How long do you spend writing a scene

[Hypoxia]

Scenes are usually easy to write. It's the transition between scenes that causes me trouble...

I guess that depends on whether the transition is a cut, a fade, a dissolve, a montage -- something cinematic. I tend to 'see' my scenes, like watching and blogging a video.

CUT: End one scene, start the next, maybe delimited for clarity.
FADE: Usually it's the main character drifting into sleep or coma...
DISSOLVE: The POV seamlessly pans from one vantage to another.
MONTAGE: Quick bits of voices or images or events shuffled together.

 

[NotWise]

CUT: End one scene, start the next, maybe delimited for clarity.
FADE: Usually it's the main character drifting into sleep or coma...
DISSOLVE: The POV seamlessly pans from one vantage to another.
MONTAGE: Quick bits of voices or images or events shuffled together.

Montage transitions don't agree with me. I've tried it a couple times and found that I didn't even want to read it, much less write it.

Dissolve or fade are usually what I try to do between scenes within a chapter. They can be difficult to do, but I've had some success with dissolves--starting a paragraph in one scene and ending it in another.

Cuts are usually (for me) a more substantial transition than simply between scenes. They're usually a chapter break or they get a "*****" or something on a line by itself to tell the reader "here is a transition." I didn't do that in the first story I posted to Lit and got roundly scolded by the readers.

I'm not sure it's the technique necessarily that slows me down, but the mental transition I have to make in the story.

 

[GoldenCojones]

Wow, I finished the scene and the whole story. Whew! Now three weeks of editing, revising, fixing and I'll be ready to submit it.

I wonder if our readers have any idea of how much work we put into these stories?

 

[NotWise]

I wonder if our readers have any idea of how much work we put into these stories?

It would surprise the hell out of me (do I have hell in me?) if they had a clue.

 

[GoldenCojones]

It would surprise the hell out of me (do I have hell in me?) if they had a clue.

LOL as much hell as I've raised over my life, I'd be real surprised if I didn't have some in me

 

[NOIRTRASH]

I TRIED has never cut the muster until lately. Readers owe nuthin to writers. If your wares suck you did it all by yourself, don't fault the reader for recognizing shit when she smells it.

 

[GoldenCojones]

I TRIED has never cut the muster until lately. Readers owe nuthin to writers. If your wares suck you did it all by yourself, don't fault the reader for recognizing shit when she smells it.

Who said anything about "I TRIED"? Of course my stories suck! If they didn't I would be a multi-millionaire sailing on a beautiful yacht and I sure as hell wouldn't be knocking heads on a free story site. No siree, I wouldn't even let you read my stories for less than $9.99

But just because I suck as a writer doesn't mean I don't pour my heart and soul into each and every one. I get that readers don't owe me, but it doesn't keep me from wondering if they understand how much we put into our stories.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

Who said anything about "I TRIED"? Of course my stories suck! If they didn't I would be a multi-millionaire sailing on a beautiful yacht and I sure as hell wouldn't be knocking heads on a free story site. No siree, I wouldn't even let you read my stories for less than $9.99

But just because I suck as a writer doesn't mean I don't pour my heart and soul into each and every one. I get that readers don't owe me, but it doesn't keep me from wondering if they understand how much we put into our stories.

As a boy I once ate a plate of muffins a girl made just for me. I worshipped her. The muffins tasted like shit. Somehow she confused salt for sugar. She was puzzled at how much I liked them. EVERYONE ELSE SAID THEYRE AWFUL. My reaction is what all writers demand because they tried.

On another occasion a gal made me Shrimp Creole fulla wevils or some damned thing and I ate it all. I mean, SHE TRIED!

 

[GoldenCojones]

As a boy I once ate a plate of muffins a girl made just for me. I worshipped her. The muffins tasted like shit. Somehow she confused salt for sugar. She was puzzled at how much I liked them. EVERYONE ELSE SAID THEYRE AWFUL. My reaction is what all writers demand because they tried.

On another occasion a gal made me Shrimp Creole fulla wevils or some damned thing and I ate it all. I mean, SHE TRIED!

Well, first off, I went back and read the thread and I think I sorta kinda know what you are talking about. Maybe just a little.

I get the whole hard-assed "Your best isn't good enough!" crap. But I'm not whining about not being recognized or people not loving me because I tried, and I don't think NotWise was either. No, I was just mouthing about writing being a lot of effort. It is an effort of love and necessity but still an effort.

I don't write for accolades or love or adoration (They would be nice, but they are not the driving force.) I write because if I didn't, the stories would build up and my head would explode. I have written stories for around 40 years and I play-acted stories before that as a child running around wild, fighting dragons, and rescuing fair maidens and the like.

Still I believe most everyone would like their effort to be recognized, especially if it results in something good. I think my stories are good and my readers reward me with decent scores and a fair amount of favorites. But I do wonder if they realize how much work goes into producing these stories they get for free on this excellent web site. Or are they more like the tired husband of yore who got home, ate the meal his wife worked two hours to cook, told her what a wonderful cook she was but never realized how much effort she put into making his supper each day.

 

[TxRad]

Actually JBJ doesn't have a point. He had a few fantasies laying around that he had to do something with. It has nothing to do with you. It's all about him don't ya know.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

Actually JBJ doesn't have a point. He had a few fantasies laying around that he had to do something with. It has nothing to do with you. It's all about him don't ya know.

I cant read mpst of the posts but aint nuthin wrong with my sniffer, so I form opinions about the posts from how they smell. Lady Ver's remind me of a fish market on a summer day, Pilots are more like a Chicago stockyard. Lovecrafts tickle like dry Kool Aid. Yours remind me of how Vietnam smelled as I left the Freedom Bird...a mix of diesel fuel and raw shit.

 

[TxRad]

I cant read mpst of the posts but aint nuthin wrong with my sniffer, so I form opinions about the posts from how they smell. Lady Ver's remind me of a fish market on a summer day, Pilots are more like a Chicago stockyard. Lovecrafts tickle like dry Kool Aid. Yours remind me of how Vietnam smelled as I left the Freedom Bird...a mix of diesel fuel and raw shit.

Yes, dear but your antidotes have nothing to do with the topic. They are just about you as usual.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

All my LIT stories carry the LIT Affirmative Action I TRIED certification. It assures the reader that the story didn't just drop from my ass.

 

[loquere]

2 years.

 

[loquere]

Sometimes 3 years.

 

[GoldenCojones]

Sometimes 3 years.

The funny thing is ... I really believe you

 

[loquere]

The funny thing is ... I really believe you

It's a process of starting a story and putting it away until real life inspiration helps me put the words on the paper. This takes time.