Writing process, things slow down

[designatedvictim]

I've just submitted a new story.

It was intended as a bit of a 'palette cleanser' to refresh me before I go back to my primary multi-part story.

When I started it I was targeting, perhaps, 10K - 12K-words. I was despairing of even reaching that total. The first two days, I pounded out over 6K-words.

I didn't expect it to take more than a week to ten days to finish.

The story uses a simple framing mechanism of the two characters drinking coffee on the balcony, watching sunrises each day.

I did add a secondary framing mechanism where they ran a nightly movie marathon and shared hugs on the way to bed.

Both bits allow their interactions to escalate daily.

Well, it's been a month now, I just submitted it and it weighs in at a hair under 40K-words.

The size, in and of itself, isn't my real problem. I know I don't know when to shut up.

What I noticed toward the end is that my habit of just dropping [Insert Scene] placeholders in the body of the text. I write the parts that flow easily, then I go back and fill in those little connecting scenes. I ususally have a rough idea of what these scenes should be, before I move forward.

The problem I seem to run into (on both projects) was that as I get closer and closer to being done, those connecting parts seem to take me longer and longer to get written.

Basically, I'm wondering, when others are writing, do you put place-holders in to go back to and flesh out later? And does it become harder to actually finish them?

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Placeholders, no. Personally, I tend to draft scenes here and there and, like drops of ink expanding on a cloth, allow it to develop by the scenes meeting. YMMV, but it works for me.

 

[YmaOHyd]

Basically, I'm wondering, when others are writing, do you put place-holders in to go back to and flesh out later? And does it become harder to actually finish them?

I can't, at least not full scenes. The story will roll off in a direction I'm not expecting. Sometimes I'll put in a note to describe something more fully, especially if I realize I've given some information about what the paramour character looks like but not the narrator, which is a failing of mine in first-person stories. But if I try putting a full scene in between two bits I've already written, there's a good chance I'll need to trash most of what comes after the new scene.

 

[APilgrimSquare]

I used to. Now I just keep writing. If something needs to happen for plot purposes but I don’t know how to write it, or the writing of it doesn’t jump right out at me, I’ll just move right ahead and reference it in passing, if necessary. And if I don’t know how to write it, I question whether it really needs to happen at all.

 

[ronde]

Basically, I'm wondering, when others are writing, do you put place-holders in to go back to and flesh out later? And does it become harder to actually finish them?

Not a placeholder per se, but occasionally I leave myself notes when my characters have twisted my planned plot and I need to correct something that needs to happen before. I'll leave myself a note in red text of what I need to correct so I don't miss it.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Basically, I'm wondering, when others are writing, do you put place-holders in to go back to and flesh out later? And does it become harder to actually finish them?

Never. In EB world, if a scene isn't ready to be written, the characters aren't ready for whatever it is (usually the sex scene). So they, in the story, go off and do something else, and when they're ready, the scene gets written.

But then, I'm a pure pantser, so there's no fucking about with outlines and plot points and planning. That stuff just gets in the way.

 

[Mal_Bey]

I do occasionally put in a marker that I need to write something at a point, but generally don't let it get to the size of a scene. In my latest tale I did it for a witty line that I knew went at a certain point, but I hadn't found the exact line yet. Another case was names I hadn't profiled and thought through yet. It was a bit ugly in that I am introducing a few peripheral characters all together in the same scene. I was writing a four person dialog scene, and I only knew the name of one of them. B-)

 

[StillStunned]

I occasionally use placeholders. More often for sex scenes nowadays than for anything else. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood for writing sex.

 

[onehitwanda]

Placeholders, no. Personally, I tend to draft scenes here and there and, like drops of ink expanding on a cloth, allow it to develop by the scenes meeting. YMMV, but it works for me.

 

[Cagivagurl]

Personally... Placeholders are a good thing for me, mostly because I don't really know what's gonna happen next...
I don't plan out my story in advance, it just happens, and I make it up as I go along... Sometimes, when I have a vague idea of where I think it's going, and suddenly... Boom, it's going in another directipon. I'll use a place holder... So if I change my mind, I can go back to it...

There are other times, when I've not settled on parts of the story, I'll move on and then come back when I'm more certain...

If I wasn't so undecided, I'd be a procrastinator...

Cagivagurl

 

[designatedvictim]

Personally... Placeholders are a good thing for me, mostly because I don't really know what's gonna happen next...
I don't plan out my story in advance, it just happens, and I make it up as I go along... Sometimes, when I have a vague idea of where I think it's going, and suddenly... Boom, it's going in another directipon. I'll use a place holder... So if I change my mind, I can go back to it...

