New answers tagged process
3
Sometimes I promise myself a reward. "I can (indulge in XX) when I have written 300/500/1000 words."
Sometimes I make a to-do list first. Making a list is easy enough. 1. write 1000 words. 2. mundane other task. 3. mundane other task. 4. Plot out next chapter. 5. etc. (cross out items as they are done.)
Sometimes I do something writing-adjacent. Critique ...
7
Procrastination is as much as part of this job as creativity. We all do it. Writing isn't easy most of the time, and most of the time, I'd rather be washing my husband's underpants than writing a difficult scene.
But, when I don't write, I feel awful. It's a double-edged sword!
TOOLS
I use two tools to keep myself on track:
SCRIVENER
Not only is ...
2
Personally, I prefer to build characters, put them in the setting, and let the plot happen on its own. There are already some really good ideas about how to build plot, so I'll try to talk about character.
First, who is your character with reference to the rest of the story? You could call this motive - why do they do what they do? Does their motive make ...
3
As Galastel says (+1), your character needs to be involved and want something connected to the problem.
If the empire has become an engine of conquest, perhaps your character is in danger of being conquered, or in the process of being conquered, or has been conquered, and their resources stolen. But you should write this as personal: The character may be a ...
4
You have a world with a Problem. That's your setting. Why does the Problem matter to the character? How does it affect him? Your character must interact with the Problem - that's what the story is. It follows that the more intimately the character is familiar with the Problem, the more he is affected by it - the more of a stake he would have in the story, ...
5
It's OK to start with characters who are not yet fully fleshed out, because characters tend to develop as you write. one thing to keep in mind is that your characters should have goals at the outset (your emperor already does.). They should take actions toward those goals (sounds like your emperor will), and they should encounter antagonizing forces that ...
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