I am leaving the office

[electricland]

...see me leaving? Good. But before I leave, one thought:

I love Jennifer Crusie's books. Love them. Now I love her blog as well. One recent post sums up her writing process so beautifully (go read it -- there's an illustration, and there's no point me excerpting just part of it), and it made me smile. When I was in high school, and wrote for fun, that was kind of what I did. I lived with these characters in my head, and I would write down scenes that struck me on loose-leaf pages (often during class) and put them in a binder where they seemed to fit, and eventually I wound up with a story. (It was an Anne McCaffrey pastiche, I realized much too late, but never mind.) I put together family trees and maps and all kinds of supporting material as well. I don't think I ever got as far as a second draft, which is kind of a shame (if only because it prevents me carrying this thought all the way to its conclusion). But the scenes I wrote were good -- at least, I thought so, because I knew these people and I could see and hear what was going on so clearly in my head that I hardly ever had to search for a word. I just knew. I miss that. I miss trusting that I knew where I was going, and just writing. I started to second-guess myself for a variety of reasons, and then I got short on time, and it was No Good.

(The collaboration thing is kind of funny too. Back in university I was writing a tacky romance novel -- I should dig it out and see if it still strikes me as any good -- and crankygrrl asked if she could come in on it and I said sure, and our writing styles COULD NOT be more different. She likes to write a scene. The first scene. Then she rewrites it. And rewrites it. And rewrites it. And I'm saying Good God, woman, it's DONE already, can we PLEASE move on? As a collaboration, it was kind of a disaster. Although we did have a lot of fun at one point with file cards and outlining the structure of the thing.)

This year I want to get back to writing for fun. I say that a lot, but this time I want to do it. Perhaps it needs to involve some loose-leaf paper and a binder.

Comments

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

hee - I'm not laughing at this. Really I'm not, because I have never, ever, ever complained about Cranky and the same issue. Never.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Of course not! Never!

[life-on-queen.livejournal.com]

You can both kiss my arse.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

*snuggles you*

[life-on-queen.livejournal.com]

No, get away from me. Mock my writing at your peril, fiend!

[raithen.livejournal.com]

I have three words for you Cranky --> words. on. paper. Its how stuff gets written ;). And finished! save the rewriting for LATER ;).

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Not your writing -- just your methods. ;)

[nellisir.livejournal.com]

Heh. I did the Anne McCaffrey thing in junior high. Otherwise...ditto. Including the resolution to write. More.

[nellisir.livejournal.com]

Actually...except the writing scenes bit. I can't outline, cause I never know where a story is going to go, but I start at the beginning and keep writing until I reach the end. Or more likely, get distracted (I just spent 30 seconds convincing myself not the end the post with "distr"). I know the characters (though I sometimes find myself telling the character B's story when I thought I was telling A's), and I know something happens...but it's usually a suprise to me too.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Hee. That's what makes it fun, as I recall...

[nellisir.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Except when it turns out to be a really boring "day in the life of".