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Monday, September 12, 2016

Get To Work

I've been dithering around, trying to decide how to set up the beginning of my WIP. Unable to come to any sort of conclusion as to what would work I posted a question to my friends at Compuserve. Of course I got lots of great advice back. Most of it was along the lines of "Well, you won't know until you write it." 

Diana Gabaldon said: "I need to see what it looks like in print before I know how it'll work.


    (And as I told my son--then aged 15, and an aspiring writer--"First you work. Then the magic happens.")   There's only so much you can plan or decide or work out ahead of time; most of what happens lies in the work. 

Not an hour later I saw this: "Inspiration generally comes during work, not before it"--Madeleine L’Engle

I think the universe is trying to tell me to Get To Work. 


I had been trying to get the magic before rolling up my sleeves and working. Before proving I was worthy of the magic, but it just doesn't happen like that. We all get those flashes of inspiration that drive us to the computer unaware of our surroundings.  But that's usually all it is, a flash, a glimpse, the rest of it comes as we furiously type. So now I'm back at work. Trying and rearranging and rewriting my beginning.




What do you think? Have you found that magic is mostly in the writing? 






22 comments:

  1. Definitely. You might have an idea of how you want things to go, but when you get things moving and your characters acting, they can turn out very different in ways you can never foresee. I wish you every bit of luck with your WIP!

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  2. Agree with Nick. Starting a WIP is always hard. At least for me.

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    1. Very hard, which is why I usually leave the beginning for after I've written the end.

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  3. You've got to get words to see anything good...or bad. I'm a punster, so I know starting is the battle. All else comes later. Good Luck!

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    1. Yes, starting is the battle. Sometimes I get so nervous about it I invent things to dither over.

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  4. Agree with above comments. Have to put words down first.

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  5. I think we're in the same spot right now. Sigh.

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  6. Always. That's why I plot loosely and jump in, the plot deeper after I know more about the characters and their lives.

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    1. I don't really plot, which is why second draft I have to do all sorts of serious thinking about structure and through lines and such.

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    2. I used to do that too--but I've found with deadlines I really do have to do some planning.

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    3. Since I still set my own deadlines it hasn't been a problem but I'll keep it in mind for the future.

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  7. Diana!!!!!! My favorite author EVER.........

    I'm still trying to find the magic again. Breathe. Sigh. <3

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  8. Yeah, I do. No matter how much research, and character analyses, and plot twists I conceived of before I started writing, it wasn't until I got started that magic started to happen. I never used to believe it when other writers said their characters had "taken control" of a story, but NOW I'm a believer. Sheer magic.

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    1. Yes, I know those types of characters. I also know the kind that cross their arms and say, I'm not giving you anything, go ahead and try to write me.

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  9. Yes, we have to plot and and set out story outlines, yet some characters take off on their own way!

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  10. Usually if I can't find anything else, I try to find a question to answer. Either on a craft page or on the Forum or a blog, something that someone has asked somewhere about what a character might want in a certain situation. A small prompt tends to go a long way...

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  11. Yes! This is so true. I've been working on new story since last month and by new story I mean I had NOTHING until I started it. The story started with an idea, a topic and while I was doing research the story began to unfold. It's been a crazy journey but it only reveals details when I'm in the middle of working. Best of luck with your WIP!

    ~ Jen

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  12. I find that beginnings of stories often get re-written during revisions. So my advice would be to just write what you want to write and you can go back to fix stuff later on. Good luck!

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