Biting off more than you can chew

[EmilyMiller]

I just hit submit on a story I have been working on for a long time. RL stuff intervened, plus I was stuck at least twice.

It’s my longest story (32,000 words - which I know is a drop in the ocean for some here). Then, I’ve written a 30,000 word story before. It wasn’t so much the length as the complexity.

So I have:

1. 2 FMCs
2. 5 just a hair’s breadth below the MC level, two male, three female
3. The villain of the piece, male, and maybe another rung down
4. 2 other supporting characters

Again, maybe others are used to casts of 30 plus. But 10 was a lot for me to juggle.

Plus the plot is kinda wide ranging with a lot going on. And inevitably a few McGuffins thrown in.

And it’s a supernatural tale, so more world building required than, say, a sex romp set on the Jersey Shore .

It’s - at the very least - rather ambitious for a relatively new writer (a year and a bit since starting).

Just the continuity has been a massive headache. Plus - as we’ve both mentioned - it’s loosely linked to two stories (maybe three in the future) by @Djmac1031 (one existing and one forthcoming) as well as one of my own existing ones.

I kinda felt like my head was going to explode at points.

I think I need to write some nice, simple stroke stories for a bit .

Have you ever taken on a project that you were probably not really good enough (at present) to fully realize?

Em

 

[Bamagan]

Have you ever taken on a project that you were probably not really good enough (at present) to fully realize?

I certainly get told that often enough.

 

[MrPixel]

Have you ever taken on a project that you were probably not really good enough (at present) to fully realize?

Many. Many many many. IRL. Not my story writing.

I don't "plan" or "design" stories, or even outline. They grow organically. I may eventually have to keep a doc listing the cast of characters, or flip back to earlier chapters for how I spelled a name. But that's sort of rare. My characters have become my friends and lovers in my mind, and, no, I'm sure as heck not going to forget who they are.

Also, since I don't do fantasy or SciFi, there's no world-building involved. Every place I write about is rooted in reality. Google Maps and Street View is nearly always open. They get 40% of my LitE royalties.

 

[Djmac1031]

Um, yeah.

Before the ones your obviously aware of, I wrote something called The White Room.

Everything I'd written before that were simple sex stories. With the exception of my Halloween tale, Night Of The Giving Head, but that was really just a parody of the zombie genre.

Then I decided to write about two strangers abducted by aliens.

My cast was pretty limited: one woman, one guy, and one invisible alien voice that chimed in from time to time.

My setting, deceptively simple: an all white room with no windows or doors.

Yet it was the hardest damn thing I'd written at that point.

I had to come up with a premise, alien tech, what that tech did, why.

Details that seem minor and are usually ignored in most stories became incredibly important to explain; how did they eat? Did they need to go to the bathroom?

But the toughest part was of course coming up with a logical reason why the aliens kidnapped these two and wanted them to fuck.

And how their relationship progressed to that point without making it a forced situation.

I wound up leaving a lot of questions unanswered for over a year til a sequel finally came to me.

And I struggled with that one for some time as well lol.

For as complex as the world building for those two were, it's still not even close to what I'm working on with this whole She-Demon saga lol.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Um, yeah.

Before the ones your obviously aware of, I wrote something called The White Room.

Everything I'd written before that were simple sex stories. With the exception of my Halloween tale, Night Of The Giving Head, but that was really just a parody of the zombie genre.

Then I decided to write about two strangers abducted by aliens.

My cast was pretty limited: one woman, one guy, and one invisible alien voice that chimed in from time to time.

My setting, deceptively simple: an all white room with no windows or doors.

Yet it was the hardest damn thing I'd written at that point.

I had to come up with a premise, alien tech, what that tech did, why.

Details that seem minor and are usually ignored in most stories became incredibly important to explain; how did they eat? Did they need to go to the bathroom?

But the toughest part was of course coming up with a logical reason why the aliens kidnapped these two and wanted them to fuck.

