On Writing to Order

[scribblemyname]

So I was a little surprised to discover... myself in this 365 Challenge. My writing self anyway.

Somewhere back in time, I realized I was a post-fandom writer, that there would always be a fangirl lurking in my heart. I suppose it's because I love words, love literature, love taking it in and absorbing it and resonating with it and letting my response flow back into my own creative expression. I weave favorite poems into my prose. I reference material others have written. I write fanfic from the same impulse.

But I hadn't truly suspected that fandom was key to my writing process. Some writers work in a vacuum, solely to please themselves. I wrote within the community, inhaling feedback and prodding and an outside audience wanting more to motivate myself to produce and answer questions and clarify, and that's why I wrote more than 200,000 words the year I got back into fandom. That didn't happen with original fiction.

I thought it was the structure that I needed to replicate and so I started—and temporarily abandoned—two serial novels. Initially there was enough feedback to keep me pushing, but as it lessened to lurking, so did my motivation. Weird, but true. I finally realized 20 days into the 365 Challenge that it wasn't the structure that drove my writing at all. It was the community.

Knowing someone is waiting on my fiction motivates me to produce it. That's why I can write a story in whatever amount of time required to have it done for the family on Christmas. That's why I'm motivated and inspired and have almost a dozen pieces percolating in my head and item 20 out of 365 posted on my Challenge page. It's why I'm writing every day and disciplining myself and growing and still being creative. I'm not just pushing words through my teeth. They're flowing out of me.

Suddenly, it doesn't matter what I read 'cause there's a story somewhere in the mess that feeds it. Suddenly, comments and prompts anchor my ideas until I have time to scribble them down. Suddenly, I've written more than 14,000 words of fiction and 180 lines of poetry in the last twenty days. That's amazing for me. And the momentum is only building.

The creative life takes me off guard sometimes. I always thought I loved writing simply for the sake of writing, but that's apparently not true. I love stories for their own sake and writing for the sake of sharing them.

Has your writing process surprised you lately? Are you a lone writer or community inspired or both?

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Originally published at Liana Mir. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[pygmymuse.livejournal.com]

I always thought it was better to write for myself, not wanting to be one of those people who wrote demanding reviews for stories or holding back chapters for ransom or wrote only to the opinion of the most reviews on a story.

Since my major obstacle before I got into fanfic was to finish something, having people want to see more gave me that incentive to finish it. That was important. When I started being discouraged by lack of reviews or negative reviews, I told myself I needed to stop because writing for reviews only was not okay with me. I never quit, but I did make sure that I wrote a story I wanted and was satisfied with before posting, started making sure it was done or mostly done before I posted.

My friend accused me of wanting fans, not criticism, but I don't think that it's true. I think it helps to have a community.

A story can be a good story but if it's never shared, it doesn't have the same effect. Good advice is only good if it's put into practice. It's kind of the same thing.

It's easier to write knowing that someone else is enjoying it as well. It's why I like sending bits through email or posting them online. It's good to see what works and what doesn't, if it's a read that people enjoy, not just the writer. Plus, there's that feeling of "oh, wow, I love this, I can't wait to see what they think!" It's like finding something rare and special and wanting to shout it to the world, only it happens to be something you create.

So... yes, fellow community writer here. I've enjoyed passing along prompts and seeing what you do with them.

[scribblemyname]

I always thought it was better to write for myself, not wanting to be one of those people who wrote demanding reviews for stories or holding back chapters for ransom or wrote only to the opinion of the most reviews on a story.

On that I wholly agree. I put my work out there and see if anybody likes it. And even now, except when I say, go ahead, pick a canon or characters, I'm really picking what I want to write and that's a freedom I can't imagine giving up.

Since my major obstacle before I got into fanfic was to finish something, having people want to see more gave me that incentive to finish it. That was important. When I started being discouraged by lack of reviews or negative reviews, I told myself I needed to stop because writing for reviews only was not okay with me. I never quit, but I did make sure that I wrote a story I wanted and was satisfied with before posting, started making sure it was done or mostly done before I posted.

I think we're very similar there. It was incentive to finish, to produce. And I find that holding on to a longer story until I'm done doesn't reduce the incentive there. I know when I do let it go, someone somewhere will read it. It makes me want to finish it, no matter how long or how many words it takes.

I love the stories that you write for yourself. I hope that never changes. You have a rich, active (and fast—I try not to envy you that) imagination and writing style and I love your books. Just can't get into historical much, but that's me not you.

t's easier to write knowing that someone else is enjoying it as well. It's why I like sending bits through email or posting them online. It's good to see what works and what doesn't, if it's a read that people enjoy, not just the writer. Plus, there's that feeling of "oh, wow, I love this, I can't wait to see what they think!" It's like finding something rare and special and wanting to shout it to the world, only it happens to be something you create.

And yes, this. You said it so well. That's exactly it.

[pygmymuse.livejournal.com]

I'm really picking what I want to write and that's a freedom I can't imagine giving up.

Yes, I'm with you there. I've had a few suggestions on things I should write that I just couldn't get into, and I can't see ever doing them. Having the freedom to write as we choose is huge.

I know when I do let it go, someone somewhere will read it. It makes me want to finish it, no matter how long or how many words it takes.

Yeah. That's a huge incentive. It helps get the project done. It's nice to know that someone will take the time to read what we've spent all that time (relatively speaking) creating.

I love the stories that you write for yourself. I hope that never changes. You have a rich, active (and fast—I try not to envy you that) imagination and writing style and I love your books. Just can't get into historical much, but that's me not you.

I can't remember who said "write what you want to read," but I've always held to that policy, and it helps, I think. I don't see me giving up writing as I am way too obsessed with it (also explains part of the speed, though I am a fast writer.) I like history, myself, so adding it in to a story (writing or reading) is like the icing on the cake, depending on how it's done. I don't like all historical novels, and I don't like reading about all time periods, either. It's all a matter of taste, and everyone's tastes are different.

And yes, this. You said it so well. That's exactly it.

:D