Koakuma's Writer's Parlour ~ Have some tea and discuss fiction and writing here!

[Tengukami]

Yes! I write at work with pencil and spiral notebook. Helps me think things through to not be able to write as fast as I can think.

[Touji Suwagata]

I usually don't write story chapters when I'm away from my comp. When this is the case, I write up outlines and notes of what I want to do with the story and what characters I want to appear and what their like, shit like that. I have like...a shit ton of "databases" on different stories and characters tucked away in a huge folders, packets and even bags (because I ran out of space), all of which are from my days in middle/high school.

[Neonie]

Yes! I write at work with pencil and spiral notebook. Helps me think things through to not be able to write as fast as I can think.

I usually don't write story chapters when I'm away from my comp. When this is the case, I write up outlines and notes of what I want to do with the story and what characters I want to appear and what their like, shit like that. I have like...a shit ton of "databases" on different stories and characters tucked away in a huge folders, packets and even bags (because I ran out of space), all of which are from my days in middle/high school.

I write whole chapters with a small notebook and pen I can fit in my pocket, then when I transfer from notebook to computer small parts with change or be altered. Of course what happened with my last chapter was I wound up changing almost EVERYTHING about it. But it's a lot better of a way to spend down time at work then sitting their twiddling my thumbs (I don't work at a place that has internet).

[Touji Suwagata]

I remember once I used to ha this plastic packet I kept all my story/comic notes in for high school. The thing with me is, I don't simply write the database, I draw something up pretaining to it too, especially if it's a character. I dunno why, but that's what I used to do everytime I wrote down notes...I'd plug in some form of visual of what I'm talking about and then keep on writing about it.

Oh and that packet I had? It burst open when I was nearing the end of the school year...I mean, literally split open because there was so much inside it. I shit you not.

[Phlegeth]

I make outlines and notes like that too.  I just need to take better notes when I get too far ahead of where I'm actually at in the story.  I get to looking over stuff and am hit with a what the hell did I mean here, it's happened more times than I'd like.

And speaking of clarity, does anyone else ever worry too much about how clear the story is going.  I mean I'm constantly arguing with myself.  Going "I don't know if they've got it, I better have her say her motivation."  "That's too blunt, I should put more clues."  "That's too much, I should take some away." etc, etc.  And I end up with what looks like a contrived coincidence 

[Tengukami]

Yes, but as a general rule, it's always best to go with "show, don't tell". Demonstrate instead of explain. Even then, though, you have to let it flow naturally and give your readers the benefit of the doubt to get the message. Being obtuse is less annoying than hitting the reader over the head. And as always, let other trusted eyes read it before you release it.

[Neonie]

How much you say depends a lot on what kind of writer you are. I don't consider my self that great of a writer but hey, that's why I'm writing in the first place. I try to just flow my story how I feel it works best and if the readers have a problem with something I'm doing in some way I'm always more then welcome to taking suggestions on my style or changing something up. I have a general outline of where the story needs to go but the little details I fill in as I write the chapter so those can always be changed. That's the great things about writing in this kind of forum, it's not like your writing a book so there is a possibility of feedback.

Don't worry to much about whether it's hard for the reader to understand, the people reading what you write are probably a lot smarter then what you give them credit for. If you really think the reader needs to understand something, try to find a cleaver way of "explaining" it without explaining it.

[Tengukami]

If you really think the reader needs to understand something, try to find a clever way of "explaining" it without explaining it.

A.k.a. showing and not telling. Saying "He walked into the old woman's shop and, when she turned her back to answer the phone, reached behind the display case and take several gold chains before walking out of the store, whistling a happy tune." as opposed to "Character X is not a nice person, and generally doesn't have any qualms with stealing from others." 

But generally speaking, err towards under-revealing - having to think about what's going on in a story is generally at least less irritating than having the author spoonfeed the story to you.

[Phlegeth]

Thanks for the tips.  I really like the "show, don't tell" rule.  I'm still a little worried cause I'm pretty bad at explaining things.

[Tengukami]

Thanks for the tips.  I really like the "show, don't tell" rule.  I'm still a little worried cause I'm pretty bad at explaining things.

It's actually a lot of fun. A quick way to do this is, when presented with an idea or concept you want to convey to the reader, ask yourself, "What event would demonstrate this concept to be the case?" In the above example, the concept you want the reader to understand is that Character X is remorseless and amoral. The event that conveys it is him stealing from an old woman and whistling happily as he walks away.

[SHF]

Ack. I made my short-stories thread with the intention of forcing myself to start writing more, and it nearly works, but...

every time I sit down to start writing, the concept for the idea I had just goes *whff* right out the window.
I need to cultivate some more ideas, but... so far everything I can think of is starting to turn into a one-trick pony deal for me... it's all related to telepathy or inner thought processes.

I look at this rut I'm digging and try to convince myself I can get away from it, but every time I open the thread and start writing, it turns out the same - it has to do with one of the satori, or it's like the first story I wrote into it (A day in the life of - the inner thought processes of Alice as she starts her day and deals with a quick visit from Marisa).

