Comments on: Writing down the headwork

By: Mike F

Mike F — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:03:51 +0000

Hee hee. Ok, persistent it is!

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:51:29 +0000

I think you meant, “I hope to be persistent enough to get something published.”

By: Mike F

Mike F — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:49:10 +0000

It certainly hasn’t hurt you, that’s for sure. I don’t expect to be as good as you, but I hope to get lucky enough to get something published some time. We’ll see how it goes.

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:39:59 +0000

Glad to help!

I also gradually stopped after college. I had about a ten year break before I started writing again. I’m not sure that was a bad thing.

By: Mike F

Mike F — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:25:06 +0000

I found myself doing this today while cutting the grass. I’m trying to get back into writing; I stopped after college for some reason. Fear of failure is probably the culprit. Thanks for the tip!

By: momk

momk — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:35:19 +0000

Mary, This is fun for me, getting to walk around inside the heads of writers, where whole worlds exist.

By: Clifford W. Dunbar

Clifford W. Dunbar — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 20:44:22 +0000

I do something similiar, but instead of talking to myself I have my characters talk to each other. They carry on in rudimentary dialog until they finally figure out what they want from one another and how they think they should go about getting it and what cross-purposes they might have.

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 12:37:58 +0000

Yay! I’m glad that helped.

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 12:20:46 +0000

I know what you mean about that space as you are sliding into dreamtime. I solve a lot of problems then.

By: JennaW

JennaW — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:52:46 +0000

I work through things in the shower and on the treadmill, but you’re right — it is slippery and sometimes when I get to working on it, it’s so vague it starts to seem like it won’t work.

This was well-timed for me. I almost never write short, and I have a short I’m working on and had reached that “now what?” point. I thought about it at the gym then hurried home and typed up a pageful of notes using your method above — worked GREAT.

Thanks!

By: Felicity Shoulders

Felicity Shoulders — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:46:32 +0000

I do a very similar headwork thing. Often I write stuff down, but sometimes I do it without a pen: when I’m trying to go to sleep.

Yes, I realize this is dangerous. But I have only forgotten a few ideas, and I find there’s a dozy lack-of-filter that allows me to break through to new ideas and new approaches. Hooray for sleepy brains!

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:55:10 +0000

That sounds like fun. I’m not sure what my characters would order.

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:52:17 +0000

Ooo. I do. I’d forgotten all about that. Hm…

By: Pat Esden

Pat Esden — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:49:03 +0000

I do the same sort of thing, but I like to do it outloud with someone vaguely listening. I ramble on and when the person’s eyes widen and they start nodding, then I know I’m onto something.

Queen Mary’s pocketwatch would have been my answer to what is the key. Do you know about the watch?

By: Melissa Mead

Melissa Mead — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 21:30:30 +0000

One of my tricks is the Pizza Party. If I get stuck, I envision my characters sitting backstage and ordering a pizza. They can only get 2 toppings. Then I watch them haggle out what to order and why. (and enjoy the reactions of those who have never heard of pizza!)