I got a story on my computer writing itself. It started as a title, an idea forming into a sketchy plot. Once the characters arrived, they jokeyed for screen time and we off and running and I tagged along to report what they did.
Couple of characters woke me up this morning at three o'clock and I realized I'd better get this down before I forgot the scene they were playing out. The cats came into my home office to see what the hell I was doing at that time of the morning and I had to stop and give each treats or they'll lie across my keyboard.
The older I get the more I learn about writing. All of us write differently. My style has changed, evolved, and it doesn't always flow but when it does, I hustle to keep up. The characters often take the story in another direction, ducking into dark alleys on occasion, doing nice things I wouldn't do because I'm not that nice before they stop and the story's over.
Obviously, the bulk of the work involves getting from the opening to the ending. What steps are necessary?
As for inspirations, I have photos of my main characters on my computer. I get them from websites (almost all are face shots) and looking at those faces inspires me when I write.
Since we work together here at Big Kiss Productions, I come up with the cover of most of our books and layout the cover of my books before I start writing the novel like my newest novel GOLDEN DANDELIONS. I've come up with the cover of the next Lucien Caye private eye novel (second draft finished) and the next novel in line, a LaStanza crime novel. Looking at the cover inspires me while I work on the book.
The strange things we do in the creative process.
That's all for now,
www.oneildenoux.com
I wake up and lie there, listening to my characters talk... Sometimes they lead me down a new plot path, and sometimes they're just BSing around. We all have our ways...
ReplyDeleteI start with the title, which is usually from a country song, & then I name the major characters. I run the names through the anagram server at wordsmith.org & then I figure out what they look like, where they're from, etc.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mention your style has changed over the years. I started as a pantser, excited to see what would happen next, and have evolved to a modest planner - almost always, the ending comes first to me now. Like you, often in the middle of the night, (humorous sigh...) Melodie
ReplyDeleteUsually titles come easily, sometimes frustratingly more than one at a time. Only once have I started with a title, Nobody Loves a Woman Cop, and the editor has asked if he might change it. Fine with me.
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated by the picture line-up technique. For large projects, I fill out bios, psych profiles, and even pick an astrological slot, not because I believe in the zodiac but because I can imbue characters with the supposed traits associated with a particular symbol. But a picture… that's brilliant.