Author Things #1

[Motsu]

Have you ever thought about a story and understood what happens, but then felt stuck trying to figure out how to get there? It happens to me sometimes. How do you make the story flow smoothly without making the writing process difficult?

Let's say you have a clear image in your mind of two characters having a heated argument in a dramatic confrontation. You know the emotions, the tension, and the dialogue, but you're struggling with how to organically lead the story to that intense moment. How do you build up to that scene without it feeling forced or out of place in the narrative?

 

[Generic.Archdemon]

How do you build up to that scene without it feeling forced or out of place in the narrative?

I take a shower.

Then I act it out.

Then I wrte it down

Then I read it out

Then I take another shower

Go to sleep

And then read it out.

Then I rewrite it.

 

[DannyTheDaikon]

How do you build up to that scene without it feeling forced or out of place in the narrative?

Make sure there's a reason for it to happen in the first place. Just because a scene might feel cool on it's own doesn't mean it will work well with the rest of the story and the established characters.

 

[doravg]

Have you ever thought about a story and understood what happens, but then felt stuck trying to figure out how to get there? It happens to me sometimes. How do you make the story flow smoothly without making the writing process difficult?

Let's say you have a clear image in your mind of two characters having a heated argument in a dramatic confrontation. You know the emotions, the tension, and the dialogue, but you're struggling with how to organically lead the story to that intense moment. How do you build up to that scene without it feeling forced or out of place in the narrative?

I just drink some water, and it comes to me. If that doesn't help, I take a small break.

 

[MatchaChocolate69]

I take a shower.

Then I act it out.

Then I wrte it down

Then I read it out

Then I take another shower

Go to sleep

And then read it out.

Then I rewrite it.

Showers are indeed a powerful writing tool.

 

[Sylver]

How do you make the story flow smoothly without making the writing process difficult?

Gosh I wish I had a clear answer, I do. It's a different process for everyone.
For me, I sit down and write an outline of what the chapter will be about. It's a way to start my progress while pacing myself.

Then once I'm ready, I break the outline in parts and get to work writing out the scenes that come to mind. Sometimes the chapter becomes too heavy for the full outline, and so I break it into two chapters only if it feels necessary.

Lastly, I reread it and make any changes to the Grammer or dialogue before publishing.

How do you build up to that scene without it feeling forced or out of place in the narrative?

I envision it like a play or a manga chapter. Dissect it in your head, what does this scene portray? What are the emotions, what is the content, what is the purpose?

And if I'm really struggling, I just write it down and finish the chapter. Then I read jt over and think to myself it if works or needs improvement.

Have you ever taken a multiple choice test and come across a question you're not sure of? It helps to skip that question and return to it after you answered the remaining questions. I hope that helps

 

[2wordsperminute]

Have you ever thought about a story and understood what happens, but then felt stuck trying to figure out how to get there? It happens to me sometimes. How do you make the story flow smoothly without making the writing process difficult?

Let's say you have a clear image in your mind of two characters having a heated argument in a dramatic confrontation. You know the emotions, the tension, and the dialogue, but you're struggling with how to organically lead the story to that intense moment. How do you build up to that scene without it feeling forced or out of place in the narrative?

Filler. Characters can grow using it. It doesn't have to be boring, and it can even be just a smaller arc. But anything to get those characters interacting with each other in a way that would build up to your plans. If there isn't enough tension yet, just wait on that confrontation for a while. Or if you desperately need to have the conflict immediately, you can just have a lot of stressful things happen in a short span of time, like

Spoiler: One Piece pre time skip spoilers

when skypeia, the davy back games, losing robin, and finding out the merry was unrepairable led to ussop leaving the crew temporarily.

 

[melchi]

There is nothing wrong with skipping to the important parts. Trying to show everything all the time can lean to an overly slow pace.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

I act it out and if I can't naturally figure out a transition via acting then I'll try rewriting the last scene to make an easier transition. If I still can't figure it out, repeat steps 1.

 

[Shard]

Personally, I've never had that problem. I just make the world, toss the characters in, then observe what happens and write it down. Worse case is I just don't know what to cut out to make it less boring, or how to describe something better.

 

[J_Chemist]

Seeing that I'm not the only one who using acting as a writing tool is nice....

...but how many of you also jump around and swing your arms to choreograph a fight?

Have you ever thought about a story and understood what happens, but then felt stuck trying to figure out how to get there? It happens to me sometimes. How do you make the story flow smoothly without making the writing process difficult?

Let's say you have a clear image in your mind of two characters having a heated argument in a dramatic confrontation. You know the emotions, the tension, and the dialogue, but you're struggling with how to organically lead the story to that intense moment. How do you build up to that scene without it feeling forced or out of place in the narrative?

Takes practice. Watch videos, movies, read other books. And as mentioned, act it out. Speak the lines out loud and use your mind's eye to sort of piece together the scene. You may look goofy but at least it'll come out better.

 

[Motsu]

Thank you, guys.

I will see which approach is better!