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Posted By: Travis Feb 08, 2002 - 01:45 pm

Hi! I have done a little writing on and off since high school and I am once again becoming interested. I was thinking of doing somehting in the realm of Fantasy (always did basically Science Fiction before) but I don't want anything cliched.

Anyway, my real question is this: I already have a few characters in mind (and even a bit of their world) and have fleshed them out a bit and I have even thought of a few scenes, however I have no real overarching plot at this point into which to work my characters or scenes. So, that in mind, is it better to try and determine what the main plot will be at this point or should I just sit down and start typing and manipulating my characters and see where it leads?

Any help will be... helpful.

Thanks!

Travis

Posted By: mobadious Feb 08, 2002 - 04:17 pm

Long answer: Depends on what type of person you are. For example, I could never do that, because I know I'd paint myself into a corner while writing, and I hate deux ex machina to get out of it, so I'd be inclined to create the word first. But if you've got the inspiration flowing, write now if you'd like, you wouldn't want to create a world and then get writer's block before you've written a line of story!!

Short answer: It's up to you.

Posted By: Eleica Feb 08, 2002 - 08:00 pm

Never hurts to try.

Posted By: gimbo Feb 09, 2002 - 05:24 am

if you have written before - what worked for you then? fantasy isn't so different from other forms of writing that you need to change the way that you write...

Posted By: Travis Feb 09, 2002 - 12:55 pm

Thanks freinds. In the past I have simply taken an idea and gone with it. I plan out some before hand but not always too much. I am still thinking on it though so I don't think I will begin quite yet.

Also, tell me, is it unknown that if you have some scenes in mind to go ahead and write them first? Or should I write it in a linear fashion? In the past I have done both. Just curious what others think.

Thanks again!

Posted By: Eleica Feb 09, 2002 - 08:40 pm

If a scene comes to me, I write it down. By the time I actually get to that scene, I may have forgotten it!

Posted By: Travis Feb 10, 2002 - 12:06 pm

Yeah, me too. I carry a little notepad. Although by the time I actually make the bridge to the scenes I have created they often change. The general scene stays the same of course, but some of the circumstances may change a bit. Know what I mean?

Posted By: Eleica Feb 10, 2002 - 08:07 pm

Exactly. Done it a million times. But at least you have a general idea! With a little tweaking, you can usually keep the parts you really liked about the scene.

Posted By: Kosai Nov 15, 2003 - 09:58 pm

Whenever a scene comes to you, write it down, as others have already pointed out. This helps because ultimately, you can make a sort of story line. If you don't want to create the whole world first and every character, and then get writers block, just work out the start, the end, and work out what the characters journey is (whether emotional, or physical). One of the most important things is to work out WHO you are writing for, if you haven't done that already. Once you have a skeleton of your story, it gets much easier to fill in all of the flesh. Have fun with it.