on writing, physical and mental process
Mar. 17th, 2011 07:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lagilmanYep, went to turn the desktop on this morning and it crapped out on me. Can't find its own hard drive with two hands and a flashlight.
And so I shook my head and turned on the laptop and settled in for a morning of writing, rather than being fretful and stressed over lost time and potentially lost files.
Redundancy in the hardware, FTW. You can never have only one tool in your toolbox, either metaphorically or in actuality.
Meanwhile and relevant to last week's Practical Meerkat on knowing when you're ready to stop researching and start writing, last weekend I put together a new character for a new project, and in the sample material I had him perform a physical action relevant to his job/career. And this morning, while not-really-thinking on the project some more, I decided that an aspect of that action would be part of his ongoing personality, that he would always have X with him, out of habit.
And then, about 8 seconds later, I realized that, at some later point in the project (not then, but books-from-then, if they occur) that aspect would become important in a case, in a small but vital fashion.
And out of that, an element of my character -- practical, level-headed, a frickin' Boy Scout in some ways -- didn't so much develop as it did ferment out of the ingredients I'd brought together. And I'm ready to write him now.
(now, if his partner would get a move on and show up, the writer would be ready for her close-up...)
and meanwhile, from the WiP:
“Stop it.” Venec’s voice was hard but not harsh. “None of that is your fault. I know you people are good, damn good, but you can’t stop a killer you didn’t even know about twenty-four hours ago from killing twenty-four hours ago.
And so I shook my head and turned on the laptop and settled in for a morning of writing, rather than being fretful and stressed over lost time and potentially lost files.
Redundancy in the hardware, FTW. You can never have only one tool in your toolbox, either metaphorically or in actuality.
Meanwhile and relevant to last week's Practical Meerkat on knowing when you're ready to stop researching and start writing, last weekend I put together a new character for a new project, and in the sample material I had him perform a physical action relevant to his job/career. And this morning, while not-really-thinking on the project some more, I decided that an aspect of that action would be part of his ongoing personality, that he would always have X with him, out of habit.
And then, about 8 seconds later, I realized that, at some later point in the project (not then, but books-from-then, if they occur) that aspect would become important in a case, in a small but vital fashion.
And out of that, an element of my character -- practical, level-headed, a frickin' Boy Scout in some ways -- didn't so much develop as it did ferment out of the ingredients I'd brought together. And I'm ready to write him now.
(now, if his partner would get a move on and show up, the writer would be ready for her close-up...)
and meanwhile, from the WiP:
“Stop it.” Venec’s voice was hard but not harsh. “None of that is your fault. I know you people are good, damn good, but you can’t stop a killer you didn’t even know about twenty-four hours ago from killing twenty-four hours ago.
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no subject
Date: 2011-03-17 12:38 pm (UTC)Somewhat useless comment, but.....
Date: 2011-03-17 05:20 pm (UTC)Hope you're able to get it back up and running. :)
Re: Somewhat useless comment, but.....
Date: 2011-03-17 05:35 pm (UTC)