And how their relationship progressed to that point without making it a forced situation.

I wound up leaving a lot of questions unanswered for over a year til a sequel finally came to me.

And I struggled with that one for some time as well lol.

For as complex as the world building for those two were, it's still not even close to what I'm working on with this whole She-Demon saga lol.

Ooo! I’ve got a name!!!!

A Thong of Desire and Vice.

.

Em

 

[Bamagan]

Ooo! I’ve got a name!!!!

A Thong of Desire and Vice.

.

Em

 

[Bamagan]

But the toughest part was of course coming up with a logical reason why the aliens kidnapped these two and wanted them to fuck.

Clearly, their goal with the kidnapping was to cause @MediocreAuthor to create the same story at the same time. Kind of like bootstrapping.

 

[alohadave]

Have you ever taken on a project that you were probably not really good enough (at present) to fully realize?

I have a couple that I need more experience to write them how I want them to be.

 

[Djmac1031]

I have a couple that I need more experience to write them how I want them to be.

I'm beginning to realize the only way to get that "experience" is just fucking write it.

Trial and error. Make the mistakes. Fix them. Learning the patience to give yourself the time to do both.

I was all set to hit submit on my new She-Demon tale this weekend when, after yet another editing pass, I realized it needed one more scene, because I'd left an important plot thread unanswered.

So now... I'm writing THAT scene.

And then I'll have to make sure it syncs up with the rest of the story.

So probably delaying publishing by at least another week lol

 

[djrip]

My ambitions naturally erode away until they match my abilities over the course of a piece.

 

[TheseLegs]

I'm writing a choose-your-own-adventure type thing about a shapeshifting alien with a time loop twist. I still work on it sometimes but there are SO MANY BRANCHES. I don't know if it'll ever be done.

 

[Djmac1031]

Ooo! I’ve got a name!!!!

A Thong of Desire and Vice.

.

Em

Um. Really should be A Thong Of Vice And Desire is you wanna match the phonetics properly.

 

[Bamagan]

My ambitions naturally erode away until they match my abilities over the course of a piece.

That reminded me of this:

 

[Djmac1031]

My ambitions naturally erode away until they match my abilities over the course of a piece.

My suggestion: write the BIG Project between the simple, little ones.

Don't rush it. Take your time. Build it. Walk away from it. Come back to it in between other stories.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Is your shape shifting alien an octopus sometimes?

Drawing by the talented @djrip

Em

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Having ten characters in a 32k-word story is a lot. If you managed to properly flesh out three of them, that is quite an achievement. The usual problem with so many characters is that it is hard for a reader to keep track of them all, and 32k words isn't that much so they would have the time to get used to them all. So yeah, that was quite ambitious of you. Only true nerds could have pulled it off.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

I'm wrestling with a couple of world-building exercises right now. There's a sub-genre of what I'll call matriarchy stories where men are in various ways disenfranchised or outright chattel.

Most of them make no attempt at realism. Why wouldn't someone tap into all the wasted human capital? Do all these people really have nothing better to do all day than torment the men in their lives? Etc.

So I've been slowly working on a story that tries to do realistic matriarchy. It's been slow going. I decided to make up a new currency so I could be a little vague about exactly how much a nice accountant would cost. I borrowed a grammatical quirk from another language where people in this world will replace first and second person references with third person epithets to affirm or challenge relationships between the speaker and listener.

It's all super fun but quite challenging for a novice writer who's only ever done realistic modern day stuff.

 

[djrip]

My suggestion: write the BIG Project between the simple, little ones.

Don't rush it. Take your time. Build it. Walk away from it. Come back to it in between other stories.

Wise words. I always get into a rush to post.

 

[Djmac1031]

Wise words. I always get into a rush to post.

Believe me, I am absolutely ITCHING to post this new one.

Been working on it for several weeks, and I'm really proud of it.

