Out-of-body Experience

Out-of-body experience

@the-wip-project Day 43

How often to you switch WIPs and do you think that’s a good thing to do?

I've read a few answers to the question to help my line of thought get straight, because if I had to take the idea more literally, as if the black-hole of my brain, I'd say ALL THE TIME! Taking a step back to think about that aspect of the writing process is actually quite scary because there's hardly any spare time when I don't think about my stories. Either I do something that occupies my brain (my teaching job is quite demanding in that respect), either I think about my stories.

The reason they occupy my mind so often is mostly because over time, it's become a coping mechanism of mine. When I'm stressed out, anxious, worried, depressed, I've learned to divert my darker thoughts to more positive and productive directions. And my wips help LOADS in that! It doesn't always bring satisfaction with the actual writing that should follow (like @sayonaramidnight, I also wish thoughts could type themselves out directly, though I'm considering voice-recording them as they come idk), but at least the creative process isn't smothered under piles of emotional or psychological luggage.

Havins two wips actually out there on ao3 is a new thing to me. So I haven't quite examined the way I switch from one to the other. The first wip is already a certain size (15 chapters - 180k) and generally made of long chapters so they take more time and research, which is why I tend to prioritize it for now. Also because I'd feel bad for some faithful readers who are really looking forward to what's going to happen next.

That being said, I also write the scenes once they are neat and clear in my mind, which can take time (and a lot of daydreaming or distraction). These scenes however, may also require that I anticipate and think about the rest of the plot to some extent (which takes even more time, and even more daydreaming). But as soon as every major element is on the go, I sit down to write them and type them as they come. This may lead me to write a chapter, and start the next in the following days.

But both stories constantly overlap in my mind, that's certain.

That's the ONE worthwhile revelation of the century!

250 words = 1 book page

OUT: I wrote only 1,000 words today :/

IN: I wrote FOUR whole pages of my book! ♡

@the-wip-project Day 32

What’s your favorite trope you’re not writing and why?

I don't think I have a favorite trope overall, whether in reading, or (even less) in writing. My reading depends on my mood of the day, so I've covered a large variety of tropes that I thoroughly enjoy. I figured some that I don't particularly like, so obviously my writing is going to stay away from those.

There are some tropes that I really like but would not try out (like royals au for instance), for the simple reason that, so far, no idea of a plot, or a prompt, has emerged in my mind. But I wouldn't go as far as saying that I will not write any at all. Mafia au are also really cool, but complex to set up. I'm not sure my imagination is as flexible as it needs to be to imagine a world of crime and violence (graphic or not).

But now that I think about it, no trope is as intimidating as canon compliant. I'd be too afraid to mess things up, while I love reading about it. Some writers are exceedingly good at it!

what she says: I’m a plantser :)

what she means: I like to know the bare bones and the major plot points before I start writing, but figure out the details as I go along

what she really means: I can’t write unless I know what’s going to happen, but I can’t figure out what’s going to happen unless I write but I can’t write unless 

@the-wip-project Day 44 & 45

Share a cool phrase from a WIP:

This kind of questions always intimidates me because I'm a bad judge at determining what is cool from what isn't in my writing (I didn't answer to a similar one previously provided for the same reason), just like I don't know what's funny or not. To be more exact though, I second-guess myself a lot (and I guess a lot of fellow-writers are the same). At the time I wrote the following extract, I remember I thought it was pretty cool (and that's the main reason why I'm pasting it here) but weeks later, I wouldn't be so sure...

“How about you tell me how a learned Northern boy ended up here?”

“How about you tell me what you’re going to do with me here?”

“I told you, I’d like some conversation. For some reason, you intrigue me.”

“For some reason, I cannot fathom why.”

“Let’s say I like it when history and fate meet. Though, to be honest, I’d really like to get out of that historical event we’re going through right now. Like, asap. I mean, I get it: we’re all pissed off at being apart, separated by a random line picked up by some geography nerds. Nobody asked our opinions, questioned our ways, debated about our sovereignty, brought up our rights. Fine. But somehow, in some dude’s twisted logic, ignoring us a second time, trampling over us, humiliating us not only appeared as acceptable but also a good idea if our own kind did it, invading our asses. Like, let's double the fun? Is that it? What kind of brothers do that, seriously?”

“Angry brothers,” Junghee says.

“Hungry brothers,” Yoongi corrects, looking Junghee in the eye. “Brothers that have been pushed out of their fucking minds and starved into insanity. Brothers who can no longer think by themselves, so much so they’re ready to follow any moron who promises them glory and riches because all they hear in the middle of their phony rhetoric is the promise of food at last. And you’re turning away the one I’m offering you? You should be ashamed of yourself.”

He's delivered that argument without losing his countenance, nor raising his voice one single time, nor even blinking. The even and disembodied tone, so in contrast with the heartfelt words, hits Junghee like the punch in the face he had expected earlier, but stronger.

“Eat.”

Write five keywords that describe each of your WIPs:

1/ Map of the Soul: secrecy / reconciliation / self-discovery /travelling / societal pressure

2/ Pup ART: family patterns / self-indulgence / relationships / trust-building / second chances

I'm an angst monster (that's it, that's the post)

@the-wip-project Day 34

Do you prefer to write fluff or angst?

Given the themes I generally write about, which I detailed for a previous question, no surprise: I write angst. Just as I love reading angst.

The oddly funny thing is that the discrepancy between the quality of angst I feel like my writing conveys, and its reception/perception by my readers. Through their comments, it feels like most of my stories deal with HEAVY angst; but I'm hardly aware of it.

The heavy angst I read seems like a far-cry from what I write. Granted, the themes are different; mine do not show so much hurt/comfort for instance (even less violence) and I know that emotions are multi-layered and do not express themselves in the same ways, not with the same intensities from one person to another. Yet, I'm still processing that revelation.

Mind you, I'd love to be able to write fluff, or even crack fics. I love them too! The truth is that I don't read them as often as the ansgty ones. And the second truth, the hardest of all, I'm hopeless at writing any.