Reinspiration

[slyc_willie]

Many months back, I had the idea of writing an erotic fantasy, sort of like a modern (and mature) take on the basic elements of Peter Pan and other such fare. Really, it didn't take much to see where an "of-age" Peter and Wendy would get it on.

So I started writing it, and got to about the 50k word mark before school and family and other things took my attention away from it. For the last several months, it's been languishing on my hard drive.

The other night, however, my wife and I watched the movie Stardust on SyFy and *poof!* the story popped back into my head.

Gotta love it when that happens. I hate starting something that I really have an interest in, only to wind up unable to finish it. Nice to know I can be occasionally reinspired.

 

[Hypoxia]

My ex-sis-in-law is now a fairly prominent author, NYT-listed, etc. We corresponded extensively in our younger days. We commonly asked, "Read a good book lately?" That morphed into her asking, "Finished a good book lately?" and my replying, "Sure. Finished WRITING a good book lately?"

Starting is so much easier than finishing. At least one contributor here recommends starting with the ending and working backwards. For cheap derivative fun, run the whole time-track of the narrative backwards from the end. Sure, it's been done, but why not do it again?

 

[slyc_willie]

My ex-sis-in-law is now a fairly prominent author, NYT-listed, etc. We used to correspond extensively. We used to always ask, "Read a good book lately?" That morphed into her asking, "Finished a good book lately?" and my replying, "Sure. Finished WRITING a good book lately?"

Starting is so much easier than finishing. At least one contributor here recommends starting with the ending and working backwards. For cheap derivative fun, run the whole time-track of the narrative backwards from the end. Sure, it's been done, but why not do it again?

Regardless of where you start, you still have to finish it.

But, I can't start at the end. At the same time, however, I have a hard time writing a story if I don't already know what the ending is. I guess I'm funny that way. I sure can't be the only one.

 

[sr71plt]

Now all you have to do is to find where you put the story on your hard drive.

 

[oggbashan]

I usually know the ending before I start writing the story, but I don't write the ending first.

One major reason for incomplete stories on my hard drive is that the development of the story has diverted from the intended ending. Either I have to produce a new ending that fits the part story that has been written, or I have to drastically edit to fit the original ending.

Neither solution produces a good story, so I file them, sometimes use them as a quarry for ideas, or leave them for months/years until I can think of a coherent whole from the pieces I have.

 

[sr71plt]

If you just keep writing, it may develop it's own ending.

 

[JaxRhapsody]

If you just keep writing, it may develop it's own ending.

This.

 

[slyc_willie]

Now all you have to do is to find where you put the story on your hard drive.

That's actually the easy part; I was so enamored with the story I gave it its own file.

I usually know the ending before I start writing the story, but I don't write the ending first.

One major reason for incomplete stories on my hard drive is that the development of the story has diverted from the intended ending. Either I have to produce a new ending that fits the part story that has been written, or I have to drastically edit to fit the original ending.

Neither solution produces a good story, so I file them, sometimes use them as a quarry for ideas, or leave them for months/years until I can think of a coherent whole from the pieces I have.

If you just keep writing, it may develop it's own ending.

I've often had it happen that my intended ending changes some time during the story. As long as I still like it, I'll stick with it. But if the ending it's heading toward doesn't jive with me, the story ends up stymied.

 

[AMoveableBeast]

There is no malady that cannot be cured by copious amounts of Neil Gaiman.

 

[slyc_willie]

There is no malady that cannot be cured by copious amounts of Neil Gaiman.

I think copious amounts of Neil Gaiman would give me a malady.

 

[49greg]

I've had a brief rough plan/outline of a Peter Pan sequel on the very very back burner for several months. Oddly I just looked at it last week. Maybe there's something in the air?

PS I loved 'Stardust'.

 

[AMoveableBeast]

I think copious amounts of Neil Gaiman would give me a malady.

I respect your work, so I'll do you the honor of not overturning the proverbial cyber-table.

I have a bit of a crush on Mr. Gaiman, I'm afraid. The man wrote Sandman. He's Dreamy.

 

[slyc_willie]

I've had a brief rough plan/outline of a Peter Pan sequel on the very very back burner for several months. Oddly I just looked at it last week. Maybe there's something in the air?

PS I loved 'Stardust'.

Maybe it's spring fever.

