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Oct. 1st, 2011 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
intothewood posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
writersloungeAnalect has done such a beautiful job on our little writer’s comm, and her efforts have inspired me to make an effort to get to know you, and for you to know me. So I’ll start by sharing some pieces of what I’ve been working on.
I have plans to write a series of 5 books, the connection throughout being the family line of my characters. So far I have three in various stages of doneness – one is complete, one I’m futzing with the ending because it just isn’t quite there, and the third I began a few months ago, mostly by staring at my computer and rolling around on the couch, bemoaning my lack of go.
I should say a little bit about how I work – I think I said elsewhere that I need to fall in love with my characters, and that’s true. Really, it’s just a matter of getting to know them, but in the process of developing their personalities and dealing with their roles in the stories, I do fall in love. Once that happens, I can sit back and let them guide me through the story.
I work very freeform and unaided by outlines or whathaveyou. I hadn’t even considered developing this into a series until about ¾ of the way through the first book (which, incidentally, is the one with the troublesome ending that set it back to the position of second book in the series, instead of the first). I just dive in and start writing – I have a general sort of idea of where things are going, but nothing is mapped out. It’s been working out that about halfway through the book I’m writing, ideas for the following book will come up. At this point I have only a vague idea about the setting for my fourth book, and have no idea about what the last book will be like charaterwise, settingwise… nothing.
I write in a poetic manner, I suppose you could say. Or, as analect put it when describing the writing of Mark Richard, the author of Fishboy, I tend to wurble.
I have plans to write a series of 5 books, the connection throughout being the family line of my characters. So far I have three in various stages of doneness – one is complete, one I’m futzing with the ending because it just isn’t quite there, and the third I began a few months ago, mostly by staring at my computer and rolling around on the couch, bemoaning my lack of go.
I should say a little bit about how I work – I think I said elsewhere that I need to fall in love with my characters, and that’s true. Really, it’s just a matter of getting to know them, but in the process of developing their personalities and dealing with their roles in the stories, I do fall in love. Once that happens, I can sit back and let them guide me through the story.
I work very freeform and unaided by outlines or whathaveyou. I hadn’t even considered developing this into a series until about ¾ of the way through the first book (which, incidentally, is the one with the troublesome ending that set it back to the position of second book in the series, instead of the first). I just dive in and start writing – I have a general sort of idea of where things are going, but nothing is mapped out. It’s been working out that about halfway through the book I’m writing, ideas for the following book will come up. At this point I have only a vague idea about the setting for my fourth book, and have no idea about what the last book will be like charaterwise, settingwise… nothing.
I write in a poetic manner, I suppose you could say. Or, as analect put it when describing the writing of Mark Richard, the author of Fishboy, I tend to wurble.
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Date: 2011-10-02 02:41 pm (UTC)I very much like the idea of following the line through over time... curious to know more, because that seems like a big jump between centuries, and promises a lovely sprawling epicness.
I actually squeed aloud at "the bees tipple drunkenly among the fragrant blooms" because it has such a lovely mouthfeel. Lovely rhythm through the whole scene, too, that suits the way you're eliding sensation and perception. Clever. A sort of rolling etherealness, if you will.
The second excerpt presents me with an interesting and absorbing scene - I rather like the way the POV and the crisper pace leaves the reader slightly alienated, though some of the name uses read a liiiiittle lumpy ("Rupert throws off Amadeo's hands" was the only massive stick-out, I think). It's the perennial he/his/him bugbear, isn't it?
Still, I like it very much. I like the inside/outside thing happening, too, and the wordless tension. It's taut, prickly... and very promising. Moar pls?
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Date: 2011-10-02 04:49 pm (UTC)Oh god the name use! So difficult when dealing with characters of one sex. "He said this to him, and he wasn't sure if he knew who he was talking about." Maybe I should mess with the sentences more to see if I can work some of that name calling out of there.
I'm glad you want to see more, that's good news! And I'll definitely share. I still need to post a bit from the third.
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Date: 2011-10-04 07:46 am (UTC)Gawwwwd, the names thing. Yes. If I had a penny, etc. etc... I think it's just that sentence, though, not a big thing. If it was me, I'd go with
"Agitated, Rupert breaks from his touch. He throws off Amadeo’s hands [...]"
or something similar. Just breaking the sentence gives you the chance to shift it slightly, without losing what is a very nice, illustrative phrase. Just a thought, though.
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Date: 2011-10-04 03:28 pm (UTC)I need to wander around your journal and check out more of your stuff. Is there any piece in particular that you'd recommend I start with?
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Date: 2011-10-04 05:14 pm (UTC)Journal... ooh, crumbs. Um... I just popped another of my freebies up, actually, though frankly I've been using it more as a place to put my fanfic and wurbles about glam rock (*ahem*). The fanfic is pretty indicative of my general style, but probably doesn't make much sense without at least a bit of fandom familiarity (that said, the beginning of vol.1 of Feasting on Dreams might do - yea generic fantasy novel stuffs. I'm unrepentant. It's my downtime from writing pr0n.).
Hopefully in the next few days I'll get my skates on and start posting some bits of WIPs for the delectation of my access list. First one in the pile might be up your street - detective in Georgian Whitechapel, embarking on a highly inappropriate relationship with a male prostitute/thief. Grime, gore, and bare bits will be abounding, but the first chapter has been giving me hell.
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Date: 2011-10-03 05:02 pm (UTC)It's a very good sign that the second snippet has me curious about what exactly is going on.
Do you mind if I add you to my circle?
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Date: 2011-10-03 05:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 05:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 06:01 pm (UTC)I've been very lax with my Dreamwidth journal, I came here from Livejournal specifically to have a place to focus on writing but I haven't been as active as I had planned to be. I must work on changing that.
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Date: 2011-10-03 06:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 07:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-24 12:53 am (UTC)Murmur: I loved the curling, lyrical phraseology. It put me in mind of coils of smoke in the air. That was the biggest sensory impression I had while reading it. And you definitely nailed the dreamlike atmosphere of it all.
Becoming: I like the feel of this one very much, though it also left me wanting to know more about what is happening between the characters. Because, right now, my background in fantasy fiction is trying to insist that Rupert's a werewolf. :D
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Date: 2011-10-24 01:01 am (UTC)Well I won't give away Rupert's secrets but I will reveal more of his story later on. :)