Words vs. Vision

[alltherage]

Some of my favorite popular aurthors write in a way that suggests that the story is playing in there heads like a movie. As I read what they have written I literally see the scene unfold in my mind.

I know this seems simple. Many will say that all of their favorite books read like that. I don't think for me thats true. It has to do with pacing as well as the descriptive powers of the writer. I have often wondered what an author sees in their mind as they write. Thus the question.

As you write, do you hear the story, or do you see the story? Is it some combination of the two. I have had dreams that I write as stories and those I absolute see. They write themselves. There are other times when I am trying to bridge two parts of a long piece where the bridge is constructed from some other place in my mind. These sections are very hard to write and if I see the action at all in my mind it is as if I see it through a hazy mist.

 

[Ray Dario]

When I write I become immersed in the story. It is not that I'm seeing it, or hearing it, but almost as though I'm living it. My heart races as my characters become frightened, or excited. I get sad when bad things happen. I get excited and turned on as events unfold and by the end of a few hours of writing I am usually completely mentally exhausted.

I don't know if this is what you were looking for or not, but this is what happens to me.

Ray

 

[Mickie]

It's a matter of Point Of View. Omnicient always plays in my head like I'm watching it as a movie. Hate that. Limited pov is living in the character's body, becoming that character. So is first person and even second person. Not a movie, but as if I'm actually living it.

I think, if a story or novel is well-written, the reader does exactly what the writer does. Either watches the scenes unfold as if they were sitting on a couch with popcorn in their hands, or enters the story so well that the real world disappears around them.

Mickie

 

[Wanderer D]

For me, the story plays out in my head like a movie. I see the characters, I hear them, I feel what they feel. To me they seem to take on a life of their own, and I am merely writing what I observe. Only later do I go back to clean it up, clarify it.
It played out in my mind, so the words may not be as fully descriptive as I want them to be. I often find that I have to go back to describe environments or characters because I know what they looked like in my mind, so it didn't make it to paper on the first draft.

I'm glad Ray said it the way he did, because I react the same way. My heart races, I feel the emotion of the moment and I only hope that I can instill those same feelings in my reader.

 

[karmadog]

Yup. POV

Mickie has it right. No need to repeat it.

If your transitions are fuzzy, there's probably one of two reasons.

One, you haven't thought them through well enough and your
concept of the action is vague. Stop and think out what is going on in terms of physical, emotional, and intellectual action.

Two, it should seem a little vague by comparison to the rest of the story. Transitions often compress long periods of time into a paragraph. If they were sharper, they wouldn't be transitions, nut most of the things happening in that period are irrelevant to the story.

 

[Bob Peale]

Here's the way I see it (no pun intended):

If you read a story that seems to unfold, like a movie, it is because the writer has taken the time to show you what he sees. It really isn't that hard to do, there is no real magic associated: just write what you want to read.

Now, that's a little different than writing to turn yourself on. Writing what you want to read requires you tho include the elements, the descriptions, the structure that YOU would need to have there as a reader in order to get enjoyment from a story. Many writers bumble a great story because they write as if the reader is in their head - the stories assumes that we can see what you see. Well, we can't - THEY have to show us.

So my advice is read your story as if you didn't write it. Is there enough there that the reader can see what you see just from the words? In not, color it in - take us there.

 

[Brandy Chase]

Words vs. vision

When I sit down to work on a new story, I have one thing in mind; a character with a problem, or a need. Often I have nothing more than a character to go with, the problem shows up later. I let the character solve his own problem or resolve his need. I have no idea what's going to happen until I write the first line. From that point on, the story comes to me as a movie playing inside my head. I see them, I hear them, I feel them. When the movie stops, I stop writing and go to bed, usually around 7:00 A.M. I haven't a clue what's going to happen or to whom it's going to happen. The other characters show up the same way, they just happen to be in the movie, their looks, their personalities, their wants and needs, everything. The funny thing is, I don't watch movies, I don't like them. Perhaps that's because there's always one running in my little brain.
Go figure. Now where did I leave that bowl of popcorn?

 

[Guest]

I can speak only for myself, but I actually use some of the old tips from creative writing 101 in high school

Create a character, make them as real as possible, including a background, a psychology, motivcation, etc.

See what kind of situations those characters would be in

How do the characters react to each other

and then when all else fails, have them all rip off their cltohes and get freaky ;-) (My lit teacher loved my assignments)

There are theories about how people create, left brained versus right brain, where the left form the words whereas the right sees the pictures. But I've yet to be able to look at someone's work and say "oh yes, they are definitely right brained"

My cents for what its worth (usually about 2 cents)

 

[Erogenous Zone]

wow

Many good thoughts and learning here.

I usually start with idea and outline but by the time I am finished it is usually completely different than how I envisioned.

At one time I attempted a novel with each character type cast according to psychological types (I used Myers-Briggs as described in book "Please Understand Me") but never finished. I did feel like I learned a bit on people and behaviours. It was a good exercise. Wish I had more to study and write.

Write on.

 

[alltherage]

I can speak only for myself, but I actually use some of the old tips from creative writing 101 in high school

Create a character, make them as real as possible, including a background, a psychology, motivcation, etc.

See what kind of situations those characters would be in

How do the characters react to each other

and then when all else fails, have them all rip off their cltohes and get freaky ;-) (My lit teacher loved my assignments)

There are theories about how people create, left brained versus right brain, where the left form the words whereas the right sees the pictures. But I've yet to be able to look at someone's work and say "oh yes, they are definitely right brained"

My cents for what its worth (usually about 2 cents)

My original thought may have been based on a false assumption. I was thinking of two of my favorite popular writers. One was Larry Mcmurtry the other John Lecarre. I find Lonesome Dove to be a wonderful book. To me it read cinematically. I see it unfold and it is brilliant in its colors. The dialog, its cadence and content just ring true to me. Mostly I see it. Like few other books.

Lecarre is very different to me. In the smiley series i felt I was wondering inside someones mind. The view I had was grainy. Like a foggy day filmed in black and white. I knew the characters and understood them. The book was part mystery and part spy thiller and it made the world of lies and secrets very real to me.

Both these books are about events and times which are foriegn to me. Both were made into mini-series for tv and both were very well done. As I watched Lonesome Dove I was pleased to see that the vision I had from the book was reflected in the movie. I read the book again after seeing the movie and realized that the director had no choice in how he told the story. The book was a script.

With Lecarre it was a new experience. Some of the characters had changed and some of the scenes settings were different. It did not matter so much. The actors were the key. So long as Smiley was Smiley as I understood him then the movie succeeded.

My question is do you think the authors approached the projects differently. Perhaps some writers work from inside out and others outside in. I wonder. For some I am sure that if all the descriptions of place and time are right for them then the characters respond naturally within it. For others, perhaps, it is the thought process which counts. Gad I am long winded tonight. Sorry if this rambles too much.

 

[The Sex Master]

Some of my favorite popular aurthors write in a way that suggests that the story is playing in there heads like a movie. As I read what they have written I literally see the scene unfold in my mind.

I know this seems simple. Many will say that all of their favorite books read like that. I don't think for me thats true. It has to do with pacing as well as the descriptive powers of the writer. I have often wondered what an author sees in their mind as they write. Thus the question.

As you write, do you hear the story, or do you see the story? Is it some combination of the two. I have had dreams that I write as stories and those I absolute see. They write themselves. There are other times when I am trying to bridge two parts of a long piece where the bridge is constructed from some other place in my mind. These sections are very hard to write and if I see the action at all in my mind it is as if I see it through a hazy mist.

In my opinion,if the author cant ~~~See it in his/her mind~~~then they cant write about it.