Writing discussion (looking for advice)
Apr. 20th, 2016 08:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_rckHm. Now that I’m starting to write down what I’m stuck on in terms of various WIP, a lot of it comes down to me needing to figure out world building, plot direction, likely lines of character development, and/or combat choreography. So, basically, it’s a problem with me being a pantser and hitting points where that just won’t work. I do my best writing when I have two or three characters in a confined space and talking with each other or otherwise interacting. I almost never do prolonged scenes with more than three actively involved characters.
These are only a few of my stalled WIP. I’ve mostly been writing about them because my brain is kind of mush due to recent anxiety issues.
Rheotaxis (Weiss Kreuz): I’ve been stuck on this one for a couple of years. The next chapter takes Nagi, one of the main characters (more antagonist than protagonist), to a new to the reader place and leaves behind all of the other characters. I want the character to interact with people he’s not used to and— if I can pull it off— to think a bit about how he treats other people and what it means. Ideally, I would like to to do that while showing the place he’s visiting as complex and multi-cultural and, most of all, solid. The Taisken have been in the background, but I don’t think they’ve been very real so far, the High Lord aside. I’ve written two fragments of Nagi interacting with different people, but neither goes anywhere or makes Nagi think outside of his habits. The end of the story hinges on Nagi starting to grow up. On a bunch of other things, too, but Nagi’s the character who has to change for it all to work.
Kenshin AU: This has been snagged on a logistical problem for years. I can write the Megumi POV sections and the AU backstory for Sanosuke and Kenshin and Aoshi. I just can’t manage to get Kaoru and Yahiko and Misao to where I need them to be. I can’t quite justify them being alive given how the backstory is set up, and I need them to be alive in order for the larger story to work. I think that Kaoru could and would decide to take the actions necessary to keep them alive. I’m just not sure how she could actually pull them off. Also, she needs a real sword for it to work, and I can’t for the life of me figure out how to get her one during the battle at the Aoiya. I’m also truly terrible at choreographing and writing combat, and this story, being a Rurouni Kenshin epic, requires some well executed fight scenes. There’s also a problem that I’ve been dancing around in terms of writing something convincing to explain where Kenshin is when the story begins because it’s a long way from where he used to be. I think I’ve set up the situation properly, but I need to show it so that readers will buy it. Part of me wants to throw out the stuff with Kaoru, Yahiko, Misao and all and just stick with the part I know I can write. I think the story would be a lot weaker and a lot more depressing if I do that.
Torsion: This has reached the point where it needs actual plot as opposed to character interactions, and I really have no idea where to go with it. I’m not sure that dark!Kritiker actually works within the larger canonical world, and I’m faltering at the idea of trying to pull on the rest of canon to build something that does work. Why would Persia who heads a dark!Kritiker not have murdered his brother already? If Kritiker is nasty, are the rest of the Takatoris still terrible people? I’ve implied that they are. The setting may collapse under the sheer weight of awfulness. Maybe this should mean making Estet into good guys? I’m not sure I can do that. Maybe I should just ignore Estet and not bring them into things at all? Basically, when I expand to a larger world, the setting starts falling to pieces.
Apotheosis: This needs to parallel Kapital with some, mostly behind the scenes, alterations to fit with the magical elements I’ve introduced— immortal mages and sort-of-gods who can only be killed by particular people (with both the Estet elders and the entire Takatori family being 'gods'). I’m not sure how to make that interesting. I’m also not sure how to finesse things so that Ouka survives (I think it has to happen in such a way that 90% of the characters still think she’s dead because anything else changes events too much. I really have no ideas), and I suspect that she needs to. Omi might forgive Ouka dying or what Crawford (and Schuldig) has done to Yohji, but I don’t see him forgiving both. This may need to sit on the back burner for a very long time.
Dark and Deep: I have two specific sequences in mind for this going forward, but neither take it to any sort of ending. Part of the problem is figuring out who the Pevensies would turn into as Jadis’ proteges. What would each of them be interested in? Good at? Peter’s on a different path from the rest; I’m definite about where he’s going. I just don’t want the story to be only about Peter. Plus, a lot of what happens to him is going to be happening in a way that Jadis sets up but can’t observe. I’m firmly in her POV and would like to stay there.