There are other times, when I've not settled on parts of the story, I'll move on and then come back when I'm more certain...

If I wasn't so undecided, I'd be a procrastinator...

Cagivagurl

As a general rule, the vague entries I put in my WIPs that say [Insert Scene] usually already has some amorphous form in my mind, but I don't want to write it right then.

Like with my first project, I've already written a good 40K+ words following my immediate placeholder (there are more downstream), but I'm tripping over pulling the trigger on the one scene.

It's a FFF threesome which my viewpoint male character is being told about. Under 4K words.

I know its porn, but I want to at least pretend its semi-plausible.

And, since I've never participated in such, I'm an M, I've been reluctant to post what I have, just to move on past the roadblock.

 

[Cagivagurl]

As a general rule, the vague entries I put in my WIPs that say [Insert Scene] usually already has some amorphous form in my mind, but I don't want to write it right then.

Like with my first project, I've already written a good 40K+ words following my immediate placeholder (there are more downstream), but I'm tripping over pulling the trigger on the one scene.

It's a FFF threesome which my viewpoint male character is being told about. Under 4K words.

I know its porn, but I want to at least pretend its semi-plausible.

And, since I've never participated in such, I'm an M, I've been reluctant to post what I have, just to move on past the roadblock.

Yes, the sense of reality is important. Even in porn, it has to sound plausible...
I often stall the sex scenes until the end... I always find them the most boring to fill in...
Once you've written a couple. They all sound, or feel the same...
There have been other scenes, which I stalled because I couldn't make them work...

For sex scenes, where you have no experience of... You just have to go with what feels natural...
A lot of the plausibility comes in the set up. In your case... Why would the 3 women have sex. or want to have sex...
Is it an experiment, are they all mutually attracted. Is one reticent, but involved because she's into one of the females???
That's where you would have to build the plausibility... The motive... The why...

It's not just a female thing... Think about it from a male perspective. Why would you want to have sex with 3 men???
There has to be a motive to drive you...

Obviously the participants would have to be at least bi, or gay...

My suggestion to help would be to read a lot of lesbian stories, try and extract some of the mechanics from that. Or find a female with some experience to help write it...


Cagivagurl

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

What I noticed toward the end is that my habit of just dropping [Insert Scene] placeholders in the body of the text. I write the parts that flow easily, then I go back and fill in those little connecting scenes. I ususally have a rough idea of what these scenes should be, before I move forward.

The problem I seem to run into (on both projects) was that as I get closer and closer to being done, those connecting parts seem to take me longer and longer to get written.

Basically, I'm wondering, when others are writing, do you put place-holders in to go back to and flesh out later? And does it become harder to actually finish them?

Absolutely. I treat my stories like a I'm filming a movie - I almost never do things in order, instead dropping comments like <SEX SCENE> and then coming back to it later. I find the sex scenes tend to take the longest, because I like to describe the action and that requires me thinking about body placement, and the like and that's harder than just exposition.

Anytime I writing anything kinetic, whether it's an action scene or a sex scene, it takes longer, and I often will do those last, once I get the body done.

This does, sometimes, feel like I'm eating dessert first and then I have to go back and choke down the brussels sprouts.

I don't think it makes it harder, honestly, because once I have got the bulk of the story done, the momentum to get it finished and edited takes over and I can usually push through. And if I'm having trouble with a sex scene, this is one of the few places where I can fudge, go find a video on a porn site and watch it, and throw in some of what I'm seeing to help get me through it.

Nobody is filming porno with intricate business/international intrigue plots, so that stuff I have to do myself, but the sex part I can use somebody else's notes sometimes.

 

[designatedvictim]

Yes, the sense of reality is important. Even in porn, it has to sound plausible...
I often stall the sex scenes until the end... I always find them the most boring to fill in...
Once you've written a couple. They all sound, or feel the same...
There have been other scenes, which I stalled because I couldn't make them work...

Yeah... I have already run into the "Not another sex scene!" reluctance, but I usually get past it. Even with differing circumstances and participants, a sense of sameness does seem to raise its ugly head.

For sex scenes, where you have no experience of... You just have to go with what feels natural...
A lot of the plausibility comes in the set up. In your case... Why would the 3 women have sex. or want to have sex...
Is it an experiment, are they all mutually attracted. Is one reticent, but involved because she's into one of the females???
That's where you would have to build the plausibility... The motive... The why...

This is a girl whose last boyfriend broke up with her badly months ago, visiting two of her friends at their college dorm. She's known them for 5+ years each. Unknown to her, they started getting... experimental when they started rooming together, months previously.

