Fandom Snowflake Challenge #8

[merricatb]

Challenge #8: Talk about your creative process.


Ok I love this challenge! Most of the time a scene or piece of dialogue will pop into my head and I'll have to write around it until the fic is complete. That might be the beginning or even the end of a fic but generally it's smack dab in the middle. Once I have the bones down I keep fluffing it up until it feels finished and read it periodically throughout the day on my laptop and my phone since using different devices helps to keep my brain from filling in what should be there instead of what's actually there. Then I sleep on it and read it one more time in the morning before sending it to my beta reader.

I rarely start writing a fic at the beginning, and it usually starts out as mostly dialogue. If I'm using prompts, I prefer waiting to claim them until I'm just about finished with the fic since I don't like the pressure of deadlines. And when I'm truly stuck on something, I try telling the story from a different character's POV instead. 

Comments

[yarnofariadne]

Telling the story from a different perspective helped me out so much in one of my current projects - while outlining I was super stuck with it, until I started thinking about it from another character's perspective and realised his was the half of the story I was missing.

[merricatb]

YES! I was stuck on one for ages and then realized I was telling the wrong story.

[scribblemoose]

This is all so interesting. I really like the idea of finishing the fic before claiming a challenge prompt - I've been hounded by deadline guilt so many times!

[merricatb]

Right? I'd feel so bad if I claimed something and didn't follow through, even if the only one disappointed in me was me. Deadlines stress me out and it's the quickest way to ensure I don't finish.

[catness]

Ah, so you too write pieces out of order and keep iterating - cool!

That's an interesting idea about different devices. For games, it's pretty much required to test them on a couple of different machines, to avoid device-specific bugs, but for writing? I'll have to try it!

[merricatb]

Yes, it's very unorganized lol.

Different devices helps a lot, especially with all those little words that your brain just fills in. Reading aloud can help too.

[stillheremydear]

when I'm truly stuck on something, I try telling the story from a different character's POV instead. This is a really good idea! I need to try it out!

[merricatb]

It really works!

[dreamersdare]

Oh, same on deadlines (although I think its the obligation of the claim for me, maybe?). But they are where creativity goes to die, so i do the same thing with writing first, then claiming after.

[merricatb]

Oh, same on deadlines (although I think its the obligation of the claim for me, maybe?). But they are where creativity goes to die, so i do the same thing with writing first, then claiming after.
Right! Fastest way to writer's block is feeling like I HAVE to write it. I've only done one fic exchange so far and found it pretty stressful, just not knowing what I was up against until the assignment was made. I'll likely participate again in the future but I'll be very anxious about it LOL

[dreamersdare]

I like the ones where I can do treats instead of exchanges; fandometrees and fandomgiftbasket suit me really well, because I don't even have to sign up, I can just write stuff or not (in my head at the moment because they've both just wrapped in the last couple of months).

I don't think I have ever, in all my years of fandom, signed up for an exchange, because the thought of defaulting is just too daunting. But equally I don't mind not getting anything myself, and I know for other people part of the joy is both giving and receiving, so that doesn't work for everyone.

[merricatb]

Oh nice! I was looking at fandomtrees this year when there were additional gifts that needed filling but I hadn't seen fandomgiftbasket. I'm very mono-fannish though so I think that unfortunately limits me on a lot of these that have fandom minimum requirements.

[dreamersdare]

Ah, yeah, it is trickier when you're mono-fannish. Although fandomgiftbasket does allow you to sign up with less than three fandoms, they just don't guarantee you will get your two gifts (you can also ask for non-fanworks things like recs, recipes, resources).

And, you know, there are people like me who scroll through the posts looking for anything and everything that catches their eye to write fic about :D

[merricatb]

Oooh I didn't realize that, thank you! Maybe I will sign up after all.

[svgurl]

I totally relate to the scene or dialogue being the reason you write the fic and working around that, and yeah, usually it's in the middle for me as well. Trying to tell the story from a different character's POV when you're stuck isn't something I considered before, but that's a good idea! :D

[merricatb]

Yes, it really helps! Especially when you're set on a specific conversation but the rest of it isn't working.