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thanateOne for the files of writing topics that don't get talked about as usefully as one might like.
I read this essay the other day, about productive hours vs worked hours in thinky jobs, and how on a non-urgent basis the former tends to stay sadly constant no matter what the latter actually is. Plus the bits on burning out trying to maintain more than that. And I thought about it & determined that since we sorted out the Megatherium's sleep schedule, I'm parenting approximately 12-hour days with inconsistent breaktimes, plus always being on call, plus maybe 6-8 hr days most weekends. Which would probably explain why my writing brain is worn down to nothing but little piggies and songs about applesauce, with the occasional vaguely numinous but not translatable onto paper concept. Possibly also why I just had the stupid cold drag on for three weeks, because I haven't the sense to go to bed when I can stare guilt-free at the internet.
In any case, writer-brains grow back eventually. (Or at least mine always has before.) And in the mean time I continue to vaguely contemplate ways in which I could try on entirely different writing processes for current lifestyle compatibility. And meanwhile I occasionally look at those 4 partial books hanging out in Scrivener and admire the beauty of the scenes that are about right already and just need everything else sorted out and filled in around them.
There was a conversation on twitter the other day about revising one's fiction, and how one actually *does* that, anyway. I am not particularly good at revising things, but anyone can start a discussion. Here are some things that seem to work for me, and some things that don't yet, and anybody who has thoughts or different angles/sets of questions is encouraged to chime in.
*For short stories I usually go: write story, print a copy, mark up with a pen, tweak computer version. This usually gets me continuity and smoothed prose (though I do a lot of that as I'm writing) and at that point if I'm happy with it I'll format it up & send it out, and if I'm still not sure I'll try to scrounge beta readers from somewhere to see if what I thought I put in is actually coming across. But I'm terrible at asking for feedback, so this isn't exactly ideal.
*I am very fond of the hard copy & pen thing. It creates mental space between the typing/writing and the revising.
*When getting feedback, written down is much better than conversation. (This would be my first problem with standard writers' groups.) Two reasons: first, you can get any emotions out of the way without yelling at your beta readers, (or just staring blankly at them, as the case may be) and second, everything is still there to refer back to whenever you're ready to hear it. Reading through two or three times over a week or two is far more effective for me than just getting someone's notes once. (Possibly I also process slowly; I want to read someone else's work a couple times before giving feedback, too. But there's also brain research to support gradual exposure to ideas being how to change minds or see other points of view.)
*Know your audience. Some people will read your story and love it, and some people will hate it, and some people will want it to be something they would have loved better. If you can figure out which category they're giving feedback from, that'll help a lot with figuring out how to work with it.
*Similarly, there's the old standby of "if everyone tells you it's wrong, they're probably right, but if they tell you how to fix it, they're probably wrong." I would add that sometimes the useful thing to look for in beta feedback is the right question-- examine the things that make you want to wave your arms around and say "but that's totally irrelevant!" for the important bits of context you forgot to put in. They may not be what the other person thought they were asking about.
*Some level of self-confidence is also key. Sometimes things will be totally irrelevant to the story you're trying to tell, and that's ok. But think about them before making that decision.
**I am intrigued by the idea of doing plotting cards (index-style cards with one event or scene or motivation per card so you can shuffle them around & re-order stuff physically) but I haven't gotten my ducks aligned to try this yet.
**Almost invariably, projects that stall out in the middle end up languishing in a disregarded scrivener tab as I go on to something more inspiring. This may be an indication that I'm not good at redirecting things that go off the rails, or just a result of their being more fun ideas than stories I can make work.
**I am not very good at endings. Possibly because (see above) I have written far more beginnings.
**I'm bad at narrative inertia: "But this is what she said/the way it happened; I can't change that!" Demonstrably I can, having written it in the first place, but this is like that mental thing where if you're given an example or two and told to write a list, it gets harder to think of things that aren't on the list.
**There are many more things, but darned if I can think what they are right now and I started this post almost a week ago. Talk to me about your revision process, people! I am with the curious or maybe that's nosy!
