#wanderingpoetess

[wanderingpoetess-blog]

The Wandering Poetess #wanderingpoetess #poet

[hapfairy]

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[elfoflothlorien]

wanderingpoetess replied to your post: I was doing so well not spending any money, but as...

Know the feeling. Maybe you can just allow yourself to buy one item but no more. :P

True! I saved up 3 of my paychecks without spending and I was so proud! A few items wouldn't hurt :P But the other reason why, is because I'm not sure if financial aid is going to help me. So the money I earned from work is my backup.

[hapfairy]

Hello, how are you? ^^ I was wondering if you could tell me what you do when you start a new story, like what steps do you take when you work out a vague idea into the actual finished story? I'm trying to get back into writing/continue an idea I've been playing with for some time and I thought you would be the perfect person to ask for some tips and tricks. :)

Hi! Right, I will try to answer this as best I can, though I am a bit unconventional when it comes to planning. :P

When I have a story that I want to start, I always just start by writing the opening scene. Usually I have an idea for a good opening line or something dramatic that can happen to start it off. I write that without usually have planned anything, because I like to have somewhere to start from.

Then... I keep writing. A lot of people want to plan the entire thing before they start, but that doesn't usually work for me. I keep writing and see how the story starts to take shape. Then I begin to get an idea of what it's about. And then I start to do more planning. Maybe a few maps, maybe some character profiles (you can find these all over the web, particularly useful ones often ask things like "What does the character think they want/what do they really want? Who stands in their way?"). I'll do some research into the setting too, though I mostly prefer to look things up as I go along.

The next three big things that I find really helpful are:

1. Think of an ending to the story. It could even just be a strong scene that you imagine for the end - like someone looking out over some mountains, for example. You never have to stick to it, but it gives you something to work towards.

2. Try writing a blurb for the book. It's usually quite easy to do this even if you don't have any idea of the entire plot. It helps you to think of a short summary for the story, and you can also consider how you're going to sell this book to people - who the audience are and what will interest them.

3. Write a synospsis of the storyline (1-2 pages). Again, this can be completely made up off the top of your head and you don't have to stick to it. But having a framework can be really helpful. One of our lecturers likes to do this by writing the numbers 1-30 down the page and writing a plot point by each one. You can also look at things like The Hero's Journey to help you plot.

Once you've got those things planned out, you are pretty much set! Of course if you're creating your own fantasy world (or you just like planning a lot) you may want to do a great deal more world-building - in which case you can really go to town and have a big folder full of art and maps and brainstorms about the world (without forgetting to think of the small questions - e.g. Where does everyone get food from? What level of technology do they have?). 

When you've got a bit further into writing, you will hopefully start to get a sense of what the story is about, though most writers will tell you that you probably won't fully understand until you've finished the whole first draft. There are some tips for this too - for example, you could write a short sentence on what you want the main theme of the story to be - e.g. "friendship is more important than love" or " a seemingly insignificant person can change the world with bravery" or something like that. You can write it down and pin it up somewhere and it helps you to think about how what your writing relates to the central theme.

The key really is just to keep writing, and keep writing every day even if you feel like you're writing nonsense or if you have no idea where you're going with it. The more raw material you have, the better! If you can find a good creative writing group or even just a few people online that can have a look at your work from time to time, that will help massively. I never would've got close to finishing my novel if it weren't for my friends and their input. Then once you have a whole first draft, you can edit, edit and edit again. The key to all writing is in the crafting, after all. :)

[foreverpainfulwonder]

Random numbers: 8, 39, 41, 65, 74, 80

8: Are you close with your dad?Sometimes I am, though he seems to think our relationship is more a friendly one than a father-daughter one... When I see him (which isn't often, since my parents are divorced and I live with my mum) we do enjoy ourselves most of the time.

39: Do you have a secret that you’ve never told anyone?I don't think I do, actually... There are probably things I've never told anyone, but I don't think they are important enough to call a secret...41: Do you think age matters in relationships? To a certain point: yes. Though I guess I should say age of mind rather than physical age. 

65: How many boyfriends/girlfriends did you have in 2010? 4

74: Do you have siblings over the age of twenty-one?I don't. I actually don't have any real siblings at all. 

80: Are you atheist?I'm not sure. I guess I want to believe in something, but I haven't really figured out what, so I think no... Does that make sense? :p