the writing life

[lagilman]

I love it when a plot comes together.

or, in this case, an A plot and a B plot. Once again, lizard brain is ahead of mammal brain, because the work was done in the outline, but I hadn't (duh) realized it until I was noodling along, elbow-deep in the story-guts, trying to work out what this length of ropey vein was and where it was supposed to connect...

One of these days I'm going to remember to trust myself, and not panic halfway through. I really do know where it's all going. I just haven't told myself yet.

(or maybe, someday, lizard brain and mammal brain will get together over vin santo and biscotti, and hash it all out so the flesh can just sit down and type it out start to finish? Come on, guys, it would be such a novelty, let's try it once, huh? Just for fun? No? Bastids....)


That said, I'm quite pleased with the lizard brain for setting us up, and for the mammal brain for making the connection. Is pretty-pretty. And twists the knife in Sergei's hard-worn soul just another notch more...

Comments

[raiining.livejournal.com]

And twists the knife in Sergei's hard-worn soul just another notch more...

:: Winces for Sergei ::

Aww come on, I like him.

Picked up Staying Dead and read the first two chapters the other night whilst I waited for a phone call ... my poor cover is at the point where tape may not even save it. Reading fan fic so much lately just makes me appreciate real storytelling so much more. The effortless creation of scene with a few well-choosen lines; the placement of the character with minimal facts and only small personality hints, as if circling down through the clouds and into the city and tapping the sidewalk saying here is where the character is: they are starting here and they are more then this, but they are still an ordinary person going about their day.

Read the first 100 or so pages of another Luna author in Chapters last night and it had the same sort of feel. In contrast to a more epic fantasy (have been re-reading Guy Gavriel Kay as of late) where there are several different character perspectives and often a lengthy introduction, setting up the story to be somewhere else.

Both good, just different. And your writing is more refreshing ;-)

[girasole.livejournal.com]

All I can say is, if Sergei and Wren don't end up together and more or less happily, your legions of fans will be irrevocably Mad At You.

[lagilman]

Hey, I love a happy-ish ending as much as the next semi-romantic....







eventually.

[karenmiller.livejournal.com]

Wootie toot toot! Speaking as one who finds the first draft/plotting process as bad as the fires of hell ... go you!

Do love the distinction between lizard and mammal brain. Will remember and name them appropriately.

[housellama.livejournal.com]

And twists the knife in Sergei's hard-worn soul just another notch more...

WOOT.

I love those characters that you push and push and push and push right to the wall...

And then you realize exactly how hard they can fight back when they have no other options. Gives me that chill down the spine every single time.

-Tug

[lagilman]

The effortless creation of scene


*has mad burst of hysterical laughter*



Oh. You mean it looks effortless. Yes, we do try, thank you...

[lagilman]

Either that, or they break in two. Which has its own sort of satisfaction.


What? Why are you all backing away? Hey, sometimes you've got to hurt the characters you love, y'know what I'm saying? It's all for the good of the Story, man! The Story!

[raiining.livejournal.com]

:: grin :: Exactly! It feels wrong that the best stories are ones that read so smoothly, and can be gotten through in several hours, but that took farrrr longer to write. It doesn't seem right ;-)