Writing Woes and Musings

[imbecamiel]

"Writing is easy. All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead." - Gene Fowler

Heh. Indeed.

As I've been working on the longest thing I have ever written (yeah, not very long, really, but still), I've been thinking about some aspects of how I write, how I translate what's in my head into what's on the paper.

(Disclaimer: Today I've been watching three children under four years old, had a karate promotion test and a lesson back-to-back, run errands, and been packing things for the trip we're leaving on tomorrow. Not sure how much sense this'll make, but I'm gonna write it anyways. Read at your own risk. *g*)

When I think of a scene, I tend to have a quite vivid, detailed visual of it in my head. (Oddly, though, it's often as if someone's flipped the negative, where left and right are reversed, so for some things I have to deliberately stop and correct my mental image in order for things to make sense.) In theory, it sounds great - just describe what you see - and in some ways it is. But...

The trouble is, because I can see so clearly what's happening, often unless it's essential to the action I'll forget to do any describing at all, aside from the characters' actual interaction (their expressions, movements). Nada. Zilch. I'm constantly going back to try to add in more detail, bring things to life, give the scene some color. Obviously, I don't want to weigh the story down with a bunch of boring, unnecessary descriptions. But so often I realize that, though to me a scene is full of detail, as far as anyone reading is concerned, (aside from canon characters in fanfic) the people are just *insert random image of a man anywhere between 20 and 80, of any height, build, hair and eye color, etc.*. And the setting may as well be *insert stock outdoorsy image* or a uniform, white, windowless room... Yes, some of the time I do add in description as I go along, but often I have to deliberately stop and remind myself of it, or go back once I've finished a scene to add things in. In the end, I usually have no idea if my descriptions have ended up too detailed/complex/awkward, confusing the reader, or if I've managed to give them any kind of mental image at all of what's going on.

*sighs* Yes, the balance between giving enough to paint a picture, without boring the readers to death... Where to describe, and where to trust their imaginations to fill in?

Hmm, now I'm curious, though - how does it tend to work for you? Is what I go through pretty much your experience, or do you have a different way of working? I know Kelsi doesn't tend to have mental images of what she's writing, which is frankly a bit baffling to me, both since reading her writing tends to give me very clear pictures of what she describes, and because... well, it's kind of hard for me to figure out how that would work. *scratches head* Obviously it does, though...

Heh, also, maybe I'm the only one, but it seems that when I attempt to write stories, my brain just... freezes, on a lot of very common sense things. Commonplace expressions, turns of phrase that I could use effortlessly otherwise - nope. Suddenly I just... Can. Not. Remember. if it was this way, or that way. The most stupid, obvious things I'll be wracking my brain, trying to remember, "I've heard it phrased this way before... right?" Suddenly I become uncertain of things I've known as long as I can remember. And then I'll have trouble figuring out if a phrase I've used even makes sense, never mind whether it's the common way of putting it. I mean, yeah, I want to be original, not lean on cliches, but there are certain things where using a common expression/description is desirable.

Good grief, I'm an editor. And I think I have got a good memory and decent instincts when it comes to the written word. In anyone else's work, I could see it instantly. It often wouldn't even require a moment's effort to think about it, it would just be, "Nope, what you mean is this" or, "Hmm, that doesn't quite sound right/make sense - you should change ___ to ___" or "Huh, that's a neat, original way of putting it". But no, in my own writing... *stares blankly at computer screen before banging her head against the desk* Writing has a way of making me feel stupid, yes it does...

Alright, so enough whining, I'm goin' back to work, try to get some more writing done. I actually am making pretty good progress, things aren't so bleak as I might be making it sound. I'm just at one of those (frequent) points where I detest everything I've written. Heh, and at this point I'm so close to being done, I really have to make myself stop and think about things, make sure I'm including everything I need/want to, lest my eagerness to have it complete result in my either leaving important threads hanging, or forgetting to include elements that were half the reason behind the story in the first place. :P

Comments

[scarvenartist.livejournal.com]

There's an author who's blog I watch, who says she has much the same problem you're talking about.... She envisions scenes with such sensory details that she describes it as a kind of sensory explosion--seeing every knothole in a worn, weathered door, for instance. Yet, she forgets that just writing, "she came to the door" doesn't induce all of those sensory images...so she has to toil over it.