They started playing when she was still asleep, it was kind of a setup of her to see just how she'd react.

This comes at her kinda cold.

Once they know she's awake, they give her a few options, go for a walk, stay and watch, or join them.

She opts to watch. Eventually wanting to join in and not sure how to make a move to do so.

Sounds pretty standard, to me.

 

[Audiflex]

I've just submitted a new story.

It was intended as a bit of a 'palette cleanser' to refresh me before I go back to my primary multi-part story.

When I started it I was targeting, perhaps, 10K - 12K-words. I was despairing of even reaching that total. The first two days, I pounded out over 6K-words.

I didn't expect it to take more than a week to ten days to finish.

The story uses a simple framing mechanism of the two characters drinking coffee on the balcony, watching sunrises each day.

I did add a secondary framing mechanism where they ran a nightly movie marathon and shared hugs on the way to bed.

Both bits allow their interactions to escalate daily.

Well, it's been a month now, I just submitted it and it weighs in at a hair under 40K-words.

The size, in and of itself, isn't my real problem. I know I don't know when to shut up.

What I noticed toward the end is that my habit of just dropping [Insert Scene] placeholders in the body of the text. I write the parts that flow easily, then I go back and fill in those little connecting scenes. I ususally have a rough idea of what these scenes should be, before I move forward.

The problem I seem to run into (on both projects) was that as I get closer and closer to being done, those connecting parts seem to take me longer and longer to get written.

Basically, I'm wondering, when others are writing, do you put place-holders in to go back to and flesh out later? And does it become harder to actually finish them?

Haha, I feel this so much! It’s like the closer you get to the end, the harder those little connecting scenes become. I totally get using placeholders, it’s such a great way to keep the momentum going when the ideas are flowing. But yeah, coming back to fill them in can feel like pulling teeth, especially when you’re so close to finishing. I think it’s pretty common, though. Maybe it’s because by that point, you’re so invested in the story that you want those final scenes to be just right. Either way, congrats on hitting 40K, that’s a huge accomplishment! Now go celebrate before diving back into your multi-part story!

 

[Audiflex]

Personally... Placeholders are a good thing for me, mostly because I don't really know what's gonna happen next...
I don't plan out my story in advance, it just happens, and I make it up as I go along... Sometimes, when I have a vague idea of where I think it's going, and suddenly... Boom, it's going in another directipon. I'll use a place holder... So if I change my mind, I can go back to it...

There are other times, when I've not settled on parts of the story, I'll move on and then come back when I'm more certain...

If I wasn't so undecided, I'd be a procrastinator...

Cagivagurl

Placeholders are such a lifesaver when you’re a “pantser” and just letting the story unfold as you go. It’s so cool how stories can take unexpected turns, and having those placeholders gives you the flexibility to pivot without getting stuck. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with being undecided, it’s all part of the creative process.

 

[designatedvictim]

Haha, I feel this so much! It’s like the closer you get to the end, the harder those little connecting scenes become. I totally get using placeholders, it’s such a great way to keep the momentum going when the ideas are flowing. But yeah, coming back to fill them in can feel like pulling teeth, especially when you’re so close to finishing. I think it’s pretty common, though. Maybe it’s because by that point, you’re so invested in the story that you want those final scenes to be just right.

It's good to know there are a couple of others who share my pain.

Not because 'misery loves company,' but simply because I'm not alone.

Either way, congrats on hitting 40K, that’s a huge accomplishment! Now go celebrate before diving back into your multi-part story!

According to Word, it's not quite that much. 39.4K.

I'm also convinced that Word counts my scene breaks ('* * * * *') as five words.

 

[Northstar4695]

I leave myself notes and placeholders. As others have said, it's often the spicy scenes that I put off. I'll leave a simple note like [then they BANG], and I'll have a laugh when I see it again. The scenes I am excited about always get written first, but then it can be a slog to do the nuts and bolts work of tying it together.

 

[Audiflex]

It's good to know there are a couple of others who share my pain.

Not because 'misery loves company,' but simply because I'm not alone.


According to Word, it's not quite that much. 39.4K.

I'm also convinced that Word counts my scene breaks ('* * * * *') as five words.

Haha, Word’s word count can be such a troll, those scene breaks probably are throwing it off! And you’re definitely not alone in the writing struggles; it’s comforting to know others are in the same boat.

 

[designatedvictim]

Haha, Word’s word count can be such a troll, those scene breaks probably are throwing it off! And you’re definitely not alone in the writing struggles; it’s comforting to know others are in the same boat.

