kfic big bang drafting update #1

[poppyseedheart]

 About a month ago I hit a terrible little wall while drafting my big bang and then never really sat down to try to figure out how to go through or around or over said wall. Because of that, I've been sitting under 8k for ages! Which is really not ideal. I know what I am theoretically trying to accomplish with this story, but I did a lot of planning before I knew what the timeline for their debut and promotions would actually look like, and now that all of that has happened I'm trying to back-fill matching up events and emotional beats and my brain just is nottttt enjoying that. So I'm taking a new approach and we're going to hope it works.

I think in general this year has felt harder with writing than many others (are you tired of me talking about this yet...) so I'm trying to relocate the joy and reckless abandon I historically have approached most of my writing with. One strategy right now is to look at things arc by arc, and try as clearly as possible to map what happens when for each character's emotional arc. Forget plot! Forget real timelines! I need to know Exactly when Matthew has x emotional conversation with Jiwoong and y conversation with Zhang Hao, and how I can leverage the emotional revelations of each of these key moments to plan the next one. I am throwing rocks into the pool and watching the ripples as carefully as I can.

My other strategy has been to re-up my subscription on 4thewords. The only writing services I've ever felt compelled to pay for have been Scrivener (1 time purchase, got it half off with a past nano win) and 4thewords (~40 bucks a year now, up from when I used to have it in 2019/2020). 4thewords is like if your writing goals were tossed into an rpg video game. It's fun! I find it motivating! I don't mind kicking them a few bucks a month, and I wanted it back for nano this year because I think I'll need every advantage I can get.

So the hope is: I outline better. I make my emotional roadmap. Then I kick some monster ass in my document on 4thewords and get the dang thing done.

Wish me luck! I'm going to need it. And I'm v much open to hearing other tips or ideas people have for breaking through the dreaded block wrtiers inevitably hit all the time.

Comments

[bookishdagger]

I am cheering you on!!!! Taking a character arc centric approach to this wip seems like a good idea and I hope it proves fruitful/productive

In terms of tips….honestly whenever I hit writers block it is usually subsumed by my deep neuroticism about deadlines so I just force myself to work gjfjfk….I also have set times to write every week with friends and even if I don’t get much done writing wise I have a chance to talk to them about what I’m working on and where I’m stuck or encountering difficulties…it also helps (for me at least) to hear how people react to what I write even if it’s really not that much because even if I feel really in the weeds or overwhelmed by a story I can be like okay, but this part is landing at least and keep moving! Which is maybe a very me specific thing, but I trust people to tell me when they’re confused about something or if something doesn’t land write so I know to tweak it

[poppyseedheart]

yeah i feel like i just had the same handful of words to share for ages which was kind of demoralizing, so it's good for me to remember that the opposite is also true! and i can kick forward some words and get some other eyes on them even if they aren't polished or where i'd like for them to be... trying to be intentionally messier with my drafting lately to give myself a better shot at making revision have a major impact and i think it's working but it's hard!

[latespring]

good luck good luck!!! I'm cheering you on!

my writers block stratagies tend to be a combination of things that get suggested a lot: leaving something alone for a little (though I usually don't leave it too long, maybe 3 days), writing 100 words on it and then giving myself permission to leave it, and figuring out what from the outline/previous part of the draft isn't working, cutting that, and continuing on from an earlier point

[poppyseedheart]

ugh i KNOW that that last tip would be so helpful to me but yeeting parts of a draft is still so hard for me. i've only really managed in full once when i as if in a fever dream cut the last 5k from a story the night before it was due for a fest and completely rewrote it. it was better but at what cost!!!

[latespring]

at what cost truly T___T it's always so sad even with a scraps doc on the side!