The Good News Thread: I'm So Excited! And I Just Can't Hide It!

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

My brother is going on the New Orleans trip with me (at my parents' insistence, but that's another story) and he said he'd be willing to check out apartments and help me narrow my search! Since I suspect my parents will either be so opposed they won't even look at properties online, or so aggressively helpful it gives me an anxiety attack, this is very good news indeed.  

[Mashadar Mistborn he/him]

Just finished my Venturing chili cookoff fundraiser. First place.

It's small, but pleasing.

[Briar King]

It's Mardi Gras! I really need to go buy a king cake.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Update on the Kaymyth Sticky Notes Method: 

 

 

For an idea of scale, that's my dresser (the thing in the TARDIS blanket is my mirror, which I had to hide because Bruce keeps barking at his own reflection). Pink notes are interludes; green ones are worldbuilding; orange ones are for plot; and the blue are for character information. As you may have guessed, I've not only written a good deal on my main characters, but I've also added several new ones. 

[Delightful]

How exactly does The Kaymyth Method work?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

How exactly does The Kaymyth Method work?

The way I've been using it (and bear in mind I may have misunderstood the original post about sticky notes+color coding=yay) is by getting color coded notes, writing down relevant worldbulding, character, interlude, or plot tidbits on them, and arranging them on the white side of a roll of wrapping paper to keep track of them all. So far, it's really helping me fit everything together, and it's even led to me creating new characters that were originally just nebulous ideas.

[Delightful]

How does writing down bits and pieces help you keep track? Aren't the details all over the place? Is there logic to how you place them?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

How does writing down bits and pieces help you keep track? Aren't the details all over the place? Is there logic to how you place them?

In the picture, you'll see the colors grouped together with one note at the very top. Those single notes are where I wrote the big picture stuff--character arcs, what I knew of the plot and world, what the interludes would cover. Then, I decided to cover one thing at a time: a specific character, one piece of worldbulding, one plot point. I'll brainstorm on one piece of the puzzle at a time, and if, say, a character point gives me an idea for a plot point, I'll write that down.

Of course, the nicest thing about the notes is that they can be rearranged. If I get an idea for a character that I've moved on from, I'm able to shuffle things around as needed. Finally, my system is one of organized chaos, so while someone else might not be able to make sense of my notes (or my handwriting ) I know I'm able to find my way around.

Edited February 10, 2016 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Kaymyth she/her]

How does writing down bits and pieces help you keep track? Aren't the details all over the place? Is there logic to how you place them?

 

The way I did it with organizing Swift as Steel, I jotted down a brief scene description on each note and color-coded them by main plot, character building, etc.  I did this after I wrote my first draft, so I took them and arranged them in order and noted where I had things that didn't work, etc.  If there were too many non-plot scenes in between major plot points, I'd cut and combine other scenes.  This helped me streamline things between the first and second drafts.

 

Really, I just like sticky notes.  They're so useful!

[Delightful]

Isn't character integral to plot points? How did you differentiate?

I just tried something similar ish with file cards and came up with a lot of ideas for my character's storylines (too many? Can I make the enemy spymasters viewpoint a love story in an epic fantasy??)

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Isn't character integral to plot points? How did you differentiate?

I just tried something similar ish with file cards and came up with a lot of ideas for my character's storylines (too many? Can I make the enemy spymasters viewpoint a love story in an epic fantasy??)

Um....it depends?

Really, I just play it by ear. Character history usually gets put with the character stuff, while events get out with the plot.

[Delightful]

And character development?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

And character development?

That, I barely plan out at all. I have a grand vision for my characters, but as a discovery writer, I find I work best when I don't plan out character development moments. What I do instead is plot out their backgrounds prior to the start of the story and just let the story develop them.

[Delightful]

Ah ok. Thanks. I think I'm more of a planner.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Ah ok. Thanks. I think I'm more of a planner.

I wish I was sometimes.

[Delightful]

I'm actually trying to work it out. If I jump straight in with no plan it's a mess and I don't know what to write. But sometimes I plan so much that I then get bored of the story. I haven't yet found the balance.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

I'm actually trying to work it out. If I jump straight in with no plan it's a mess and I don't know what to write. But sometimes I plan so much that I then get bored of the story. I haven't yet found the balance.

My method of plotting out the lives of the characters up to the point the story begins works well for me. You could always add a little more structure by doing a broad sweeps sort of outline--plot out the major events and leave the rest blank so you can figure out what comes between them.

[Blaze1616 he/him]

I'm actually trying to work it out. If I jump straight in with no plan it's a mess and I don't know what to write. But sometimes I plan so much that I then get bored of the story. I haven't yet found the balance.

 

You should try Brandon's method; heavily plan the worldbuilding and character backgrounds, plan the major plot points, but not so much the minor ones, and then let the characters take it from there through discovery writing.

 

The only downside is that this method falls flat if you don't truly understand your characters. You have to be able to get in their heads, and ignore your own opinions or feelings.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

The pastor's wife asked me if I had any luck on the job front, so I told her I'd gotten a job in Metarie.

And she was super excited.

She's lived in New Orleans before, so she told me a little about it. Said the culture was different, it's a great place to live, she loved it, etc. She also said she knows people along the way through Texas and Louisiana, so she can give me some names in case of emergency.

I'm so glad she doesn't think I'm insane for taking it.

[Edgedancer he/him]

The pastor's wife asked me if I had any luck on the job front, so I told her I'd gotten a job in Metarie.

And she was super excited.

She's lived in New Orleans before, so she told me a little about it. Said the culture was different, it's a great place to live, she loved it, etc. She also said she knows people along the way through Texas and Louisiana, so she can give me some names in case of emergency.

I'm so glad she doesn't think I'm insane for taking it.

See, even outside the internet there are reasonable people that are actually happy about good things happening to you.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

See, even outside the internet there are reasonable people that are actually happy about good things happening to you.

Not only that, but when I told the sales guys at work about my mom's warning about sex slavery, they mocked her RELENTLESSLY. "Ooohhh, got her with the old library trick!"

[Briar King]

Deadpool.....nuff said

[Stormgate he/him]

So, on the Bad Day thread, I posted that my brother was in the hospital because of an extremely weakened immune system and that cancer was a possibility. Turns out, it was a result of a medication he was given which is known to have this as a possible side effect. He is currently under house arrest until his immune system recovers, but is otherwise fine!

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

So, on the Bad Day thread, I posted that my brother was in the hospital because of an extremely weakened immune system and that cancer was a possibility. Turns out, it was a result of a medication he was given which is known to have this as a possible side effect. He is currently under house arrest until his immune system recovers, but is otherwise fine!

 

Good! I'm so glad he'll be okay! 

[Kaymyth she/her]

So, on the Bad Day thread, I posted that my brother was in the hospital because of an extremely weakened immune system and that cancer was a possibility. Turns out, it was a result of a medication he was given which is known to have this as a possible side effect. He is currently under house arrest until his immune system recovers, but is otherwise fine!

 

Hooray!