The Collaborative Writers' Club

[I'm Not The Only One]

I hope it's not toooo embarrassing for me to say I've never heard of any of those methods, unless I've heard of them with a different name xD. My personal method is probaby what everyone will tell you NOT to do, as it's very messy, and it probably won't help you much if you're getting stuck.

So first of all I write out character sheets for all the mains, like their personality, history {{Usually very detailed}} and other things like that. Then, I will listen to music, usually with lyrics, and make up a plot, could take a week or so, and then I will literally dive into it xD. Not much help I know, but it's how I roll haha.

[QUITLIKEFOURYEARSAGO]

When I get my plot ideas its a lot of times either because I've been inspired by a certain song or if I'm just doing stuff like for example the novel I'm starting I got the plot while walking back from school one day.

[OrangeNeon]

Both amber. and One Day More are accepted! Thank you both very much for joining! c:

@Lorde. & .:: MacGyver ::., Thank you both for that! Perhaps I should begin to compile myself a sort of writing playlist, or playlists. c: I do believe instrumentals would be more personally suited to me, as I have a tendency to sing along to everything loudly and off-key, which is mildly detrimental to the writing process. :p

On another note -how do you guys find yourselves plotting your novels?
I've found myself stuck in a sort of all-or-nothing rut; I'll either spend so long plotting something that I lose my muse and leave it to rot, or do absolutely no plotting whatsoever, and leap right in and end up getting stuck at some point. D: It may be two pages in, it may be 27, but it always happens. I've heard a lot of praise for the recipe-card method, and the basic plot triangle.

Why wasn't I accepted?

[videlicet]

@OrangeNeon, Because I forgot to write your username. *rolls into corner of eternal shame* You are very much accepted, as well! I'm sorry, please forgive me. D:

@Lorde., It's not embarrassing at all! The recipe card method is when you figure out major plot points on things that can be shifted around in sequence (like recipe cards), so that you can fiddle with things before refining them and so forth. The plot triangle is just figuring out the major points of the novel: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement. It's called a triangle because those events, ordered in sequence, are often depicted as such (well, more or less).
And, that's certainly an interesting method! (Hey, if it works for you. :p)

@One Day More, I know the feeling! I'm generally more afflicted by the latter; the plot I'm wrestling with right now hit me over the head in the middle of a swim practice a few months back.

[OrangeNeon]

It's fine! Mistakes happen ^^

[I'm Not The Only One]

@OrangeNeon, Because I forgot to write your username. *rolls into corner of eternal shame* You are very much accepted, as well! I'm sorry, please forgive me. D:

@Lorde., It's not embarrassing at all! The recipe card method is when you figure out major plot points on things that can be shifted around in sequence (like recipe cards), so that you can fiddle with things before refining them and so forth. The plot triangle is just figuring out the major points of the novel: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement. It's called a triangle because those events, ordered in sequence, are often depicted as such (well, more or less).
And, that's certainly an interesting method! (Hey, if it works for you. :p)

@One Day More, I know the feeling! I'm generally more afflicted by the latter; the plot I'm wrestling with right now hit me over the head in the middle of a swim practice a few months back.

Thanks for explaining

[QUITLIKEFOURYEARSAGO]

I am running out of ideas... me, my mom, and her writing friend do little writing sessions (we write in our own story's for a limited time,etc) and I am loosing right now I am completely out of Ideas, what to do to my characters and such or how to make things fit... I am now deep in writers block :\

[videlicet]

@Lorde., No problem! c: I'm always more than happy to offer clarification wherever possible.

@One Day More, Oh no! D: I know how you feel -I was going to spend this summer fleshing out my novel's plot, but I seem to have been afflicted by the same beast as you. Writer's block is terrible. I went a-searching through the bottomless chasm that is the internet, and fished up some advice on how to beat it. It sounds pretty feasible (I know I'm gonna give it a try).
Taking a break was a suggestion that continued to crop up; go do something else (exercise, especially), change your scenery, read a new book in a genre you haven't much explored. Taking a break to change things up is a(n almost) surefire idea for idea generation.
Pinpointing what is going wrong is crucial, as well. Look at your characters, see what they're doing that doesn't fit, how they don't fit... and then go at them with a chainsaw. Determination and sheer stubbornness are the key to writing. Sometimes, there is no way to effectively run away from the problems -the only way to defeat them is to run at them head-on, all the while screaming your best interpretation of a war cry. Inspirational music and good food are important things to have in your arsenal for this. :p
Some important things to remember are that you are in control -you're in charge of this story world, and you have the final say. If you want to do something crazy (and, occasionally, that's what it takes!), stir the pot a bit (or a lot), then you have the right to do so. Sometimes it takes setting something on fire (not just metaphorically) to jumpstart things. Make crazy leaps, deviate from your outline (if you have one), pick the least feasible scenario and outcome possible, and start writing. If things don't turn out, there's always the backspace (or the eraser). c:

[amber.]

Question for everyone:

Do you guys find it easier to write in first person or in some variation of third person?

And...

Do you think there are certain advantages to either one?

[videlicet]

@ʀᴏsᴇ ; , Accepted, indeed! Thank you very much for joining! (That is an impressive amount of experience you have; I must say I'm rather green with envy! :p)

@amber., That's an excellent question! I myself have always preferred third person limited (occasionally third person limited omniscient), for reasons that I can't quite put a finger on. I've always been hesitant to step out of my comfort zone (which works to my detriment), and third person has always been my go-to perspective.
I think that there are certainly advantages to each one! First person is very up close and personal; it provides an intimate view of the world the narrator is living in. It's reader-friendly, I guess -the narrator is talking to you, 'confiding' in you, almost. It can be tricky, though, because you have to have a deep understanding of who the character is before you can get into their head. You have to be careful to write in a way that reflects their education, their intelligence, their personality, experiences, etc. As well, if you're looking to be published -certain genres have a predisposition for or against that narrative style.
The benefits to third person are also numerous; it is a very flexible writing style. You can choose to be almost as personal as first person if you choose third person limited with a single character whose thought processes are quite enunciated and commented upon. You can write in the perspectives of two, or three, or four, or ten different characters -either by devoting certain chapters/sections to them (limited omniscient), or leaping from character to character (true omniscient). Third person is the most common perspective to write in (excluding teen fiction, where, apparently, first person has become more prevalent), so it won't much impact your chances of being published, no matter which genre you're working on.
There are a plethora of reasons, but I believe the pros and cons tend to balance each other out -it all boils down to personal preference, really. :p