It can take me a long time to get something written down, even when I'm excited about the idea and already have thoughts on how I'll handle the topic.
I've found that when I wait like this, though, almost as if I'm letting the idea steep in my brain, so that the flavors can unfurl and mix so that they don't feel forced or incongruous, the scene manages to play itself out, leading naturally to the next event I want to introduce. The other details trickle in slowly, infusing their little quirks into the spaces that are left, until the idea seems heavy and full, ready to be spilled out onto paper.
Once the idea begins to percolate (ha!), that's when I sit down at the computer and type the scene out madly. Naturally, I may add or rewrite parts later, but after the steeping process, the idea has generally found its own solid footing, whatever meaning it brings to the story, and the other necessary details have fallen into place. At that point, I often feel as though the scene could never have happened any other way.
R.D.
There is often a serious lack of resolution, of closure, in dramatic works. Can you imagine if someone asked you an important question, and you simply stared back at them and then turned around and walked away? (Happens on TV and in the movies all the time!) Or if you were only aware of the beginnings or endings of some of your conversations? (Books leave out parts of conversations all the time...it'd be boring otherwise!) What if something quite important was about to happen, but (as always!) a phone call or unexpected visitor derailed the action? (I have to admit this has happened to me far more often in real life than I would have predicted.)
Could we live with so much uncertainty in real life?
I think not. When we ask questions, we want answers. We don't want to be left hanging for the information to be revealed at the best dramatic moment, whether it be several days later or several decades later. We'd run after the person leaving. We'd insist until we got an answer.
When we miss part of a conversation, we want to know what was said while we were gone. When we are interrupted, we try (often unsuccessfully) to recapture the moment that was lost.
Yet, there is something to be said for the excitement of uncertainty. Perhaps, then, to avoid boring ourselves and others, we should consider removing ourselves from conversations and situations before they've fully played out to their logical end. Always leave them wanting more, right?
I'm going on my dream vacation. Bye! :)
Ren D.
There are certainly moments when I just don't feel like writing, or when I don't feel like writing a particular chapter or scene.
I let my mood grab me and work on the scene I'm the most excited about at the time or the scene where the atmosphere or tension most fits what I am experiencing in real life. There's always editing later. I'd rather have the words, the thoughts, the feelings flowing because I'm in that place or in that mindset at the moment than have my fingers stuttering, trying to squeeze incongruent words out on the computer keyboard.
This doesn't mean what I do doesn't require imagination. It always does -- and I enjoy making things up rather than drawing from my personal experiences. It's not interesting to write strictly about myself or the people I know. However, using my current environment or feelings helps make the writing meaningful to me. Just in case no one else enjoys my work, at least I know I do.
Ren D.