Comments on: How does she do that?

By: Jordan

Jordan — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 01:49:05 +0000

Delilah, I also start writing at the partial stage. I just have faith that the rest of the story comes to me. Sometimes it doesn’t…for several months. :-O Other times, I know it like someone is whispering the tale in my ear. My idea of plotting is simply writing down one sentence for each scene that needs to be in the book. I break them up into the three act structure, and then get to work. Sometimes the story changes due to a character’s behavior. Those times are cool as long as it doesn’t throw off my whole story arc.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 01:44:57 +0000

Laure, That’s an interesting idea. I’ve never thought about asking the characters what they think about each other. I’m going to have to try that one. Thanks!

By: Jordan

Jordan — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 00:52:06 +0000

Oh May, I’m sorry. I completely did misunderstand you. That’s a rough way to write (or at least extremely time consuming). Thanks for clearing that up for me.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 00:50:36 +0000

Vivi, That’s a terrific book. I think we write fairly similar from the conversations we’ve had.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 00:49:29 +0000

Gabriele, I look for tricks from other writers too. I’m reading the responses with great interest. PBW had one of the best tricks, when it came to asking questions. 1. Who is this person? 2. What do they want? 3. What’s the worse thing that can happen to them?

By: Delilah Devlin

Delilah Devlin — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 21:21:49 +0000

I’m not sure if characters or plot come first for me. I walk around with stories in my head and characters already interacting. I won’t have more than what I’d call the “partial” already set before I start writing. At that point, I might plot, or if I keep dreaming about them and know what’s next, I just keep writing. I like going by the seat of pants best, because then I get surprised, too. When I get bogged down in the middle of the book, I might have to get out my plot sheets and do some grunt work–then the book loses big appeal for me. Feels too much like work then.

By: Laure

Laure — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 19:20:20 +0000

For me, characters definitely come first and then I have to figure out what the heck their story is. 99% of the time, my first inkling is of the hero, usually in a stressful moment and what makes them special.

One way of getting a handle on the story and/or character is getting other characters to talk about him/her. In one current WIP, my hero is in critical condition at the hospital and several friends had gathered in the waiting room and have told me so much about the guy that I didn’t know and have helped with several plot points. A similar scene featuring the hero fretting about the heroine of another story has given me a skeleton of a story, even if it never makes it into the story.

By: May

May — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 18:43:57 +0000

You’ve misunderstood me, Jordan, I don’t wait for the Muse. I would never get anything done then, and I’m slow as it is.

I mean that I find out things about my characters as I write them. So basically, I write, make a wrong assumption, and rewrite. Rinse and repeat. Makes it terribly difficult to plot. Grrr.

By: Vivi Anna

Vivi Anna — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 17:42:31 +0000

Yup, most of my books are born from characters. I always start with them first before I get plot. Hell Kat is a perfect example. Another one is BLOOD SECRETS, my first Nocturne, (as you know! that came about when I was watching CSI, and I thought what if Gil Grissom was a vampire? Then I developed the character, tehn the story about him.

Great blog topic, Jordan!!!!

By: Gabriele

Gabriele — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 16:53:56 +0000

Thanks for sharing that, Jordan.

I usually do freewriting character bios - not the name, ceck; parents, check; eye colour, check-things but just noting down what gets into my head, mostly about their past which then influences what they’re going to want and how they’re going to act in the novel. In some cases I’ve got fine results that way, but some of the damn boys refuse to cooperate, and I look for ways to make them talk that don’t involve a rack.

Since I’m a plot driven writer, I have to make sure my characters, even the minor ones, are more than vehicles to transport the plot, therefore I look for tricks and methods other writers use. It’s always worth a try.