There's a certain something about stories and films like Stardust and The Golden Compass . . . I can't really explain why I feel an attraction to eroticizing that kind of story. It's not a slant on corrupting the innocence or anything like that, because I want to maintain that feeling of wonder and magic. I just want to add some juicier bits to it, is all.

I respect your work, so I'll do you the honor of not overturning the proverbial cyber-table.

I have a bit of a crush on Mr. Gaiman, I'm afraid. The man wrote Sandman. He's Dreamy.

I've read some of Gaiman's work. I'm not putting the man down at all. But he's like Frank Miller; I can only take so much at a time.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

I often start in the middle and find myself oscillating between antecedent, to make sense of where the story is, and subsequent, to see where it goes.

 

[PennLady]

I respect your work, so I'll do you the honor of not overturning the proverbial cyber-table.

I have a bit of a crush on Mr. Gaiman, I'm afraid. The man wrote Sandman. He's Dreamy.

Sandman is dreamy. Gaiman is... scruffy.

I love his stuff too. I was thinking I should reread "American Gods." I keep hearing it's going to be a TV series.

 

[AMoveableBeast]

Sandman is dreamy. Gaiman is... scruffy.

I love his stuff too. I was thinking I should reread "American Gods." I keep hearing it's going to be a TV series.

Morpheus is actually based quite a bit on Gaiman, in temperament and appearance.

And you definitely should, PL. They are enjoyable, soaked in myth and battered in commercial appeal, like fish sandwich made from mermaid. Trust me, it tastes better than it sounds.

Edit* I say they because I always include Anansi Boys, even if that book doesn't have quite the appeal of its precursor.

 

[49greg]

I start with a general idea of how a story will end, and as the story progresses I update the outline with more detail about the ending as well as other key points in the story. It's a very loose process for me, often the story sort of evolves as it is being written.

At least that's the way for any story that I spend a lot of time on. Sometimes I just get an idea and pretty much do it all in one session. Perhaps coming back to polish and correct things before posting.

 

[slyc_willie]

I start with a general idea of how a story will end, and as the story progresses I update the outline with more detail about the ending as well as other key points in the story. It's a very loose process for me, often the story sort of evolves as it is being written.

At least that's the way for any story that I spend a lot of time on. Sometimes I just get an idea and pretty much do it all in one session. Perhaps coming back to polish and correct things before posting.

All that sounds pretty familiar, except for the outline part. I simply can't do that. if it's important enough to the story, it'll stick in my head somewhere.

 

[StrangeLife]

Never mind Sandman. But when I kick the bucket I will be severely disappointed if death is not a hot goth chick. Just sayin'

http://s18.postimg.org/l5jasp115/6029.jpg

 

[AMoveableBeast]

Never mind Sandman. But when I kick the bucket I will be severely disappointed if death is not a hot goth chick. Just sayin'

http://s18.postimg.org/l5jasp115/6029.jpg

Me to. Are you a Tori Amos fan?

 

[Bramblethorn]

Morpheus is actually based quite a bit on Gaiman, in temperament and appearance.

Although as far as I can tell, Gaiman is nicer and more sensible. I can't see him banishing somebody to hell for rejecting him; from just about all accounts he's a lovely person, and he certainly comes across that way in his blog etc. (Without always trying to please everybody; back when a lot of celeb artistes were campaigning against Polanski's extradition, NG was one of the few who went against the current to say that Polanski should return to the USA.)

I've drifted away from his work a bit in recent years (and I disliked some of the choices they made in adapting Stardust for the screen) but I did love Graveyard Book.

 

[sr71plt]

I guess one of these days I should google Gaiman to find out who he is and why this fuss with him.

 

[AMoveableBeast]

Although as far as I can tell, Gaiman is nicer and more sensible. I can't see him banishing somebody to hell for rejecting him; from just about all accounts he's a lovely person, and he certainly comes across that way in his blog etc. (Without always trying to please everybody; back when a lot of celeb artistes were campaigning against Polanski's extradition, NG was one of the few who went against the current to say that Polanski should return to the USA.)

I've drifted away from his work a bit in recent years (and I disliked some of the choices they made in adapting Stardust for the screen) but I did love Graveyard Book.

The Grayeyard Book is Gaiman at his best: sweetly affable, laced with chills, childish enough to have us heedlessly racing along every darkly twisted pathway , and adult enough to later leave us retracing our steps, counting the footfalls, and wondering about our own journey.

An ode to Kipling perhaps, but a Mowgli for a more macabre generation.