After posting that last message, I checked. Pasted the scene break in a blank document. 5 words.

There are 71 scene breaks threaded through the thing!

 

[beliefofmine]

I've just submitted a new story.

It was intended as a bit of a 'palette cleanser' to refresh me before I go back to my primary multi-part story.

When I started it I was targeting, perhaps, 10K - 12K-words. I was despairing of even reaching that total. The first two days, I pounded out over 6K-words.

I didn't expect it to take more than a week to ten days to finish.

The story uses a simple framing mechanism of the two characters drinking coffee on the balcony, watching sunrises each day.

I did add a secondary framing mechanism where they ran a nightly movie marathon and shared hugs on the way to bed.

Both bits allow their interactions to escalate daily.

Well, it's been a month now, I just submitted it and it weighs in at a hair under 40K-words.

The size, in and of itself, isn't my real problem. I know I don't know when to shut up.

What I noticed toward the end is that my habit of just dropping [Insert Scene] placeholders in the body of the text. I write the parts that flow easily, then I go back and fill in those little connecting scenes. I ususally have a rough idea of what these scenes should be, before I move forward.

The problem I seem to run into (on both projects) was that as I get closer and closer to being done, those connecting parts seem to take me longer and longer to get written.

Basically, I'm wondering, when others are writing, do you put place-holders in to go back to and flesh out later? And does it become harder to actually finish them?

Interesting. I think I have the opposite problem. I have the scenes in my mind, but I have to find a way to get to the scene without just dropping it without context.

 

[Cagivagurl]

Yeah... I have already run into the "Not another sex scene!" reluctance, but I usually get past it. Even with differing circumstances and participants, a sense of sameness does seem to raise its ugly head.



This is a girl whose last boyfriend broke up with her badly months ago, visiting two of her friends at their college dorm. She's known them for 5+ years each. Unknown to her, they started getting... experimental when they started rooming together, months previously.

They started playing when she was still asleep, it was kind of a setup of her to see just how she'd react.

This comes at her kinda cold.

Once they know she's awake, they give her a few options, go for a walk, stay and watch, or join them.

She opts to watch. Eventually wanting to join in and not sure how to make a move to do so.

Sounds pretty standard, to me.

I'm not so sure it's standard....
For me it would be as scary as fuck to wake up and find somebody sexually assaulting me...
Regardless of their gender, unless you've talked about it and fooled around prior to that moment.
I would wake up swinging and kicking and of course screaming the house down...
It's what I was trying to allude to earlier...
Plausibility...A Woman wakes to find she's being assaulted... Read above...

To build it into something plausible, you need to spend a lot of energy in building towards the scene...
Perhaps she has watched the other two, and feels really comfortable in their presence, likes them... She has to like them enough not to beat them to death when she wakes...

Build to prelude, some kissing, some gentle caressing, fondling.
Perhaps she's not totally on board, but she has to be invested enough to allow the main scene...

It's all in the build up... The self questioning about whether she's really prepared to jump in... A little angst.... Not reluctance, but reticence...
The questioning... Why is she so aroused watching her dorm mates... What is it that excites her.... Does she feel aroused... Some goose bumps... A light flush...
Moments that build credibility...

Imagine your response if you found two men assaulting you in the middle of the night... If you're into it all good, but. If you're not at least mildly interested. You start screaming and punching....

To make it believable, the reader must think... "Yeah, I could see that happening....

These of course are only my thoughts. I'm not an expert, or speaking for anybody else.

Cagivagurl

 

[designatedvictim]

I'm not so sure it's standard....
For me it would be as scary as fuck to wake up and find somebody sexually assaulting me...
Regardless of their gender, unless you've talked about it and fooled around prior to that moment.
I would wake up swinging and kicking and of course screaming the house down...
It's what I was trying to allude to earlier...
Plausibility...A Woman wakes to find she's being assaulted... Read above...

Oh, she was alone in one bed and the two roommates were in the other.

No one touched her.

She watches briefly, then gets up to approach them.

When the roommates notice her, they start discussing things.

 

[alohadave]

What I noticed toward the end is that my habit of just dropping [Insert Scene] placeholders in the body of the text. I write the parts that flow easily, then I go back and fill in those little connecting scenes. I ususally have a rough idea of what these scenes should be, before I move forward.

Yes, all the time. I even use [] in the text.

 

[Audiflex]

After posting that last message, I checked. Pasted the scene break in a blank document. 5 words.

There are 71 scene breaks threaded through the thing!

Damn that's crazy