altariel: (Default)
altariel ([personal profile] altariel) wrote2009-03-12 10:08 am

Various

Hmph. Almost a month ago, I noted how grumpy short story writing was making me. Yesterday afternoon (thanks, [livejournal.com profile] mraltariel), I finally worked out what the story was that I was trying to tell. I've had four separate run-ups at this damn thing now, none of which have stuck, but this morning I scribbled down an Actual Framework for the damn thing, and now all I have to do is the Actual Writing - which is, of course, the easy part.

Wah, short-story writing is hard! Nothing like writing lovely Tolkien vignettes, which I can conceive of and execute in the space of two days (or used to be able to do). This has taken roughly eight weeks, and loads of different iterations. *plaintively* Is this normal? Am I doing something wrong? Does it get easier with practice? Have my magic powers gone for good? Is this the end?

Yesterday I finished rereading Watchmen, which I hadn't read since college *cough*ty years ago (eighteen). Now I'm trying to decide whether I should go and see the film, but I'm put off by the fact that it's apparently two-and-three-quarter hours long. Two-and-three-quarter hours! No film should be that long, except The Fellowship of the Ring. Anyway, I can't make decisions, so Speak You're Branes, f'list, and do say why in comments if moved.

[Poll #1364164]

[identity profile] espresso-addict.livejournal.com 2009-03-13 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
I suspect the slowness of the writing might be purely because you had to make the world come together in your head, and (assuming this is your first story in this universe), essentially the imaginative stage is no shorter than it would be to write a novel.

[identity profile] altariel.livejournal.com 2009-03-13 11:30 am (UTC)(link)
I've been intermittently writing a novel set in this universe for about eighteen months now, doing world-building along the way. This story is set some time after the events of that, and actually I think it's going to be helpful in working out what the endpoint will be like.