I was a guest at Mizucon this past weekend in Miami Florida. I had a great time at a very well-run and well-attended show. This was the first show where I held a writing panel. This was a request of my hosts, and I warily obliged them. I have always tried to avoid panels like these because I rather do goofy fun panels than meat and potatoes sort of things.
It went extremely well, to the point that I am adding this 'Writing 101' panel to my programming arsenal for future shows. The one hour panel went three since there were no other events in the room. I felt strongly that the attendees really took something of use away with them.
One thing I shared at the panel was my advice on Writers Block. With all the writing articles, books, etc., I doubt I'm the first one whose thought of this method. Still, it really helps me, and it set off some oos and ahhs at the panel.
Sometimes I get in the 'zone' with a project, where words are flowing and pages are filling one after the other. I keep going until the energy is spent, and I get to a stopping point. Occasionally I find myself avoiding getting back to the project. I don't open the file. When I think of working on it I go play an online game instead. I get to where I can't force myself to work on it no matter how hard I try. Even if I have notes on where the story should go from there, I'm blocked. I don't want to write it anymore.
I've come to realize that when I reach points like this something went wrong with the last part I'd written. The characters were doing something wrong for their personalities, or the story was focusing on something that wasn't pertinent, or it just got corny or convoluted or inconsistent. That's why I'm blocked. I know in the back of my head something is wrong. I don't want to keep building on that fault line.
The way for me to get unblocked is to go back to the point last point where the words were flowing and delete the rest. I think about why that part is killing my momentum and get it back in the right direction. I consider the motivations of my characters, what their after, where they're supposed to lead the story, and make the adjustment.
I plan to post more about writing in the future. For now, I'm off to Anime LA. See you there!
3 comments:
That's a pretty good reminder. As a writer and reviewer in my own time.. that is so often the case.. still wouldn't mind seeing what you would continue to write regarding about writer's block..
I was at your panel at Mizucon for about an hour, then left to attend another event. Had we known you were still going strong, we'd have come back! Great tips also on simplification, getting published, and description, along with the writer's block. I haven't yet gotten into yaoi, but I'm intrigued. Thanks for the help.
That is some great advice, I wish I could have been at that panel.
One thing I do when I get stuck or when I find I don't like where the story is going: I write out a list of questions to myself, and then I write out the answers. The questions and answers improve the writing; it gives me the questions I want to pose to the reader (what is going to happen? Why is ___ doing this? etc) and the answer that will be reveled (what happens/results of events, character motivations, etc), which gives people a reason to keep reading.
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