I've been working on (slowly) finishing my draft zero of the Paranormal Investigations trilogy, or at least the first full book. I know what needs to happen, but I'm truthfully not hugely excited about it. I figured that now would be a good time to talk to my main character, and get into her head a little bit. Lucky you, you get to read my extremely rough writing! You can thank me later.
Enter ALISON - mid-twenties, blonde, short, stocky, dressed in jeans and an oversized sweatshirt with beat-up tennis shoes and carrying a large messenger bag. She sits on a stool, gripping her bag to her chest as though afraid to let it out of her sight, and smiles tightly.
INTERVIEWER: You OK there?
ALISON: I'm fine. This is just a little bit weird. There's nothing here, you know? No walls or ceiling or...anything. It's just open space, and this stool on a little bit of floor, and I can't see who's talking, so it's kind of freaking me out a little bit, you know?
I: Well, yeah, but the focus is you. You know, the plan is to talk to you, get to know you a little better. So, what did you study in college?
A: Weird, but whatever. I studied literature and dance, though I focused on the literature side of things. I liked dance, but I wasn't all that good at it.
I: These things happen. What do you plan on doing, now that you're graduated?
A: (glares) Rude. You expect me to know how my life is going to turn out, just because I've graduated from college? How the hell should I know? At this point, I'm just happy working someplace that gets me enough money to make payments on my student loans and keep my car running, and able to take care of Gramps. I'll figure things out later.
I: Is that why you're living with your grandfather? To save money?
A: That's part of it. I also just want to make sure he's taken care of, you know? I don't like the idea of him being alone.
Showing posts with label character interviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label character interviews. Show all posts
Monday, March 14, 2016
Monday, October 6, 2014
Blocked
It's been a rough few weeks in the writing world of the Stephie, and I think I can say that I've been blocked. Now, I know that there are a ton of well-respected authors out there who say that writer's block is a myth, it doesn't exist, it's just an excuse for writers not to write. It's all probably true, but that doesn't make the terror of the blank page that much easier. For me, it means that I now feel guilty for not being able to get the words out, as well as frustrated. Guilt combined with frustration is usually a good way to make sure I don't make any progress.
I'm trying to work my way through it, which is significantly easier said than done, obviously. I'm essentially using this blog post as a way to force some words onto a page, and hope that it'll get the words flowing a little more easily. Considering it took about half an hour to write the last two paragraphs, I'm less than convinced that this is working.
The latest project is coming along slowly but surely. I've worked on some character sketches to give myself an idea of who these people are, and I need to work out a better plot outline to give myself a better map of where they're going. I think I've been focusing too much on the research, and that's been sending me into the research black hole that I tend to flirt with. Were it not for the fact that I find nearly everything fascinating in one way or another, this probably wouldn't be as much of a problem. On the other hand, I wouldn't be the veritable font of useless knowledge that I am, and I wouldn't clean up at trivia games nearly as well. Everything has its trade off.
I think my next step to get things going is to interview my characters. In the past, I've found that it gives me some good insight into the characters, and when I do it this early in the process, they can give me some ideas of where they want (or need) to go over the course of the story. It also gives me something small and finite to work on, and when I'm fighting the blank page, giving myself a definitive goal (besides "reaching word count" or "finishing the scene") can really help.
Obviously, given all that, the last week hasn't been great - four of the last seven days spent writing. Still better than half, still not where I want to be.
I'm trying to work my way through it, which is significantly easier said than done, obviously. I'm essentially using this blog post as a way to force some words onto a page, and hope that it'll get the words flowing a little more easily. Considering it took about half an hour to write the last two paragraphs, I'm less than convinced that this is working.
The latest project is coming along slowly but surely. I've worked on some character sketches to give myself an idea of who these people are, and I need to work out a better plot outline to give myself a better map of where they're going. I think I've been focusing too much on the research, and that's been sending me into the research black hole that I tend to flirt with. Were it not for the fact that I find nearly everything fascinating in one way or another, this probably wouldn't be as much of a problem. On the other hand, I wouldn't be the veritable font of useless knowledge that I am, and I wouldn't clean up at trivia games nearly as well. Everything has its trade off.
I think my next step to get things going is to interview my characters. In the past, I've found that it gives me some good insight into the characters, and when I do it this early in the process, they can give me some ideas of where they want (or need) to go over the course of the story. It also gives me something small and finite to work on, and when I'm fighting the blank page, giving myself a definitive goal (besides "reaching word count" or "finishing the scene") can really help.
Obviously, given all that, the last week hasn't been great - four of the last seven days spent writing. Still better than half, still not where I want to be.
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