Comments on: the carrot and the stick http://www.jennajones.com/2008/07/the-carrot-and-the-stick/ Fiction by Jenna Jones Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:16:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Jenna http://www.jennajones.com/2008/07/the-carrot-and-the-stick/comment-page-1/#comment-109 Jenna Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:12:41 +0000 http://www.jennajones.com/?p=167#comment-109 I don't think even tossed-out scenes are a waste, though: even if they don't end up in the finished story they can still inform what does. But yeah, I'd rather use what I've written than just write something that will only end up being dropped. I don’t think even tossed-out scenes are a waste, though: even if they don’t end up in the finished story they can still inform what does. But yeah, I’d rather use what I’ve written than just write something that will only end up being dropped.

]]> By: Angie http://www.jennajones.com/2008/07/the-carrot-and-the-stick/comment-page-1/#comment-108 Angie Sat, 26 Jul 2008 08:09:51 +0000 http://www.jennajones.com/?p=167#comment-108 I'm sort of like you and sort of not. :) I can't write out of order either. I hear about other writers who write whichever chapters or scenes they feel like banging out today and just go all O_O because that doesn't compute at all for me. My characters develop as I write them. Personalities, speech patterns, mannerisms and habits -- all of it coalesces as I write. Sometimes I'll be going along and get an idea for something the character is going to do, or for a bit of key backstory, or for a strong opinion or enmity or affinity, and if I'm writing along from beginning to end, this all braids in smoothly. Occasionally I'll have to go back and scatter crumbs earlier, but not too often. If I've already written Chapter 14, though, when I get a flash of characterization genius in Chapter 3, then there's a good chance it'll require some rewrites of Chapter 14. Maybe extensive rewrites. Maybe it'll have to be completely trashed because nothing in it fits the story anymore. Yuck. I usually know where I'm going, too, at least in general, but it's not set in stone until I get there. Sure, my romances are going to have reasonably happy endings, but that still leaves acres of wiggle-room. If I take a sharp left in Chapter 8 then the end (Chapter 26) might well end up <i>very</i> different from the hazy scene in my head when I started out. Writing out of order would feel strangling, like I was either committing to something that I'd really rather not do now, or frustrating, because I'd end up tossing however many thousand words as complete waste when they were superceded by earlier developments. I start at the beginning and keep going to the end, and I can't imagine writing any other way. :) Angie I’m sort of like you and sort of not. :)

I can’t write out of order either. I hear about other writers who write whichever chapters or scenes they feel like banging out today and just go all O_O because that doesn’t compute at all for me.

My characters develop as I write them. Personalities, speech patterns, mannerisms and habits — all of it coalesces as I write. Sometimes I’ll be going along and get an idea for something the character is going to do, or for a bit of key backstory, or for a strong opinion or enmity or affinity, and if I’m writing along from beginning to end, this all braids in smoothly. Occasionally I’ll have to go back and scatter crumbs earlier, but not too often.

If I’ve already written Chapter 14, though, when I get a flash of characterization genius in Chapter 3, then there’s a good chance it’ll require some rewrites of Chapter 14. Maybe extensive rewrites. Maybe it’ll have to be completely trashed because nothing in it fits the story anymore.

Yuck.

I usually know where I’m going, too, at least in general, but it’s not set in stone until I get there. Sure, my romances are going to have reasonably happy endings, but that still leaves acres of wiggle-room. If I take a sharp left in Chapter 8 then the end (Chapter 26) might well end up very different from the hazy scene in my head when I started out. Writing out of order would feel strangling, like I was either committing to something that I’d really rather not do now, or frustrating, because I’d end up tossing however many thousand words as complete waste when they were superceded by earlier developments.

I start at the beginning and keep going to the end, and I can’t imagine writing any other way. :)

Angie

]]>