Advice needed: Do you ever map out/edit via conversation (ie use someone as a sounding board)? [drusillas

Or the ongoing saga of a story I'm determined to get published.

It's been two weeks since my critique group gave me a ton of feedback on an original short story and every day I plan on revising it so that I can send it out (I've already got an anthology that it fits to send it to first, along with some potential mags). Of course, since I'm writing on lj, I haven't done more than remap the arc and waffle.

tripperfunster gave me the idea to talk to some of the ppl in my group on what to do now, and that was helpful in terms of deciding how to make sure it feels like a short story vs the first chapter of a novel. The rest though has been along the lines of "don't listen to person x, y or z" and "ultimately you decide what to do". The don't listen to person x/y/z I already figured out on my own. It's the second piece of advice that's kind of making me want to tear my hair out.

There are multiple directions I could go in with this story, from changing or removing certain characters, strengthening one element vs another, etc, and being the on-the-fence kind of person, I'm having a really hard time making the kind of decisions I need to make. I think I need to talk it out with someone, but I have no idea how to go about doing that.

Any suggestions for what you do/how you do this?

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You could email me the story, give me a day or so to read it and then call me.

Just sayin'.

Stasia

ETA: or do the above with someone else, but, yes, this is how I do my best plotting and I'm really lost without it.

Edited Date: 2011-01-21 06:30 pm (UTC)

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My advice would be to learn to make these difficult decisions independently. Writing is all about making decisions; you're not exactly unique in struggling with directions in which the story could go -- I think anyone who's essentially creating something-from-nothing faces this particular challenge. Stories can feel like many-tentacled creatures, and a large part of the writer's job is to arrange those tentacles just so. If you're relying on other people's advice or judgement to get it done, you're fobbing off some of the most important work on someone else, IMO. [/$0.02]

Someone who didn't want to leave a public comment made a good point about the ability to think in your head vs outloud. I'm definitely the latter - I'm great at committee work and collaborations, because half the time I don't know what I'm thinking until it comes out of my mouth. I envy people, like my DH, who can gather all their thoughts together first. So, it's not a fobbing off decisions on someone else, it's more of a can I really ask someone to listen to me while I talk out loud kind of thing.

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One thing that really helps me with decision-making is understanding that I am in full control of the stories that I write, because I am the creator of the world and thus I make and break all the rules. But that can be a difficult switch to flip.

I think that's the difference - I've always felt like I'm transcribing a story I'm witnessing (in a world in my head) and that I have to get it right/accurate.

It's still a world in your head. It doesn't exist independently of your head. :P

Wait, isn't there a S King story about that? And omg, there's a whole world that doesn't exist in my head???? ;p

The first thing is to find the person who gets your writing the best. I am super lucky in that slightlyjillian almost always knows what I value and what I want to do with a relationship or plot point. I use her a LOT when I'm working out things that need revision or when I don't know where to go with something. She and I don't write alike, though we have a lot of reading taste in common. So it doesn't have to be someone who writes what you write, necessarily. I am incredibly jealous that you have a critique group, btw. I miss my old group, but they scattered a couple of years after college. :-(

When I did online brainstorming with a group, I used a lot of Socratic method to get authors thinking about the direction of their stories - it wasn't a lot of direct suggestion (which I got a lot in my RL crit group, at one time, and it drove me crazy), more like asking pointed questions and then letting them work to grasp their answers.

I really enjoy brainstorming by Q&A, so if you ever want to ping me feel free.

Hmmm... Well, for me, I try first to figure out what the main point is of what I'm writing. Am I trying to demonstrate the growth of a character through a series of events, or show that some facet of life/the universe/everything is a certain way? Is the story about a relationship, or the lack of one? Where do you want to be at the end of it - in a happy place, a sad one, a thoughtful one?

I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I am, first and foremost, a writer of romance. There might be action and adventure and peril or mystery involved, but I am happiest when what is developing is a relationship between two people. Or breaking them up, as the case may be. ;) So I start from the point of where do I want the characters to be at the end, and then work toward it.

I don't know if that's at all helpful to you, but I'm sure willing to be a sounding board if you need one. McKay and I do that for each other all the time, so feel free to ping me if you want! :D

drusillas_rain

Advice needed: Do you ever map out/edit via conversation (ie use someone as a sounding board)?

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