point, descriptions will also still be the first to go. Large blocks of description can run a narrative down to a screeching halt.
If the above solutions still don't cut it, it may be time to rethink the concept or to narrow the time frame of what is being depicted. Think of the word limit as your friend, because it forces you to be a lean, mean writing machine. Any other takers?
I also thought that perhaps specific questions or challenges could be addressed here, not the contest challenges, but writing challenges, such as writer's block, passive vs. active voice, how to deal with word limits, etc. So, anybody up for some writing talk? And if this is the wrong place to put this sort of thread, any suggestions on the right place to start it?
I'll go first on the subject of word limits, since that often can be a challenge, particularly if you have more concept than you have room to depict. My solution is usually first just to write. Get the whole thing out there so I can look at it and start trying to organize. If I'm way over the word limit, I start looking for sections that aren't vital to the story I want to tell.
They may be appealing, and they may have merit, but long descriptions or excess characters can really kill you if you need to stick to a limit. I'm ruthless at this point, going sentence by sentence. If it doesn't serve the narrative whole, it's gone.
After the initial pruning process, if I'm still over the count, I examine phrasing. Is there a more succinct way to say what I want to say? Have I over-used any particular words or phrasing? Is there anywhere I'm repetitive or redundant? At this point, descriptions will also still be the first to go. Large blocks of description can run a narrative down to a screeching halt.
If the above solutions still don't cut it, it may be time to rethink the concept or to narrow the time frame of what is being depicted. Think of the word limit as your friend, because it forces you to be a lean, mean writing machine. Any other takers?
)
At present, my Gibraltar series has three stories in varying degrees of completion. Two are crossovers with characters from other series, and the one presently on hiatus is a stand-alone series tale that I hit the writer's block wall on about 6 months ago. 
