{ ＩＮＫＬＩＮＧＳ v.4 } A Thread For Writers

[The Worst Username]

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[b]How do you write events that you have never gone through and probably never will (e.g., a near-death experience)?[/b]

[peachycupcake525]

How do you write events that you have never gone through and probably never will (e.g., a near-death experience)?

I can't think of a time when I really wrote that, but I believe I would just try to be vague about it and try my best. Most of my writing doesn't really describe anything at all well (I used to have like no dialogue and just say what they did, and now I mostly just have dialogue, so there's always something I'm lacking in) so it's not really out of place.

[TheSongOfTheStars]

How do you write events that you have never gone through and probably never will (e.g., a near-death experience)?
Yeah. Serious injuries, dragon flights, marriages. Mostly I try to focus more on the character's feelings about the event rather than details.

[Silverhart]

How do you write events that you have never gone through and probably never will (e.g., a near-death experience)?

Research, research, research and a huge helping of empathy. Perfect example: one of my characters is a man dealing with depression in the 18th century. I've never had depression, though I can certainly empathize with people who do. And I've also never lived in the 18th century before. Obviously depression is a very sensitive subject, and one I want to represent correctly, and as empathetic as I may be, the best thing to do is research. Research it both from a clinical point of view (what are the symptoms, the underlying causes, and treatments, etc.), and from a personal point of view (how do people with depression live with it and describe it). And then I have the added pleasure of doing the historical research (what was the view on mental health back then, what were the common treatments, what were the general medical beliefs etc.). So a lot goes into it. And then at the end of the day I have to think about my own limited experiences, and apply that.

I'm personally a firm believer in "Write what you don't know." Writing what you don't know is actually a great way to learn more about the world and about yourself and others, though you do have to be sensitive and always do your research and double and triple check sources. It can be exhausting, but at the end of the day it's worth it. It also really helps me to read novels written on the subject, to see how other authors handle the subject matter. If I'm lucky they might even include a bibliography. XP

[cocoa]

How do you write events that you have never gone through and probably never will (e.g., a near-death experience)?

Like Silverhart I also like to do lots of research! Or I draw on research I've already done, things I've learned in previous history classes, or some experiences I've had that definitely don't match up to, say, a near-death experience, but have some underlying feelings from possible similar experiences (nearly accidentally falling off a cliff, maybe, or having your parents nearly die). Of course that isn't enough, so you gotta do the extra research, but I am normally able to find the little things to draw off of. Drawing 'experiences' from movies you've watched or other books can work as well, even if at times it may not be as accurate as it could be, especially if said books or movies aren't legitimate representations of experiences during the time.

Once I've got the info I need to write I just try to write as I normally would. If it's too difficult I'll just try a different approach to the event.

[Musicality]

How do you write events that you have never gone through and probably never will (e.g., a near-death experience)?

With my imagination. I'm able to actually put myself into any situation and experience it as if it was happening. Like, I block out reality and go somewhere else.

[kolechia]

How do you write events that you have never gone through and probably never will (e.g., a near-death experience)?

I try to avoid doing writing about events I've never gone through if possible as I don't want to create anything that could be hurtful or disrespectful. I'm currently writing about life in the 1980s, a time period when I wasn't born. I've done lots of research but I don't really trust the internet that much. I mostly just talk to my grandparents as this is the time period they talk about the most. For information about War and conflict I talk to my dad to gather research as he literally fought in a war (and plus his war stories are both amazing and hilarious).

My main method is trying to talk to people who have experienced things I haven't rather than use the internet (I do that as a last resort). For some reason talking to people helps me picture the whole ordeal in a better way and I can, therefore, write it more realistically. I've never forced anyone to talk about this things mind you because some of the stuff I need is very sensitive. I've managed to gather information from a few friends and family to write about certain topics such as:

Anxiety
Depression
The effects of smoking
War and conflict
triggers and so on

In addition to what I've said, I've watched a few documentaries and taken notes. I try to put myself in other people's shoes and I'm able to picture being in their situation. I find doing research like this oddly charming as it is such an amazing feeling learning about situations you are not familiar with, it helps me be less narrow minded! :)

[Ranger of the North]

How do you write events that you have never gone through and probably never will (e.g., a near-death experience)?
Ahaha. *laughs bitterly* To be honest with you, I've been through a lot. So it's not too hard. If I'm writing about, say, a character's loved-one nearly dying (or actually dying) in a car-crash, I'll draw upon my memories of when Grandma died and/or my brothers' life-saving surgeries, etc. etc. They weren't from car crashes, but you get what I mean right? In the rare event that I haven't experienced something, I usually imagine myself in that situation or look it up or ask people I know. (like broken bones. I'm curious as to what that feels like, is that bad? XD so I'm planning on asking Mum + cuzzies + friends about it sometime cx)

[emoji movie]

wow a lot has passed since i was last here :>

What is one thing that you regret writing?

oooh boy
even though 'everything you wrote is just a step', i literally regret writing everything before 2016.
like, my writing was so crappy, cliched, and pathetic, just thinking back to it makes me cringe.
i'm remebering this one piece i did in grade three when i somehow mispelt 'the'?? like, how in the
world does someone manage to misspell a word you learn in kindergarten that is a mere three letters
long?


How does your tone differ depending on whether you're writing something you love or something
you hate?

when i'm writing something i have like 0 passion for, my tone is clipped and rushed. it's painfully
obvious if you read some of my works. scenes jump quickly, there's less of a musical tone when you
read my writing, and the descriptions are bland and less welcoming.


What's the last writing project you abandoned?

what project haven't i abandoned? lmao
probably a story that i was really passionate about, but had like 0 motivation after writing the
first chapter. it was about a girl whose father was being convicted of murders he didn't commit, and
a boy who had photographic memory but no recollection of his life. the girl had a camera that could
capture photos of the dead, and the story was set somewhere in the 1900s.


How do you write events that you have never gone through and probably never will (e.g., a
near-death experience)?

for things that have to be historically accurate-- i research. for things that are about the character's
emotions and feelings-- i exaggerate basic ideas i know about it, and turn it so it's a hecka lot more
angsty. haha, i know this sounds really weird, but when writing about depression or captivity or
something like that, i always think 'okay, so how would this probably feel in real life? great, now
make that hurt even more'. my writing is more of a 'hey how many metaphors can we fit in before it
becomes lame?' kind of thing (unless i'm writing an actual story), so emotions and exaggeration is
very important. for example; if i'm writing a scene where someone is finding the corpse of their lover,
i'd take the words 'shocked' and 'sad' and expand on them with metaphors and descriptions and stuff.
woo for my terrible explanation ;P

---

also is anyone here doing camp nano?

[Pyjaks]

Ranger mentioned doing it a few posts back, and I'm thinking about it!