Meme to self

[teyla]

How to write a scene you find incredibly hard to get right:

- Whine in countless rants on LJ about how you can't write that scene
- Have another, enjoyable, easy to write WIP on the side
- Watch your favorite HoYaY episode, discuss it to death on LJ
- Stay awake until you're tired enough so your eyes are almost slipping shut on their own accord
- Don't think. Write.

I love what I did there yesterday night. I hope the rest of the fic will look similar when I'm done.

Comments

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

I've actually been struggling with a difficult scene myself. When I get stuck, I seem to do one of three things: I set the story aside for a couple of days or try to plot out some possible scenarios for what could happen in the scene and see what works best or stare at my notebook miserably and, then, finally give up. Actually the last strategy works particularly well because it's often when I walk away from my notebook that I come up with an idea or solve the problem that's been plaguing me.

Umm...I'm not sure if you were actually looking for meme contributions, but I was in the mood for sharing. Hope the rest of your fic goes well. :-)

[teyla]

^^ I always like contributions, and I like discussions, especially about writing ;).

I don't usually get it that I feel absolutely incapable of writing a scene. Sometimes it's slow going, and sometimes I'm not really happy with what I've written, but usually, I am able to come up with something that I can live with.

With this particular scene, I had to do three tries from two different point of views to get it right (and I almost never rewrite scenes. I either throw them out completely, or I replace them with a different scene). I don't really know why I found this one so especially hard to write; it's only House and Wilson having a conversation. I think I found it hard to leave the subtext as subtext and not spell it out ;).

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Sometimes the struggle comes from trying to hit the right emotional key for a scene. I think that's why what should be a simple conversation can be more difficult to write than a description-heavy or plot-heavy scene. And, yes, it's hard to resist subtext sometimes. You don't want to spell it out to your readers, but you also don't want them to miss it if it's there. *g*

[teyla]

trying to hit the right emotional key for a scene

Yes, that can be difficult. I find it especially hard in angsty scenes in which more than one character is involved. I can write House sitting on his couch and bathing in angst, and I can write Wilson sitting in his office and having an angst-fest, but give me a scene with two people angsting together, possibly even about issues that hang between them, brrr. That's what I find incredibly hard to write.

[housepiglet.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... I need to try that. I seem to be suffering from a nasty dose of verbal constipation :)

[teyla]

Oh no! *hands you mild verbal laxative* ;)

As much love as I have for Act Your Age, that episode killed any potential angst in my writing for at least another few days. Can't do angst when I've been squeeing silently to myself for a week! :)