I can't come up with anything new :v
A while back I tried to counter this by suggesting a collaborative work, and IcedFairy rose to the occasion by providing me a lot of excellent information pertaining to what we'd chosen, and even though I have all I need for a good foundation of a story, I can't be bothered to write it >.o

[Neonie]

Ack. I made my short-stories thread with the intention of forcing myself to start writing more, and it nearly works, but...

every time I sit down to start writing, the concept for the idea I had just goes *whff* right out the window.
I need to cultivate some more ideas, but... so far everything I can think of is starting to turn into a one-trick pony deal for me... it's all related to telepathy or inner thought processes.

I look at this rut I'm digging and try to convince myself I can get away from it, but every time I open the thread and start writing, it turns out the same - it has to do with one of the satori, or it's like the first story I wrote into it (A day in the life of - the inner thought processes of Alice as she starts her day and deals with a quick visit from Marisa).

I can't come up with anything new :v
A while back I tried to counter this by suggesting a collaborative work, and IcedFairy rose to the occasion by providing me a lot of excellent information pertaining to what we'd chosen, and even though I have all I need for a good foundation of a story, I can't be bothered to write it >.o

My suggestion: Listen to music, try to think of something involving touhou characters. Don't let the first idea you have bother you, try to get a couple, write them down as they come with you, discuss each one with a friend (could be the same friend or a different one, doesn't matter. I have one go-to person for all my Touhou banter). Choose whichever idea you feel you -really- want to make into a story that got a good response from your friend.

[Iced Fairy]

A while back I tried to counter this by suggesting a collaborative work, and IcedFairy rose to the occasion by providing me a lot of excellent information pertaining to what we'd chosen, and even though I have all I need for a good foundation of a story, I can't be bothered to write it >.o

It's okay.  I'll just sit in the corner and cry as my research languishes.... 

As a serious suggestion perhaps try some crack work?  I'm using that to try to get back into gear.  Not working perfectly but I feel like I'm doing something.

Assuming Neonie's suggestion doesn't work.

[Ryuu]

Another suggestion is to maybe look at lots and lots of fanart of characters you like. You could see a scene and be all like "oh hey cool" and suddenly desire to explore how that scene came to be... or something.

[SHF]

My suggestion: Listen to music

I go insane if I don't have some kind of music playing at all times and I don't mean like, rap my knuckles on the desk and breath heavily, I mean like seriously start hallucinating some whacked out shit. Either that or I really am a latent telepath and the music keeps it from turning on when I least expect it ANYWAYS MOVING ON

discuss each one with a friend (could be the same friend or a different one, doesn't matter. I have one go-to person for all my Touhou banter). Choose whichever idea you feel you -really- want to make into a story that got a good response from your friend.

All my friends are sick and tired of me discussing anything even remotely Touhou related to them - a few of them have gone so far as to scoff when I bring up any Touhou musical arrangements (their loss).

Another suggestion is to maybe look at lots and lots of fanart of characters you like. You could see a scene and be all like "oh hey cool" and suddenly desire to explore how that scene came to be... or something.

I should try this. Must use the 'badass' or 'epic' tags in conjunction with 'touhou' on Danbo more often.

It's okay.  I'll just sit in the corner and cry as my research languishes.... 

As a serious suggestion perhaps try some crack work?

I'm gonna need a definition on that one - what do you mean, 'crack work'?

[Iced Fairy]

I'm gonna need a definition on that one - what do you mean, 'crack work'?

Well, I kinda feel my Mechwarrior crossover is crack.  And then there's the Succubus Manor sim I'm doing on the RPG board.  And the thing I'm writing for later this month....

Basically just amusing things.  Not necessarily good, but amusing.

[KimikoMuffin]

Me, my problem is "I know basically exactly what I want to have happen next, but actually sitting down and writing a paragraph of prose, which would probably take up five panels of comic which would each arguably be a whole lot more effort than the paragraph, but when I sit down to type it up I'm all 'behhhhh, I don't wannaaaaaaaaaaaa ...'"

[Garry's Sketch]

Me, my problem is "I know basically exactly what I want to have happen next, but actually sitting down and writing a paragraph of prose, which would probably take up five panels of comic which would each arguably be a whole lot more effort than the paragraph, but when I sit down to type it up I'm all 'behhhhh, I don't wannaaaaaaaaaaaa ...'"

my bretheren! I have longed to meet one who has the same prose problem as you!

Sometimes it's so bad, I don't write for a while...not mentioning other factors >~>

[Funkapurvis]

Me, my problem is "I know basically exactly what I want to have happen next, but actually sitting down and writing a paragraph of prose, which would probably take up five panels of comic which would each arguably be a whole lot more effort than the paragraph, but when I sit down to type it up I'm all 'behhhhh, I don't wannaaaaaaaaaaaa ...'"

Yeah this. Describing things and moving them on in a way that feels even a little organic is torture.

[Unassuming Squid]

All my friends are sick and tired of me discussing anything even remotely Touhou related to them - a few of them have gone so far as to scoff when I bring up any Touhou musical arrangements (their loss).

