Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
THE BIONIC PROJECT
Welcome to The Bionic Project. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
It's Really Hard!
Topic Started: May 30 2009, 03:49 PM (1,463 Views)
bionic4ever
Member Avatar
I TALK TOO MUCH! LOL!
[ * ]
But it's hard to sustain my own interest - much less the readers' - without any angst or conflict. Unless, of course, you're talking about an 'M' story.....
* * * * *

Posted ImagePosted ImagePosted ImagePosted ImagePosted ImagePosted ImagePosted Image

* * * * *
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
bionic4ever
Member Avatar
I TALK TOO MUCH! LOL!
[ * ]
bionic4ever
May 30 2009, 03:49 PM
What are some of your toughest challenges when writing?


Bump!
* * * * *

Posted ImagePosted ImagePosted ImagePosted ImagePosted ImagePosted ImagePosted Image

* * * * *
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Bionika
Member Avatar
International Goodwill Ambassador
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
For me, the first main challenge is to haven't two stories one after the other with the same plot or the same main characters.

I explain a little with this little boards of the stories I have already posted
POSTING
ORDER TITLE MAIN CHARACTERS MAIN "TOPIC" TYPE
1 Eventful Christmas Holidays Oscar /Jaime/Steve/Rudy Kidnapping 4th season
2 For peace Oscar/Russ/Peggy Terrorism 4th season
3 A parrallele way to "kill Oscar 3" Oscar/Peggy Water My view of episodes
4 Deadly runnings Oscar/Jaime/Russ Jaime's retired life/Car crash My view of episodes
5 "Beyond the call" : from 45th minute to 47th minute…and after Oscar/Jaime Water My view of episodes
6 Rats, vacations and formulas Oscar/Steve Disease 4th season
7 World is a dangerous place Russ/Peggy Rebels'attack 4th season
8 Who is the target? Oscar/Jaime/Peggy Ultrasounds 4th season

As I have already a French draft of the stories (and this board done for all of them), I then chose the order in which I will post them. For instance as "A parrallele way to kill Oscar 3" and "Beyond the call" : from 45th minute to 47th minute…and after have the same plot (Peggy/Oscar or Jaime/Oscar which nearly are drowning) I decided to post another story between in which Oscar may die but not due to water). I have two another ones (from type "other" ) in which some characters may drawn and I will post them later with other stories between.

I try to do the same with characters...but as I'm very found of Oscar 3weazh , I realize that he appears in nearly each story but I try to alternate the other one. For instance , the next story in my fouth season will involve mainly Russ so I decided to post "who is the target?" between even of then you will have to wait more for reading the sequel of "who is the target".
And the next story I will post (soon) will be in "other" type and I had chosen it because it involves mainly Oscar and because it's a short one and I had to make a break after the very long "World is a dangerous place (even if it wasn't half of the numbers of words required for NaNowiMo) because my second main challenge is the translation of the stories.

Bionika
Edited by Bionika, May 1 2014, 03:29 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Bionika
Member Avatar
International Goodwill Ambassador
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Sorry, the board's layout (copied from an excel document and rework) was better than the result I have above. I hope you will understand my meaning despite this bad presentation.

Bionika
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
down30
Member Avatar
Assistant to Mr Goldman
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
My biggest challenge is finding enough time to rub together to get the muse and writing flowing together!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Inanna
Member Avatar
Bionic Ultra-Agent
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I think the hardest thing for me right now is to keep writing, to finish a story I started. It seems like there's always a point ( or several) where a little voice in my head does a real good job of convincing me that what I'm writing is pretty much complete garbage and I'm always having to fight with it to get a little more of the story written down. When it wins, I procrastinate and then end up getting too tired by the end of the night to write anything. I feel like I win when I get a little bit more written down, even if it's only a sentence before going to sleep. I'm wondering if anyone else has this feeling of inadequacy that gnaws at them?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Bionika
Member Avatar
International Goodwill Ambassador
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Inanna
Apr 30 2014, 01:24 AM
I'm wondering if anyone else has this feeling of inadequacy that gnaws at them?
Oh yes, it happens to me too.

I should say that I have two drafts in category "my view of episodes" which I'm not very pround of and I don't know if I will translate and post them (perhaps my last two stories...). When I made the draft, I had no doubts but then, when I read it again, I thought that they were bringing nothing intersting.

