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How do you write?


JohnnySnipes

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I find that everyone has some unique way of brainstorming, whether it be jotting down ideas or otherwise, I was curious what others did.

When I'm at work or home, I usually act out the parts, or I play music while riding my skateboard and make a video of a sort in my head.

What do you do, if anything?

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How do I write? With a keyboard.

Okay serious answer. Normally an idea just comes to me. If its ready, I write it down, then I go and read it to make sure its all coming out okay and to check for errors. If its an idea but not one I can do anything with, I usually just let it sit until its ready. I try not to worry too much about external stuff because that stuff usually works itself out.

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All my ideas tend to be 'what if' type affairs based on other ideas/worlds etc, this may be apparent from some of my other posts when most of my (2nd hand) creativity will invoke a lore heavy episode or new idea and come flooding out.

Why are ponies so social, friendly and helpful?

How many unicorns did it take to raise the sun and the moon?

How can the 'love me' power of Cadence be used or abused?

What religion does the pony priest follow?

Why do obviously sentient sheep allow themselves to be herded and penned?

Why would that interstellar capable race bother invading Earth?

Why is that race 'always Chaotic Evil'?

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Once I get an idea, which usually comes seemingly at random, I tend to sit on it for a few days. During this time, I roll the concept around in my head until it's been shaped into something usable.

When I've dedicated myself to an idea, I pace the floor while imaging the sequence scenes that will make up the story. From this I get the beginning, middle, and end of the story. If I'm lucky, I even get some of the jokes that will end up in the finished copy.

Then comes actually writing the dang fic. At this point I head back to the carpet, focus on a single scene or character interaction, and start pacing once again. I'll craft an entire animated short in my head to watch like a film, so that all I need to do is transfer it to paper to have a story. But more often than not, I'll leave the scene in my head for a day or two before I can actually work up the effort to touch my word processor. :razz:

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  • 1 month later...

If I get a spontaneous idea I roll with it as quickly as possible, be it a painting or a written story. The less you try the better it becomes in these cases I think.

On the other hand, if I'm trying to come up with something, I try and become very conscious of every piece of information in my head. When I catch something I like, I build upon it. This is when a sketchbook (or a word processor, in this case,) comes in handy.

Of course, these two scenarios are entirely amorphous and one can switch to the other in a heartbeat, and back again.

I really think consciousness is key though. Or sometimes being conscious of the fact that you are unconscious.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I just do whatever I feel like and the inspiration will come. As for my writing style, well...it's half improvisation and half-outline. I know where I want a story to go, but I don't have a tightly controlled outline every step of the way. It's very loose and it changes just about every time I write another page worth of material.

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  • 2 months later...

I usually get too many ideas to write down, and I don't want to waste my time. So I just wait for like a week. If the idea is still annoyingly in my head screaming "WRITE ME!", I sit down with a pen and paper and writes whatever comes to mind. As I wrote, I say it out loud to see if it sounds awkward or not. Or maybe to see if the tone and diction fits the persona.

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Topic revival!

I usually observe at random things or events, then create a sequence and story based on that item, person, etc. After that, I usually research deeper into my topic, plan out the characters and development, then write it down. Sometimes I will add events or things to make my writing look more interesting. Basically, it'll be partly planned, and partly written down as the story progresses. Other stories do help, though I only use them to look at their writing styles and skills.

I should say that building the antagonists are my favorite part, be it a person/creature, nature, society, or fate (mostly the first). They're literally the purpose of the whole story, and is a great tool for character development to other characters.

Why is that race 'always Chaotic Evil'?

"Lawful Evil" for me. :P

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I write like Tarantino directs. I think of some of the most awesome things I've ever seen, experiences that stick with me in my mind. Moments I can describe with fervor and vigor as if they were just moments ago.

One I'm tearing my brainstem out over on trying to bring to life?

There was a fighting game called Def Jam: Fight for New York back in 2004. One of the fights stood out in my mind as a boss battle.

Fat Joe.

In the context of both the game and the story, he was more than just another fight. He had crippled my best friend Blaze, and everyone on Crow's side kept sending me messages about how tough he was and how he was gonna break me. It was the first time in that game I felt like the main character instead of an observer. I picked up a new outfit and some new moves before I went in. During the introduction, I was gripping my controller. It was a new venue, a new adversary, and when the door opened...

This was playing.

It got my heart pumping so fast, the adrenaline shooting through my body. My hands were practically crushing the controller as the loading screen displayed my face and the man's face himself.

The song kicked up again, and the defining moment of the fight, way before it had even happened was the exchange because of how every fighter has an opening taunt before the match begins.

"Hope you like the taste of my knuckles, chump!"

"Yo, you gon' lose your teeth messin' wit' me, ya heard?"

The fight that followed felt so...amazing. Bashing anyone's face in a video game is usually a cathartic affair depending on who they are, but it's usually never as gratifying, in terms of narrative, and presentation.

It may not seem like much in part due to what the example is: And that's my inspiration being drawn from a game involving rappers, rap music, and the most brutal violence ever used in a "wrestling" game...

...but it stayed with me. And it's gotten to the point where I can remember it with such clarity, it still gets me giddy to this day. (Heck, I'm shaking in my chair right now cause I got the music playing. XD) And I want to incorporate it into my FiM AU, Horizon, which is an action-heavy kind of world, paying homage to my favorite moments and things like Dragonball Z, Justice League Unlimited, and Def Jam: FFNY.

Anyway. That's how I write. I remember moments like that. Things that really stuck with me early on, and manage to become truly magnificent memories. They help me form a frame to recreate them, and then better moments from then on.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

My ideas for stories just seem to magically pop into my mind. Usually this is caused by seeing or hearing something in the world. Having an active imagination is great as it is what fuels creativity.

I love what the horror and thriller writer Stephen King said about stories. He said that you don't have to plot out your entire story before you write it. Just find an idea and expand with it.

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  • 6 months later...

Music without words is a big help. Especially when I'm trying to lock onto a mood or emotion I'm trying to convey properly. I tend to listen to the same song on repeat too. It becomes almost white noise at that point. An unoccupied mind does wonders for me as well, which means I'm not so good with my first draft at home with full range of internet. My best work comes from when I'm on the clock at Barnes and Noble, during a dead hour or two and a hidden notebook. Finally, and this is the biggest help there is...

TV Tropes. Yes, that TV Tropes. It's an encyclopedia of elements of fiction and it guarantees to me that what I'm trying to do has been done before, either straight or flipped on its head. I can see HOW I should be writing a thing, as well as how NOT to. I am a better writer thanks to that site. It's astounding.

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