Xposty from dreamwidth.
I read this essay the other day, about productive hours vs worked hours in thinky jobs, and how on a non-urgent basis the former tends to stay sadly constant no matter what the latter actually is. Plus the bits on burning out trying to maintain more than that. And I thought about it & determined that since we sorted out the Megatherium's sleep schedule, I'm parenting approximately 12-hour days with inconsistent breaktimes, plus always being on call, plus maybe 6-8 hr days most weekends. Which would probably explain why my writing brain is worn down to nothing but little piggies and songs about applesauce, with the occasional vaguely numinous but not translatable onto paper concept. Possibly also why I just had the stupid cold drag on for three weeks, because I haven't the sense to go to bed when I can stare guilt-free at the internet.
In any case, writer-brains grow back eventually. (Or at least mine always has before.) And in the mean time I continue to vaguely contemplate ways in which I could try on entirely different writing processes for current lifestyle compatibility. And meanwhile I occasionally look at those 4 partial books hanging out in Scrivener and admire the beauty of the scenes that are about right already and just need everything else sorted out and filled in around them.
There was a conversation on twitter the other day about revising one's fiction, and how one actually *does* that, anyway. I am not particularly good at revising things, but anyone can start a discussion. Here are some things that seem to work for me, and some things that don't yet, and anybody who has thoughts or different angles/sets of questions is encouraged to chime in.
*For short stories I usually go: write story, print a copy, mark up with a pen, tweak computer version. This usually gets me continuity and smoothed prose (though I do a lot of that as I'm writing) and at that point if I'm happy with it I'll format it up & send it out, and if I'm still not sure I'll try to scrounge beta readers from somewhere to see if what I thought I put in is actually coming across. But I'm terrible at asking for feedback, so this isn't exactly ideal.
*I am very fond of the hard copy & pen thing. It creates mental space between the typing/writing and the revising.
*When getting feedback, written down is much better than conversation. (This would be my first problem with standard writers' groups.) Two reasons: first, you can get any emotions out of the way without yelling at your beta readers, (or just staring blankly at them, as the case may be) and second, everything is still there to refer back to whenever you're ready to hear it. Reading through two or three times over a week or two is far more effective for me than just getting someone's notes once. (Possibly I also process slowly; I want to read someone else's work a couple times before giving feedback, too. But there's also brain research to support gradual exposure to ideas being how to change minds or see other points of view.)
*Know your audience. Some people will read your story and love it, and some people will hate it, and some people will want it to be something they would have loved better. If you can figure out which category they're giving feedback from, that'll help a lot with figuring out how to work with it.
*Similarly, there's the old standby of "if everyone tells you it's wrong, they're probably right, but if they tell you how to fix it, they're probably wrong." I would add that sometimes the useful thing to look for in beta feedback is the right question-- examine the things that make you want to wave your arms around and say "but that's totally irrelevant!" for the important bits of context you forgot to put in. They may not be what the other person thought they were asking about.
*Some level of self-confidence is also key. Sometimes things will be totally irrelevant to the story you're trying to tell, and that's ok. But think about them before making that decision.
**I am intrigued by the idea of doing plotting cards (index-style cards with one event or scene or motivation per card so you can shuffle them around & re-order stuff physically) but I haven't gotten my ducks aligned to try this yet.
**Almost invariably, projects that stall out in the middle end up languishing in a disregarded scrivener tab as I go on to something more inspiring. This may be an indication that I'm not good at redirecting things that go off the rails, or just a result of their being more fun ideas than stories I can make work.
**I am not very good at endings. Possibly because (see above) I have written far more beginnings.
**I'm bad at narrative inertia: "But this is what she said/the way it happened; I can't change that!" Demonstrably I can, having written it in the first place, but this is like that mental thing where if you're given an example or two and told to write a list, it gets harder to think of things that aren't on the list.
**There are many more things, but darned if I can think what they are right now and I started this post almost a week ago. Talk to me about your revision process, people! I am with the curious or maybe that's nosy!
Xposty from dreamwidth.