But during the course of it, I realized not only did I have to make sure every detail aligned with the one I've already published, but that I'm gonna need a third story to finish the tale and I need to set the stage for that as well.

And while Emily and I are writing VERY different stories, they take place in the same universe. So it's been a lot of cross referencing details for consistency.

Although we both also realize we're still new to this kinda thing, so not everything may sync up perfectly.

And we're okay with that

 

[MelissaBaby]

I just hit submit on a story I have been working on for a long time. RL stuff intervened, plus I was stuck at least twice.

It’s my longest story (32,000 words - which I know is a drop in the ocean for some here). Then, I’ve written a 30,000 word story before. It wasn’t so much the length as the complexity.

So I have:

1. 2 FMCs
2. 5 just a hair’s breadth below the MC level, two male, three female
3. The villain of the piece, male, and maybe another rung down
4. 2 other supporting characters

Again, maybe others are used to casts of 30 plus. But 10 was a lot for me to juggle.

Plus the plot is kinda wide ranging with a lot going on. And inevitably a few McGuffins thrown in.

And it’s a supernatural tale, so more world building required than, say, a sex romp set on the Jersey Shore .

It’s - at the very least - rather ambitious for a relatively new writer (a year and a bit since starting).

Just the continuity has been a massive headache. Plus - as we’ve both mentioned - it’s loosely linked to two stories (maybe three in the future) by @Djmac1031 (one existing and one forthcoming) as well as one of my own existing ones.

I kinda felt like my head was going to explode at points.

I think I need to write some nice, simple stroke stories for a bit .

Have you ever taken on a project that you were probably not really good enough (at present) to fully realize?

Em

As you know, I"ve written a lot of long things with multiple characters. So here are a few tips.

1. If you don't work from an outline, make one as you go along.

2. Keep a separate note file, jot down details about each character.

3.There are lots of free family tree websites. Make a family tree for your characters. Most have a space for notes about the entered names as well.

4. Word search each character's name to double check that you haven't switched them around or misnamed them at any point.

 

[EmilyMiller]

As you know, I"ve written a lot of long things with multiple characters. So here are a few tips.

1. If you don't work from an outline, make one as you go along.

I guess I’m a hybrid writer. I often just start a story and see where it goes. Sometimes it’s finished quickly and that’s it. Sometimes it grows arms and legs and that’s when I write an outline. Which often gets revised as I write more.

2. Keep a separate note file, jot down details about each character.

That sounds like a good idea. Because I started with stories at least partially based on real life, I didn’t have to worry so much. But now? I think I’ll start doing that.

3.There are lots of free family tree websites. Make a family tree for your characters. Most have a space for notes about the entered names as well.

4. Word search each character's name to double check that you haven't switched them around or misnamed them at any point.

Yes I’ve done that. Had MC’s suddenly swap gender or characters. Easy to do .

Em

 

[Mastered_again]

I've outlined a sci-fi piece. Several species to keep consistent. Probably around 20 significant characters to keep straight, although just 5 or 6 main characters.
Some invented tech that I'm leaning heavily on my enginerd husband to spot inconsistencies.
I must have written many parts in my head, but every time I'm in front of the keyboard a little voice says, "who do you think you're kidding? Sci-fi? Really?"
Then, "but this involves moral issues around genetic engineering and whether it's genetics vs. environment for determining certain characters' actions"

Followed by vapor lock

 

[Euphony]

Have you ever taken on a project that you were probably not really good enough (at present) to fully realize?

Absolutely.

And it feels like that's how it should be.

Complex ideas are about the only thing I can get excited enough about to see the work through to the end. I get why some people crank out what they do (and their completely different motivations) but I couldn't do it.

Getting better is mostly about writing more. And writing more requires motivation. If you write an absolute train wreck of a tale (doubtful) you are still better off than if you'd written nothing at all.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Total congraduations, 32K is a lot of words, EM.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Total congraduations, 32K is a lot of words, EM.

Thank you . And some of them had more than one syllable!

Em