Tomorrow we’ll continue with deep POV, looking at conveying your character’s thoughts without slowing down the action of the story.
As I finish up what I hope will be the final major edits of my latest project, I’m getting ready to start my next project. But while I have several ideas to write next, I haven’t chosen one for sure.
For my last few projects, I’ve found ideas (or have friends give them to me) that I had to write right away. It was almost like I didn’t have a choice—I had to start getting those ideas and characters down on paper before I lost them. There was an urgency driving me the whole time. I had to get those scenes down before I forgot the dialogue and the characterization and the next steps.
I haven’t had that “I have to write this now” feeling yet, so I’m still kind of floating. I’ve been working on sketching out the internal and external conflicts, developing the characters, and finally outlining the plot. I guess I’m secretly hoping that working on this will bring that feeling, but I’m also kind of afraid it’ll kill it.
How do you choose what to start next? Do you wait until you find something you just can’t wait to write, or do you keep developing an idea until you get that feeling, or do you start writing until that feeling kicks in?
Photo credit: typofi
I always have so many ideas at the most unexpected times. I am just starting the edits on my current WIP, and have two ideas stewing in my head. I finally picked one of them, and wrote the other down so I can start on that after I finish the first idea. I have a whole notebook with several other ideas as well, but will wait until the characters grab me to write about them.:) If my comment made any sense at all…:)
Chantele—It makes sense to me! Sometimes I’m reluctant to even sketch out an idea unless I can outline the major plot points all at once. Maybe that’s just superstition 😉 .
I let ideas sit around in my head, and then when I finish a project, I look around and find the most developed and workable idea, and develop it.
Good to hear that works! That’s what I’m trying to do now. Thanks, Livia!
I just sit and write and my characters take me to places I’d never even consciously thought about. As I keep writing, more ideas develop from what I’ve written. When I’m driving alone, I try to get inside my character’s head and talk to myself in their voice. It’s surprising what comes out. It’s like being possessed by a character. This probably sounds weird, but it works for me. Once I answered my mobile in my character’s voice. My daughter asked who I was and where was her mother. When I spoke in my own voice, she asked me who the little brat was that answered my phone. I just laughed and said it was Molly.
Try it, it really works.
I also ask my MC questions before I go to sleep. When I wake, I can’t wait to write down my new ideas.
Trish.
That sounds a lot like the character freewrite/interview exercise we mentioned last week!
I’ve just read that link, Jordan. How weird. I hadn’t read that one before. I don’t write anything down, I just ask my character questions, then answer them inside the character’s head. The answers just come out. They crack me up sometimes. I’m glad that no one can hear me. They would think I’d lost it.
I started doing this about a year ago when a writer in my critique group told me to add more emotion to my story. I didn’t know how to make it third dimensional so I asked my MC while driving. This worked so I do it all the time now.
I liked the suggestion you made about writing a chapter in first person to get to know the character better. I should do that. I once revised one of my chapter books by re writing it in first person, but ended up going back to third. I did learn a lot more about my character though and it improved my writing. I hadn’t thought to go back and do it again. I will now,
Thanks, Jordan, you’re full of great writing tips.
Trish.