Or is it even possible
TW: Mention of SA 21F. I am diagnosed with OCD and am on medication for the same. When we were 15, I remember pulling my friend's skirt down by mistake. As in, I was sitting on the ground and she was standing, and I used her skirt as support to get up thinking it would be tight, but it was so loose that it fell and exposed her underwear. Either that, or I was just kidding with her by acting like I'll pull her skirt, but little did I know, it was actually loose. I felt so bad as it happened in class. Luckily nobody saw it. She was chill and forgave me immediately. We recently lost touch tho. Anyhow, I thought it was a joke and I still tell people about how funny it was. However I just realised how sjitty it was. I feel bad for spreading the joke with outsiders and for even doing it. It hasnt ruined her reputation or anything and I really dont mean any harm, but still. It's not even a big deal, I randomly remembered it today and now I cant stop obsessing. My OCD tells me what if it was sexual assault.
I'm thinking a lot about the experience of writing fiction, and I'm starting to notice a connection between two questions I've had running in open loops.
- What do people mean when they say they are a discovery writer?
- What do people mean when they say they have writer's block?
I've heard one discovery writer talk about hearing a conversation in her head and copying it down like she's overhearing people speak in a cafe. That has me wondering if there's a correlation with mental imagery and discovery writing.
I had a similar question with writer's block. Are some of the people who experience writer's block having difficulty summoning mental imagery? The problem might not be so much the blank page as the blank mind.
Keep in mind, mental imagery doesn't refer to images alone, but all forms of perception such as sound, scent, and kinaesthetics.
So I have some questions for people who identify as discovery writers or pantsers and those who identify as plotters or developmental writers. When you write, what is your experience of mental imagery like? Below are some terms that might be used.
- Vivid: is the mental imagery similar in strength to a directly experienced sensation as opposed to something faded or muted?
- Coherent: does the mental imagery form a complete whole rather than disjointed, disconnected pieces?
- Specific: Does it seem like a concrete perception as opposed to an abstract amalgamation? A specific church steeple from memory as opposed to an upside "V" as Temple Grandin has put it.
- Spontaneous: does it occur without much conscious direction like you're streaming video or audio live?
- Voluntary: can mental imagery be summoned at will, in particular focused on a consciously directed perception?
- Malleable: once summoned, can it be directed consciously?
Also, is the mental imagery specific to only some senses? Do you hear conversations clearly, but don't see settings? Can you feel the character's movements but can't picture their face?
I know there are many, many questions on this subreddit about different organizational tools, outlines, and methods. There's tons of discussions about the merits of outlining vs writing on the fly. I have read these threads. I have researched the outlines. I am not asking about specific structures to implement in my writing. Instead I would like to know how I can possibly use both of these ideas with my ADHD in mind.
I have problems with both methods. If I don't outline effectively, I lose the plot entirely. I have many started-- and unfortunately abandoned pieces because of this. On the other hand, I can find myself hyperfocusing on my outlines if I put too much thought into them. My outlines become too large and I am unmotivated to actually write the story.
I'm not sure if anyone has the answers or any advice. I know that outlines and writing methods are very different for every person. I also understand that medication could help, but I'm not in a position to be able to take any right now.
At this point I feel more like a collecter of ideas than a writer. I have so many ideas in my head for wild adventures and incredible fantasies, but I struggle with finding a way to put those on paper. Too often my brain deems that unrewarding, so i just focus on one character for months at a time and then forget my idea.
Does anyone else in this sub have ADHD? Or possibly any nugget of advice?
I'm a detail plotter. The benefit is that once I start writing I don't have to think ahead. I already know what happens, who says what; I have a mental image of the setting and can describe it easily. The consequence is that it takes a LOT of time to do this and I feel like I can't start writing until I know everything in the story.
I want to get out of that habit and do more of a plot/pants hybrid, but when I try pantsing I end up staring at the screen, spinning my wheels as I try to imagine what happens in the scene, what the environment looks like, etc. The end result is that my writing time is wasted with dead air instead of my fingers whizzing over the keyboard.
I'm stuck trying to shift my mindset from plotting out ever detail to creating on the fly. Any advice how to do this?
Looking to do a wedgie, humiliation and pantsing rp. We can also just chat and share stories/fantasy's about them. Must be 18+. M22 usa
Pantsing is both a wonderful and terrible thing. You almost never know what'll happen next when you write. Laying plans never works because your characters will, inevitably, find a way to screw it all up.
But sometimes, things somehow all come together.
Currently almost done with a fic and the chapter I'm writing ties a lot of things together with a neat little bow. I did not plan on this. The idea was just a vague one: FMC will talk to MMC's really old horse he rode. And the horse is making FMC call on everything MMC has done to realise he has no ulterior motives.
