Brainstorming without consequences
October 31st, 2007 by Sara
I’ve had the pleasure this week of looking over a couple of friends’ fantastic picture book manuscripts. Since picture books are my life right now, what I’m reading, what I’m writing, even what I’ve been dreaming about, it’s been a bit of a greedy endeavor.
It’s wonderful to be presented with delicious stories and get to dream alongside the creators. I don’t have the stress of actually having to come up with the ‘right’ solution. I don’t have to judge the worthiness of my ideas. I just hand them over to someone else who has to do the tough stuff. It’s brainstorming without consequences.
The experience has taught me a lot about my own revision process. The pressure and restrictions I put on myself to ’solve’ my problems. Now, I hope to bring some of the freedom and creativity that I felt on the sidelines into my own work.
Posted in Picture books, First draft, Revision, Writing
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:24 am
Hi Sara,
I love the notion of “brainstorming without consequences” - and it made me think about how sometimes when I’m trying to solve a problem in a story, I can come up with a solution - but if it’s the first solution, it might not be the best - I usually try to think of at least one more before I decide which is best. I bet if I forced myself to come up with MORE, like five solutions, I’d have a really inventive, unexpected one in there to use…
That’s the great thing about revisions - you can really take it to the next level.
And with the picturebooks especially, you get the chance to make every word count. (Okay, okay, I know I need to make every word count in a novel, too) - but you get where I’m going with it, right?
Write On!
Lee
The technicolor yawn of the writing world.
October 3rd, 2007 by SaraThe first draft.
Starting a story is actually my favorite part. It’s fresh and perfect and you’re sure that this time you’re going to be able to put it all down exactly like it is in your head. If I could spend my life writing the first 20 pages of stories, I would.
Unfortunately, you have to move on to page 21 and page 59 and page 167. Oh yes. They’re out there right now. Waiting for you.
But for now, I’m in bliss. I’m starting a new story and I’m using everything I’ve learned with the YA novel I’ve been slaving away on to help me get started. Suddenly, outlining is my friend. Character development. Story arcs. Research. I’m no longer afraid that these things will take the magic out of the story. And I’m already wielding them with stealthy ninja skill.
Also, I recently discovered Scrivener. It’s one of the many great writing programs out there. With it, I can compile my research all in one place. I can create notecards of my chapters and tack them up on virtual corkboards. I can see 2 documents I’m working on at the same time. I can use my nunchucks to bring rogue words into line! Oops. Got a bit carried away there.
But all the computer programs and notecards and sparkly pens in the world don’t change what I have to do. I need to sit down and, as quickly and truly as possible, disgorge the story. The dream draft, someone once called it. More like the technicolor yawn of words.
Posted in First draft, Writing
October 3rd, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Okay, so I’ve totally heard about “vomiting” out the first draft, but I much prefer your “technicolor yawn of words!” “Dream Draft” is pretty cool, too.
It’s a bit like an action sequence (though so much is for me…) where you can’t slow down, you can’t look back, you just have to keep pressing on, making little notes as you go about things to fix, gaps to fill, and just plunge on to the finish, where, exhausted, you’ll feel great, look at your 200 page first draft and go, “I did it!” Which, of course, will be quickly followed by, “I need to re-write ALL of it!” But your post wasn’t about re-writing at all, was it?
Heh, heh…
Yay for first drafts!
Lee