It happens to me also in some passages in the stories when the draft is realy a draft : some ideas and nothing really constructed around. Then it's difficult to write.
I'm a little afraid because one story in my season four is completely like that (it's the sequel of "who is the target?"). So instead of writing it directly after "who is the target", I postoned it, chosing first to translate another little story (Help me!) and then a longer one belonging to my season 4 (now in progress)...and may be I'll carry to postpone it by translating another story not dealing with my season 4...Fortunately, I had given myself a kind of deadline, promising a sequel to the readers, so one day, I should began to work seriously on it!

Bionika
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Bionika
Member Avatar
International Goodwill Ambassador
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I've got also a draft which I really don't know if I will transform it in a story one day.
I've got only the beginning: O.S.I's leaders are attacked at the same time both at Washington and Los Angeles in order to steal a confidential code for a weapon...but then nothing; it let nowhere; moreover the depiction of the results of the attack are tasteless, dark...I'm not very proud of it.

So, either I'll trust my muse and hope that she will be better and more imaginative in English than in French: I'll translate the beginning and then the writting of next chpaters will come easily...or I'll post the beginning in LBL's part and then let other writers leading the story.

Bionika
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Inanna
Member Avatar
Bionic Ultra-Agent
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I don't necessarily mind a story getting dark if it serves some purpose in continuing the story, like serving an insight on a character's mind set or to provide background on why a character may act or react to a situation later in the story. It's been very rare for me to come across something that has been written in a completely gratituous fashion, or at least think that it was. Though I have to admit going to dark places writing wise can be difficult for me because it's not something that I want to dwell on or try to understand a lot of the time, but if a writer can make a reader understand that darkness that the character or characters have then the writer succeeds in making those characters multidimensional. Eh, hope that makes sense.

David Foster White said something that I think comes very close to describing my doubts about my writing. I really do want my stories to be rather shiny, perfect and very much along the lines of the great scenes/story that I image in my head. He said "You know, the whole thing about perfectionism. The perfectionism is very dangerous. Because of course if your fidelity to perfectionism is too high, you never do anything. Because doing anything results in...it's actually kind of tragic because you sacrifice how gorgeous and perfect it is in your head for what it really is. And there were a couple of years where I really struggled with that.” And I would have to say I'm struggling with letting go off that perfectionism too and just letting the story be as it is, but it's been difficult. I think if it wasn't so difficult, I wouldn't procrastinate during the day and leaving my writing to do as the last thing before going to sleep. On the positive side, I am actually writing something most nights, but I'd to be able to get to the point of writing during the day when I have time also instead of procrastinating. Speaking of writing, better go do some now before I nod off... :)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Bionika
Member Avatar
International Goodwill Ambassador
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Waiting for reading your story.

Bionika
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
bionic4ever
Member Avatar
I TALK TOO MUCH! LOL!
[ * ]
Inanna
Apr 30 2014, 01:24 AM
I think the hardest thing for me right now is to keep writing, to finish a story I started. It seems like there's always a point ( or several) where a little voice in my head does a real good job of convincing me that what I'm writing is pretty much complete garbage and I'm always having to fight with it to get a little more of the story written down. When it wins, I procrastinate and then end up getting too tired by the end of the night to write anything. I feel like I win when I get a little bit more written down, even if it's only a sentence before going to sleep. I'm wondering if anyone else has this feeling of inadequacy that gnaws at them?


Absolutely! But you're on the right track with at least trying for that single sentence. You may find that it turns into a paragraph - and that paragraph could very well be the one that re-ignites your 'spark' for the story!
* * * * *

Posted ImagePosted ImagePosted ImagePosted ImagePosted ImagePosted ImagePosted Image

* * * * *
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Bionika
Member Avatar
International Goodwill Ambassador
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Tonight, I worked half an hour for writing 5 sentences (which weren't in the French draft)...And it's so frustating, because I would like to have written a complete page! (Or at least more than some sentences!)

Bionika
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Inanna
Member Avatar
Bionic Ultra-Agent
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
There was another quote that I had read about writer's block that says be the tortoise not the hare when it comes to writing, slow and steady gets the job done and not trying to crank stuff out. I kind of buy that, but I also believe writing is a skill that gets perfected the more it's used. I mean , I can see, say, Stephen King "cranking out" a novel, but that's because he's a prolific writer and probably has more experience at working/writing around problems than a writer that is not nearly as prolific as he is. But even he had to start some place. I highly doubt when he first started that he was writing anything near the speed he writes now.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that for me, I have to have a commitment to my writing. I can't write only when I'm in the mood, because then I procrastinate and the writing never happens. I've discovered that if I write every night, even if it's a sentence, I can usually look back in a month's time and have 10, 20, 30 pages written down in my notebook ( yeah, I like to old school it and handwrite stories before typing them up :) ) instead of waiting for the mood and cranking it out and if I'm lucky I'll have 6 to 8 pages in the same time period. So, I'm guessing slow isn't too bad as long as the steady goes with it. After all, it's better than a blank page.