I have almost the exact same problem. Only one of my friends is still alright with it, but some of the others have resorted to instantly turning off any Touhou arrangements I send them or making nearly incessant pedophilia jokes. Thankfully, I still have that one friend and my mother to talk about it with.

On another topic, doesn't it suck when you have ideas for writing absolutely everything that isn't the one thing you're trying to write about? I have a novel that I should be working on, but I have no motivation to write it, instead going for half-assed Touhou fiction. 

[Ryuu]

All my friends are sick and tired of me discussing anything even remotely Touhou related to them - a few of them have gone so far as to scoff when I bring up any Touhou musical arrangements (their loss).

I have almost the exact same problem. Only one of my friends is still alright with it, but some of the others have resorted to instantly turning off any Touhou arrangements I send them or making nearly incessant pedophilia jokes. Thankfully, I still have that one friend and my mother to talk about it with.

Isn't that why you guys have us~? <3

On another topic, doesn't it suck when you have ideas for writing absolutely everything that isn't the one thing you're trying to write about? I have a novel that I should be working on, but I have no motivation to write it, instead going for half-assed Touhou fiction. 

Hahaha, I'm the same way. In the end, Touhou is far less intimidating than something original.

[Tengukami]

On another topic, doesn't it suck when you have ideas for writing absolutely everything that isn't the one thing you're trying to write about? I have a novel that I should be working on, but I have no motivation to write it, instead going for half-assed Touhou fiction. 

I've definitely been there. The upside to that, though, is that taking a break from longer projects by taking a side project just to take a change of tone for a while can be refreshing, though. I just finished, both typed up and hand-written, the rough draft to a pretty long story. I know I should get the handwritten bits typed up, and then flesh out the story better. But I've been in the head of one main character for months now, and I need a little air, so I'm doing an unrelated, much shorter story with a different cast. I tend to do this most often when I feel the longer piece is losing steam. Coming back to it when I've finished the side project, and new ideas are there that I didn't see before.

[SHF]

Remember how I said Sara and Acied were characters from another story I'm working on?

Yeah. That story isn't double-spaced, like everything I type up to be submitted here, and it's at 130 pages at 12pt font.

The collected works I've written for the Touhou fandom are quickly overtaking that number - FFitK itself was nearly 60-70 pages long.

[Akemi Homururo]

But I've been in the head of one main character for months now, and I need a little air, so I'm doing an unrelated, much shorter story with a different cast. I tend to do this most often when I feel the longer piece is losing steam. Coming back to it when I've finished the side project, and new ideas are there that I didn't see before.

Oh god, this so much. Sweet Dreams is the short story to White Rose's long sprawling tale; I try to update them on-off each week, but it has gotten to the point sometimes where I just can't bring myself to touch White Rose, so I do Sweet Dreams instead. It really works.

[Touji Suwagata]

All my friends are sick and tired of me discussing anything even remotely Touhou related to them - a few of them have gone so far as to scoff when I bring up any Touhou musical arrangements (their loss).

I don't have this problem because 1) I don't talk about Touhou to people who don't know it (it only leads to a conversation death) and 2) I have no true friends...at least not any that are around my home anymore.

As for other stories besides my main ones.

I consider Mystic Mutation my main story (only in the sense of it being my first serious piece of Touhou fiction), Gourmet's Road is (another) attempt at something that's far more dark and morbid than what I had in mind for MM. So you could say that Gourmet's Road is where go to put down all my dark thoughts instead of trying to find a way to squeeze them into Mystic Mutation. This helps to avoid ruining the overall mood of MM while still allowing me to be as cruel as I want in a different story.

[Coin Spire]

How do you people ever manage to organize all your written stuff? I've never had the patience to file them all in a neat manner. >.<

[Neonie]

How do you people ever manage to organize all your written stuff? I've never had the patience to file them all in a neat manner. >.<

I think i love everything about your name, avatar and sig.

Also I only have like two stories I'm working on, both are touhou related. One I'm not sure if I'll ever show anyone.

[Unassuming Squid]

How do you people ever manage to organize all your written stuff? I've never had the patience to file them all in a neat manner. >.<

What do you mean by that?

I just keep everything I write in separate files for each story and plop them all in My Documents.

[SHF]

How do you people ever manage to organize all your written stuff? I've never had the patience to file them all in a neat manner. >.<

Well, for one, all the organized works here were summarized and organized in a massive team effort, from a group of like eight or nine different people working together.

Now, if you mean personal works, you have to understand - not many of us actually have more than two or three stories to our names, not counting our respective short-story threads.
I think I have all of... lessee...

FtF
AO
EW
FFitK

Just four stories? And one short-story thread, though, to be honest, AO could go there, too.
Judgment of Jack Van Kirk isn't a story, and I don't consider it one - it's more like, a writer's monument, you know?

[Akemi Homururo]

How do you people ever manage to organize all your written stuff? I've never had the patience to file them all in a neat manner. >.<

This is why I use my signature the way I do.