You know, maybe I'm trying too hard.

[sethgray]

These past few days I have spent my time lounging in bed reading a variety of web serials that I never have read before, and probably would have turned my nose up at them even a few weeks ago. In the process of doing so, I have discovered something. I am working way too hard about about conjuring grand schemes and epic details and not doing enough actual fingers-to-keyboard pay off. The serials I've been reading lately aren't high literature; hell, sometimes they barely describe the main characters, and usually that kills any enjoyment I may have gained from the story. But you know what? I've enjoyed the hell out of myself anyway.


This is, I believe, what they call an epiphany, aka: pulling one's head out, aka: going to the dollar store and buying a clue, aka: a blinding revelation of "no, shit, really?", aka: well, you get the idea.

Every little detail doesn't need to be planned out in advance, but I can't just whip an epic master plan in my head and hit go either. Instead of the dumb ass shit I've been doing, I should have been sitting down and putting what I do have in my head down on paper. Outlines, character details, what plot points I do have already, all of this stuff I've been avoiding because it isn't fun. A master plan is all well and good, but keeping it in my head until everything has "percolated," as I like to call it, is really, really dumb.

I think in the future I'm going to put a sticky by my computer this sticky is going to say, "Forget epic. Just WRITE!"


Uh-oh, is that maturity sneaking up on me? *flicks hands* Shoo!



Oh, in case anyone's curious, here's the two pieces mainly responsible for my little change of heart:

(Shadow of the Templar)

(100 Candles)

Comments

[jupiterrhode.livejournal.com]

Wow, and I thought you were impressive before. If you've only been writing for a year than my hat off to you sir ma'am!

[softbluebuddy.livejournal.com]

Thank you for thinking that is impressive. I actually never posted anything until maybe April this year. I have about 50,000 words of something that I started a year ago and need to finish so that I can post it. Probably another 4 or 5 chapters.

I sent it to my beta, after I had been sitting on it for 10 months and she loved it. Which is a big *go me* and said that I needed to keep writing because she wanted to know what happens next. :)

I enjoy writing. It is what I now do for fun. I try to get better every time. My beta has been instrumental in that regard. I am very lucky to have her.

I actually wrote her a birthday fic the other day in her preferred fandom, Spangel which is Buffy 'verse Spike and Angel. It was pretty schmoopy and I surprised her because I'd never actually written that pairing before.

I think last week I was kind of schizophrenic since I posted f/f, the Spangel thing, the Dean/Sam things you shouldn't do with fruit thing and then a bunch of drabbles too.

Maybe I should pick one and stick with it. LOL

Thanks. I appreciate your kind words.

btw-to your point in your original entry, one of my friends posted something yesterday. When I commented she thanked me and said that I had picked up on all of the things she was trying to accomplish with the piece, but she said that when she sat down to write what came out of her fingers was NOT what she had planned. I think that goes to your point of doing rather than thinking about the doing. You may surprise yourself, and pleasantly.

I like you and I hope you don't mind the extra long comment from hell. :)

[jupiterrhode.livejournal.com]

Oh, no not all. The longer the better, as they say. Okay, they don't say it, but they should.

Anyway, when I'm writing I routinely find out that what I thought was going to happen isn't actually the way it's going down. My friend and I used to say it was more like we were telling it as it was happening, rather than making it happen.