I love it when this happens. It makes it feel like you were working toward a goal when you really just came up with the vague idea of what happens two chapters ago. And you had no idea how the conversation would go.
Not really today, this happened 2 days ago and I procrastinated posting this for a bit lol.
Lemme give ya some backstory. Alright, so I'm in this day summer camp thingy for teenagers where they just come for a few hours to do stuff, like arts and crafts or hanging out with their friends or just doing teenager stuff. All the kids are 12-15. One day we went to the local swimming poo (10-minute walk).
Now for the action. After about an hour in the pool, my friends and I (all M13, I'm a trans guy but everyone thinks of me as a boy) are chilling at the edge of the deep end, talking about movies or something, I don't remember. I swim a little too close to one guy named Rowan and my fingers accidentally catch the edge of his swim shorts as I'm treading water. He turns around and looks at me like 0__0. The conversation continues something like this:
Rowan: "DUDE DID YOU JUST TRY TO PULL DOWN MY PANTS?!"
Me: *blushing from embarrassment* "WHAT?! N-NO! I- I- I- UH, SORRY!"
Rowan: "Wait, do you, like... like boys or something?"
Bisexual panic ensues. I don't want to tell him I like boys because then he'll think I have feelings for him, but I'm an honest person, so I don't want to lie.
Me: "Yes! I mean, no!"
Rowan:
Rowan: Are you sure?
Me: No! I mean, yes!
Awkward silence. I look away from him in embarrassment. I'm too nervous to say anything to him now. I try to change the topic, but every time he looks at me, I look away shyly. It was really awkward. Even though he's not my type at all and I am in no way attracted to him, I'm 99% sure he thinks I have a crush on him. FML.
TL;DR Don't swim too close to your friends or you'll end up on r/SuddenlyGay.
Come chat with me! We can talk about wedgies and humiliations. Share story's and talk about humiliating situations.
Sometimes I'm glad I'm a pantser because just letting my mind come up with its own ideas is really interesting. I can come up with stuff by sitting down and sorting through it logically, but there's sometimes nothing more satisfying than just letting your brain run wild.
I'm planning to do a reincarnation shipfic and I'm doing brainstorming right now. I came in with only one vague idea of things and it was literally only one location.
My brain turned this entire setup into what's essentially a role reversal for the characters compared to canon. The one that was basically nobility in canon is now from the absolute fringes of society. The one from the fringes of society in canon is now the high noble. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out!
This may be obvious (it's pantsing man, plow on), but say you're churning out a first draft by the seat of your pants, and you decide you need a character you'd killed a few chapters back. Would you go back to that chapter and edit to not kill him, or just say "screw it" and worry about that in the next draft?
People reference plot holes when pantsing, and I'd assumed they meant more subtle things, but trying this out now I'm wondering if the pants community really means the kind of plothole you could drive a bus through.
Thanks.
Please help me because I'm so confused with myself right now! Sorry in advance if my English is faulty but worry not, the book I'm writing is in my native language. Basically, I'm at a loss right now because after a 3-year hiatus I've gone back to writing, and it seems like I just can't pants anymore. I used to only be able to write by pantsing, because outlines bored me of my story. And now I'm having a huge block because I've written 1000 words, and I just find myself constantly peeking into my very rough outline for guidance when there is none. I'm really confused and I'm considering switching to plotting but i have no idea even where to start. Also I'm really stressed out with the thought that if I plot, I'll just bore myself with my own story just like I did before. Any people who have experienced this and have any advice for me?
In my current tale, I have two distinct narratives (that will intersect at the climax), one of which is throughly plotted out; yet other then a vague idea, I plan to Pants the other.
I suppose it depends on the story of course, but have any of you done something like this? Would it be advisable? Or do you think there's a possibility of veering off track into a manure pit of plot holes?
So, when I was about four years old, we had a family friend that would do this fun trick with me. I would hold his hands and lift my legs to rest on his thighs and then he would flip me over and I would feel like some professional acrobat or something.
Anyways, one time he was in the kitchen with my dad and one other dude talking when I clung onto his leg and started bugging him to do the flip thing but he kept pushing me away because he was in the middle of a conversation.
So when he went back to talking, I went behind him, put both my hands in his back pockets and jumped - thinking his trousers would hold up my weight - but then his trousers fell down and he basically just stood in his underwear in front of two grown men and a toddler.
Yup.
This is the first year that I haven't gone into NaNo with an outline... but somehow I'm easily meeting the daily goals? I'm completely surprised because the past few years I've tried both plantsing and thoroughly planning and neither really got me anywhere. The closest I've gotten to winning a year was the year that I sat down and wrote out a chapter to chapter outline and even then I only got to about 35k words just because I wasn't meeting the daily goals.
(Then again, this is only the fourth day so far, so we'll see how long this holds haha)
