Monday, August 22
Process dump
So, what happens see, is I start getting words and phrases and feelings visions inspiration and whatnot (for a project) in my brain.
Step 1: These occur most often in the following locations, ranked by order of frequency of brainal eruption: driving to work; driving home from work; at work; walking the dog if I'm alone with the dog(s); exercising (but only if I'm on an exercise peak, of which I'm currently not); in the shower; falling asleep. The common thread here is that I'm alone, doing something that requires very little brain power (particularly the third item in that list). If I'm lucky, I capture these phrases or ideas, best by writing it down, sometimes simply by replaying the idea over and over in my head until I can write it down at a later time. I would say 80 percent of these ideas disappear forever before I can write them down. Actually, probably more. Does that mean 4 out of 5 of my ideas are bad? Perhaps. Does it mean I'm lazy? Yes. Does it mean I've dreamt up and immediately forgotten the germ to my great american novel and I spend a lot of time working on lesser ideas? Highly likely, or so is my fear.
Step 2*: I think about the idea(s) over and over. I rework it. I rethink it. I try to consciously approach the idea from a different angle. First person? Third person? What if the first person is really a bit player? What if I mash these two ideas together? What if this nuke scientists chasing theiveing terrorists who meet the roadtripping Kerouac-inspired punks on the Golden Gate Bridge for hilarious mayhem idea I've been playing with in my brain for the past three years is really also the setting for the mocking suburaban retelling of the Christ story I've been thinking of writing for close to 20 years. How would that work? Then I think some more.
*-----> This is the stage I'm currently in for my next novel, the brilliant and inspired "Edge of Nowhere" (working title).
Step 3: If I'm lucky, these words and phrases and ideas meld and melt into something I can work with. If I am lucky, then I sit down here and type up some things, things like a quickie plot outline; some characters names/descriptions, a calendar. Maps. I think I'm about to start doing this to get a solid foundation for this coming November's NaNoWriMo novel.
Step 4: If I'm really lucky, I do it again. And again. And again.
Step 4A: I might write the first chapter.
Step 5: Eventually I get down to one or two pieces of paper a plot outline, each bullet item/line being a plot point. Sometimes, with multiple plots, I'll cut and paste them into each other, mixing up the story nicely. This become a chapter outline, and the source of all everything I subsequently do. Or not. Sometimes this is as far as I get. I have a half-dozen "novel" ideas at this point tucked away in various drawers/boxes.
Step 6: I start writing raw, rough, fast chunks of the story. Spewing, is a good word for it. Most often, most recently, this has been in November during National Novel Writing Month. A gimmick, but one that works very well for me. It's all about production of a very large number of words in a very short period of time.
Step 7: I finish a rough draft and put it away.
Step 8: I read it a month or two later, and am super impressed by my talent, ambition and insight.
Step 9: I read it again the next week with a pen, and am disgusted by my lack of talent, ambition and insight.
Step 10: I put it away forever.
Actually Step 10 is where I do get bogged down. What should come next is make all the edits I find on the paper copy on the e-copy, and then print it again and read and edit it again, and then make another set of changes, and print and read and change, until I'm
Step 11: Happy with it.
I'm really good with the first half-dozen steps, if I say so myself. I'm not so good with the second half, which is why this blog exists: to be public with my efforts in the hopes that peer pressure or simply my personal shame of not finishing is exposed and displayed for all the world to mock me so I do finish, etc. etc.
Step 12 would be the marketing phase, writing summaries and pitches and letters to agents and so on.
This year, starting today, The Edge of Nowhere -- the working name of eba's next blockbuster bestselling soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture critically acclaimed masterwork -- will be developed right here on the blog.
For all to see, mock, steal and witness. See you soon with a list of some of the words/phrases ideas/feelings inspirations/inputs that have been bouncing around my head these past few weeks. You'll be suprised by how random and disconnect they are, but amazed in three months to see how they come together into something.
Something is a good word for it.
Process.
Step 1: These occur most often in the following locations, ranked by order of frequency of brainal eruption: driving to work; driving home from work; at work; walking the dog if I'm alone with the dog(s); exercising (but only if I'm on an exercise peak, of which I'm currently not); in the shower; falling asleep. The common thread here is that I'm alone, doing something that requires very little brain power (particularly the third item in that list). If I'm lucky, I capture these phrases or ideas, best by writing it down, sometimes simply by replaying the idea over and over in my head until I can write it down at a later time. I would say 80 percent of these ideas disappear forever before I can write them down. Actually, probably more. Does that mean 4 out of 5 of my ideas are bad? Perhaps. Does it mean I'm lazy? Yes. Does it mean I've dreamt up and immediately forgotten the germ to my great american novel and I spend a lot of time working on lesser ideas? Highly likely, or so is my fear.
Step 2*: I think about the idea(s) over and over. I rework it. I rethink it. I try to consciously approach the idea from a different angle. First person? Third person? What if the first person is really a bit player? What if I mash these two ideas together? What if this nuke scientists chasing theiveing terrorists who meet the roadtripping Kerouac-inspired punks on the Golden Gate Bridge for hilarious mayhem idea I've been playing with in my brain for the past three years is really also the setting for the mocking suburaban retelling of the Christ story I've been thinking of writing for close to 20 years. How would that work? Then I think some more.
*-----> This is the stage I'm currently in for my next novel, the brilliant and inspired "Edge of Nowhere" (working title).
Step 3: If I'm lucky, these words and phrases and ideas meld and melt into something I can work with. If I am lucky, then I sit down here and type up some things, things like a quickie plot outline; some characters names/descriptions, a calendar. Maps. I think I'm about to start doing this to get a solid foundation for this coming November's NaNoWriMo novel.
Step 4: If I'm really lucky, I do it again. And again. And again.
Step 4A: I might write the first chapter.
Step 5: Eventually I get down to one or two pieces of paper a plot outline, each bullet item/line being a plot point. Sometimes, with multiple plots, I'll cut and paste them into each other, mixing up the story nicely. This become a chapter outline, and the source of all everything I subsequently do. Or not. Sometimes this is as far as I get. I have a half-dozen "novel" ideas at this point tucked away in various drawers/boxes.
Step 6: I start writing raw, rough, fast chunks of the story. Spewing, is a good word for it. Most often, most recently, this has been in November during National Novel Writing Month. A gimmick, but one that works very well for me. It's all about production of a very large number of words in a very short period of time.
Step 7: I finish a rough draft and put it away.
Step 8: I read it a month or two later, and am super impressed by my talent, ambition and insight.
Step 9: I read it again the next week with a pen, and am disgusted by my lack of talent, ambition and insight.
Step 10: I put it away forever.
Actually Step 10 is where I do get bogged down. What should come next is make all the edits I find on the paper copy on the e-copy, and then print it again and read and edit it again, and then make another set of changes, and print and read and change, until I'm
Step 11: Happy with it.
I'm really good with the first half-dozen steps, if I say so myself. I'm not so good with the second half, which is why this blog exists: to be public with my efforts in the hopes that peer pressure or simply my personal shame of not finishing is exposed and displayed for all the world to mock me so I do finish, etc. etc.
Step 12 would be the marketing phase, writing summaries and pitches and letters to agents and so on.
This year, starting today, The Edge of Nowhere -- the working name of eba's next blockbuster bestselling soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture critically acclaimed masterwork -- will be developed right here on the blog.
For all to see, mock, steal and witness. See you soon with a list of some of the words/phrases ideas/feelings inspirations/inputs that have been bouncing around my head these past few weeks. You'll be suprised by how random and disconnect they are, but amazed in three months to see how they come together into something.
Something is a good word for it.
Process.