I guess the balance with description though comes somewhere with the realization that no matter how many words you use...the thing people see is probably still going to be different from how you describe it. Like you said, letting the imagination fill things in. It is weird...because for some books I read when I was little, I still have mental images that stage them in some place or house I know well, and really has nothing to do with the author's description. (Like, all of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary take place in my Grandma's house. O.o)

I know Kelsi doesn't tend to have mental images of what she's writing, which is frankly a bit baffling to me, both since reading her writing tends to give me very clear pictures of what she describes, and because... well, it's kind of hard for me to figure out how that would work. *scratches head*

*laughs* Yeah, half the time, I don't know how it works either.... I guess I shouldn't say that I have NO mental images whatsoever. When I envision scenes, I tend to have a very clear idea of the characters involved, what they look like, what expressions they're making, how they're moving. Somehow, this always translates really *blandly* onto page though, and I have to tell myself that I don't need to, you know, mention it every time this character blinks or inhales. Because literally, I see it down to that degree of minutia when I'm writing dialogue, and it all seems vital at the time. But I never know how much to tag that dialogue with. :P

Scenery and such...that's a whole 'nother story. I tend to have a vague, almost black and white impression of an unfurnished "set." I have no idea of what is "in" a room, until I start making up things to furnish it with, and even then, when I try to force the "action" on that stage, I have to keep mentally replacing the props. :P It's really maddening...often, I see myself repeating the same details in the story, as if I'm refixing that "there's a chair here," or a "desk there," when probably the intelligent reader is quite aware of that already, thankyouverymuch, you didn't have to tell me half a dozen times. :P Anyway, it's hard for me to read back over my writing and see anything more than words on the page, and I get no sense of "atmosphere" whatsoever, no matter how much I labor over creating it. Ugh.

Ahaha, and I, too, get mental freeze on very commonplace expressions. (Sometimes, not just in writing.... *headdesk*) Thank goodness for Abi, who generally clues me in before I make a fool of myself. :D What would one do without proofreader sisters?

But yaaay, despite all of these woes, you are making progress! *cheers* Very much looking forward to seeing more! :D

[imbecamiel.livejournal.com]

I guess that really is the thing to remember - no matter how detailed your description, each reader is going to have their own background, associations, experience, their own set of stock mental images, so to speak. In visualizing things, that's what they'll be drawing on, sometimes in spite of any description you might include (I know there've been times when, despite anything the author's said, I can't seem to help but visualize places/characters in a certain way, just because it somehow seems to me they "should" be that way). So it is just finding the balance - setting a general atmosphere, sketching a few details, and deciding at what point to just leave off and know the readers' imagination will fill in for you.

Hmm, so in some ways, I suppose, your visualization of scenes would resemble the Ian McKellen Macbeth, with the characters, their interaction and reaction, vivid, but the scenery and "props" almost nonexistent?

I think your visualization of the characters really does come across very strongly, though. Your dialogue especially has a very distinctive feel to it, and I can clearly see and hear the way they would say things. And, as I've said, I don't tend to have any trouble visualizing your scenes, either. He, so whatever you're doing, it does seem to work. ;D

LOL, the infuriating thing is, the whole freezing over common expressions is so not me, normally. (Actually, with her dyslexia and all, it's almost always Nef's territory, in both speech and writing - hence the usual automatic corrections of incorrect phrasing, normally not even requiring a moment's thought.) In speech, usually no problem, in more factual, non-creative-type writing, the same. But stories... *brain shorts out* :P

Heh heh, yep, progress is being made... Though I think I may wind up posting the next section tonight or tomorrow, as the part I'm working on is proving a bit tricky, and I want to take some time over it, since I really want it to come off properly. *sighs*

[scarvenartist.livejournal.com]

So it is just finding the balance - setting a general atmosphere, sketching a few details, and deciding at what point to just leave off and know the readers' imagination will fill in for you.

Yup, I really think so. And you know, now that you mention that, I almost think the creation of "atmosphere" is more important than the physical details, though of course, they'll coincide in a lot of ways.... Seems like I read something somewhere about making a conscious effort to describe settings using words that connote the mood of your characters, or the events taking place. (A really lame example would be talking about a "blood-red sunset" on the morning of a battle, I suppose.... Though a more apt use of imagery would really focus less on the adjectives, and more on the nouns and verbs. Ambrose Bierce is amazing at this. I'm really bad at it myself, so I feel a little stupid trying to explain it...though I do like writing essays on it. *laughs*)

Hmm, so in some ways, I suppose, your visualization of scenes would resemble the Ian McKellen Macbeth, with the characters, their interaction and reaction, vivid, but the scenery and "props" almost nonexistent?

Oo...that's actually very much the way it is. Particularly in the way that movie forces your eye to the characters, and to the very minutest movements in their facial muscles and in their eyes.... Yes, very much so. *nods*

*blushes* Well, I'm trusting you to tell me, as I often really can't tell myself... *g* Thanks so much, mellon-nin. *huggles*

LOL! Yeah, I begin to think I must be somewhat dyslexic too, particularly verbally.... (I am the person who said, a few weeks ago, that something had hit "bock rottom." :P) A lot of the time, I will catch myself after I've said something, just knowing that wasn't right, and then Abi will correct me. *g* In writing...pretty much the same, but I don't catch myself as often.

But yaaay, more story! I will definitely be looking forward to it! *bounces*

(Heh, and sorry for yet another massive comment...I just can't seem to be brief lately. *headdesk* The effects of wanting to actually talk to you, I guess. *huggles*)