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Bionika
Member Avatar
International Goodwill Ambassador
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Inanna
May 9 2014, 01:49 AM
After all, it's better than a blank page.

I agree with you.
Even if it's only one sentence, one paragraph or one page; at least it's better than nothing.

wrugx I'm happy today: my muse was there this evening and I translated/writed half of a page. (Still/only six and a half page to work on!).

Bionika
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
PineappleAngel
Member Avatar
Bionic Ultra-Agent
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Hmm... biggest challenges

1. Not writing a story with some sort of "whump" in it....
- for some this may not seem like a big problem, but I simply can not write a story that does not have SOME sort of emotional or physical "Whump" (aka hurt/comfort or injury to characters..) It's just how I write!! With this would be not writing stories with angst.

2. Ships.
-It's really hard to be original, not too sappy, and please everyone with your ships stories. As a fan, you ship what you ship.. and that may not be what others ship! In a fandom there are usually some basic staple ones that the fans either LOVE or HATE!! (such as Steve/Jaime and Oscar/Jaime). Also, there are things to deal with like Slash, OTPs, and ships with made-up characters.. It's nearly certain that whatever ship you write, SOMEONE will not ship them, and SOMEONE won't be happy.. ALSO, there's the problem of how far to go with them.... (do you leave it as a very subtle K, or add in some hugs and kisses and make it a T, and how far do you go with those things...)

3. Cannon.
-Sometimes (especially in a fandom like this where there are multiple shows to follow) it is REALLY hard to write Cannon when you want to. It's hard to keep the level of detail correct throughout your story.. even with little things such as: How would one character address another one? How would this character react to so-and-so doing blank to another so-and-so? Also, sometimes it's tough to make the decision to NOT write Cannon, and make it slightly A/U, cause there bound to be readers who are just dying for the chance to correct you on all the continuity errors you have in your story.. :/

4. Research.
-it is said that a writer should "write about what they know", however I, and many of us writers, don't really follow this. It's extremely difficult to keep up a certain level of perfection on the details of your story, pertaining to a different time, place, or culture. For example: If you are writing a cannon SMDM story set in the 70's Steve should not answer a cell phone, or things like a "selfie" should not be mentioned. OR, on a more descriptive level, I am currently writing a piece set in A field hospital and the Western Front Trenches of WWI. I have had to do hours and HOURS of research on even the smallest details like "what would the soldiers be eating" and "what colors were the uniforms" and everything like that... Some writers say that it is better to write without research, but I politely disagree. I am a bit OCD about my writing, and to me, it has to be immaculate.. so yeah, research is a big time gobbler... :/

5. THE IDEAS RUNNETH OVER!!
-This shouldn't seem like a problem but sometimes it is.. sometimes, you can have just too many ideas!! You've just decided a full length story you want to write, and you've settled your research and you're sitting down to type.. and then you go and take a break and watch the newest episode of that show and WOOPS, all of the sudden, you have another FANTASTIC idea that's even better than the previous one!! Do you continue with the old, partially written story? OR, do you try and start the new one??? And then what happens when you get another new idea??? (sometimes I can get 5+ stories going at once, all for different shows, and some of them crossovers..NOT FUN!!)

Well... I'm sure there are many more, but this post is getting too long, so I'll just sum it up with everyone's biggest problem:
6. WRITER'S BLOCK!!!
This needs no explanation....well, it probably does, but I can't think of anything fantastic to write...so... I guess I'm done!! ;) see what I did there???? ;)
Sitting in front of the TV, watching an old rerun of The Big Valley, eating a Heath bar, while wearing a pair of sturdy Lee Jeans, a NASA baseball cap, and a "Colt's" hoodie; all while a paperback copy of "Cyborg" lays nearby...ah...the perfect image of a true fangirl of the great Lee Majors....
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · The Writers' Room · Next Topic »
Add Reply

Play Trivia and Quizzes at FunTrivia.com

Skin Created by Xarina of Rapture & Zathyus Networks Resources.
This theme is best viewed in firefox.