Zombie Apocalypse aka Deep in Memory (Weiss Kreuz): This needs some jungle combat scenes with guns against more or less invulnerable monsters that can be knocked back by bullets but not otherwise harmed. The monsters are, fortunately, not very fast or very bright. I don’t know diddly about guns, and I loathe writing combat, but I don’t see how to avoid it here.
I’m definitely looking for advice, brainstorming help, and discussion on all of these.
These are only a few of my stalled WIP. I’ve mostly been writing about them because my brain is kind of mush due to recent anxiety issues.
Rheotaxis (Weiss Kreuz): I’ve been stuck on this one for a couple of years. The next chapter takes Nagi, one of the main characters (more antagonist than protagonist), to a new to the reader place and leaves behind all of the other characters. I want the character to interact with people he’s not used to and— if I can pull it off— to think a bit about how he treats other people and what it means. Ideally, I would like to to do that while showing the place he’s visiting as complex and multi-cultural and, most of all, solid. The Taisken have been in the background, but I don’t think they’ve been very real so far, the High Lord aside. I’ve written two fragments of Nagi interacting with different people, but neither goes anywhere or makes Nagi think outside of his habits. The end of the story hinges on Nagi starting to grow up. On a bunch of other things, too, but Nagi’s the character who has to change for it all to work.
Kenshin AU: This has been snagged on a logistical problem for years. I can write the Megumi POV sections and the AU backstory for Sanosuke and Kenshin and Aoshi. I just can’t manage to get Kaoru and Yahiko and Misao to where I need them to be. I can’t quite justify them being alive given how the backstory is set up, and I need them to be alive in order for the larger story to work. I think that Kaoru could and would decide to take the actions necessary to keep them alive. I’m just not sure how she could actually pull them off. Also, she needs a real sword for it to work, and I can’t for the life of me figure out how to get her one during the battle at the Aoiya. I’m also truly terrible at choreographing and writing combat, and this story, being a Rurouni Kenshin epic, requires some well executed fight scenes. There’s also a problem that I’ve been dancing around in terms of writing something convincing to explain where Kenshin is when the story begins because it’s a long way from where he used to be. I think I’ve set up the situation properly, but I need to show it so that readers will buy it. Part of me wants to throw out the stuff with Kaoru, Yahiko, Misao and all and just stick with the part I know I can write. I think the story would be a lot weaker and a lot more depressing if I do that.
Torsion: This has reached the point where it needs actual plot as opposed to character interactions, and I really have no idea where to go with it. I’m not sure that dark!Kritiker actually works within the larger canonical world, and I’m faltering at the idea of trying to pull on the rest of canon to build something that does work. Why would Persia who heads a dark!Kritiker not have murdered his brother already? If Kritiker is nasty, are the rest of the Takatoris still terrible people? I’ve implied that they are. The setting may collapse under the sheer weight of awfulness. Maybe this should mean making Estet into good guys? I’m not sure I can do that. Maybe I should just ignore Estet and not bring them into things at all? Basically, when I expand to a larger world, the setting starts falling to pieces.
Apotheosis: This needs to parallel Kapital with some, mostly behind the scenes, alterations to fit with the magical elements I’ve introduced— immortal mages and sort-of-gods who can only be killed by particular people (with both the Estet elders and the entire Takatori family being 'gods'). I’m not sure how to make that interesting. I’m also not sure how to finesse things so that Ouka survives (I think it has to happen in such a way that 90% of the characters still think she’s dead because anything else changes events too much. I really have no ideas), and I suspect that she needs to. Omi might forgive Ouka dying or what Crawford (and Schuldig) has done to Yohji, but I don’t see him forgiving both. This may need to sit on the back burner for a very long time.
Dark and Deep: I have two specific sequences in mind for this going forward, but neither take it to any sort of ending. Part of the problem is figuring out who the Pevensies would turn into as Jadis’ proteges. What would each of them be interested in? Good at? Peter’s on a different path from the rest; I’m definite about where he’s going. I just don’t want the story to be only about Peter. Plus, a lot of what happens to him is going to be happening in a way that Jadis sets up but can’t observe. I’m firmly in her POV and would like to stay there.
Zombie Apocalypse aka Deep in Memory (Weiss Kreuz): This needs some jungle combat scenes with guns against more or less invulnerable monsters that can be knocked back by bullets but not otherwise harmed. The monsters are, fortunately, not very fast or very bright. I don’t know diddly about guns, and I loathe writing combat, but I don’t see how to avoid it here.
I’m definitely looking for advice, brainstorming help, and discussion on all of these.
