Preparing for Writing
I’ve come to the conclusion that simply writing a bunch is
not enough. However, in order to meet the goals that I want to achieve, I must
write a lot of words. So there is the potential conflict. I need to write
enough good things that people enjoy what I am writing. On the other hand, I
need to recharge and seek out cool stuff to write. I think the trick with all
of this is that it’s not static. It’s not always a 1-to-1 ratio. Some stories
simply require more work than others and that requires more recharging. That’s
all well and good, but I don’t know the difficulty of a story until I get into
it. A story that could potentially be extremely easy to write might appear tough.
On the flip side, an “easy to write” story could quickly become a nightmare if
I don’t get a good handle on it from the start. So what are some things that
can be done to strike the balance initially?
Decide on Method of Recharge
Some things help recharge the creative juices more than
others. For me, if I have sample music to listen to, then I can rev up a lot
faster. Something about listening to potential theme music makes me want to
write. This is a great method but does require some pre-work ahead of time.
Another method that works well for me is to find images that represent characters
I am thinking about. That way, I can see that character a lot easier in my
mind.
Decide on flavor
Some stories should be told in an extremely serious manner,
while others need to swagger on/off the page half awake. Once you decide on the
flavor of the story, you can use dictionaries of various types to pick out
pre-worked pieces. For example, I have a simile and metaphor dictionary that
can be used to pull out inspiration. If I want something that really brings the
senses to life, I have a dictionary that helps describes how the senses may
feel in that setting. On the other hand, if theme is more of the goal, than
simply pulling out random goodies will not work. Instead it might take longer
to match up words and sounds to get that gritty feeling or theme. I think
preparing the spices of a story is always a way to make the writing easier.
Structure
This one goes without saying, but it is so much easier to
hop back into writing a story when you have at least a rough structure. The
characters don’t have to follow that path, but at least it gives them the first
few steps. Those first steps are essential, because it is always harder to get
stated writing than it is to keep writing. Furthermore, a bit of structure can
tie together components of a story together. Once those are all framed
together, it’s possible to step back and see a completely different thing. If you
identify that, then you can make the tweaks that need to happen to get that
working on all cylinders.
The End
The most important thing I’ve found when writing is to have
a word count in my mind. I am sure as I learn to be a better writer, I’ll be
able to jungle different types of beat counts in my head. These are emotions
and happenings inside a story. Right now, I am really struggling with this one.
I can only hold the end word count in my head and I focus on that. If I know I
have only a few hundred more words to go, then I can come up with those words
quickly. However, if I don’t quite get the sense of pacing. Perhaps that is
something I can work on. Pacing and description. I can’t help but want quick action!
In summation, preparation for a story helps recharge the
writing effort. There are a number of things that can be done to help on that effort.
Getting samples together is my primary method. Determining what turns of phrase
or cool verbiage to add is another one. Getting the structure and end in sight
is another method to help keep things going. Ultimately, there is no substitute
for putting your butt in a chair and typing. However, there are things that can
help make that easier. One of my favorite sayings right now is “The Muse
rewards action”. To me, that’s as simple as ‘the more you build, the more you
want to build’.
