I'm first ! (and I don't know how long I'm going to stay, so... let's get started) Qu'est-ce qui t'inspire le plus comme ambiance / atmosphère ? (musique, lieu...)
So the question was: what inspires me the most to put me in the right mood/ create the right atmosphere.
Songs definitely inspire me, but I tend to listen to them first or during my 'daydreaming' phase. Once I write I blank everything out so it doesn't really matter where I am and I don't listen to anything.
Pictures and art also inspire me, for architecture or atmosphere. I can't remember if I've posted my pinterest pictures somewhere here. I'll try to dig them up.
Great ! Same here for the "daydreaming phase", but then I tend to keep the music playing, so that when I can't concentrate enough on my writing, it keeps me in the right mood. The choice of music is very important and has to reflect the same atmosphere as my story (why does this sentence sounds weird to me ? did I write anything wrong ? english teacher required here, please ! ^_^' )
Notice how I am not at all mentioned. Clearly I am merely an obstruction to the artist's creativity! ;) However, I can confirm that the daydreaming phase is extremely important to Soizic's wellbeing.
Question de mon chéri : does your inspiration for your story comes from : - your life or your personal experience ? - the books your read ? - the music you listen to, the movies you watch, etc. ?
I think it's a little bit of everything. I pour a lot of myself into the books, things I think about and wonder about, insecurities, places I've visited, etc. Because I write fantasy, I've hard to invent new species and worlds, as well as characters, and that comes from what I know of different cultures, how they differ, what different religions might be like. And if I don't know, then I research it. For example, I wanted my elves to be vegetarian. But after doing some reading about how species of humans need to be really different, I decided to make them herbivorous, and have physical traits of herbivores, like multiple stomachs and teeth for grinding. The anatomy of the horse was my inspiration for that.
Question from me : how do you manage to write from a non-chronological order ? (what I mean is that, it seems impossible for me. So I'm curious... ;) )
Ah! Well, I had a really clear picture in my head of what would happen at each stage (I'd like to say I had planned it really well, but that wouldn't be true. Book1 was totally pantsed.) and what the characters would feel. I knew where they needed to be at what point, and how each important event would affect them. So once I had all of that in place, it didn't matter which bit I started writing first. I just went for what inspired me most at that particular time.
A bit more planning would have helped, though. So Book 2 is going to be amazingly well planned.
Re-Question du chéri : how can the elves be thin (are they really ?) if they have multiple stomachs ? (excuse him, he's biologist too) (his excuse is : Mark said that we should ask difficult questions ! lol.) (question Anglais : comment on dit "poser une colle" en anglais ?)
Me : I did not know your elves have multiple stomachs ! So I did learn something tonight ! ;)
They have a longer abdomen. Which is why they're so tall. Also I can't quite remember the details now but there's something else going with horse digestion which is different from cows and was better suited to a human body. Need to go dig in my research.
Ok, I made a mistake. They don't have multiple stomachs. They have the same digestive system as a horse, which means an extra long small intestine. Horses only have one stomach, and quite a small one at that, so they are 'trickle feeders' - small meals, often. They have a special part of the small intestine called the caecum for the digestion of cellulose, which my elves have too, hence the slightly longer-than-normal abdomen.
Note to self: make my notes more extensive http://www.thehorse.com/articles/32922/the-equine-digestive-system
Wow. My boyfriend also said something about the digestive system of the cows (which I did not translate in the previous question). He's fast. ^^ As for me, I'm a bit lost there. But those talks are for you, biologists ! ;)
So I have a question. When do we get to read it? What's the final never-to-be-broken, blood-oath, total-commitment deadline for us to buy the ebook????
Oooh! Really cool questions! - Not strictly YA, but I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I've really enjoyed the Hunger Games and a trilogy by a self-published author called Memory's Wake. I have to admit at the time I loved Twilight. I also really liked the Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. - What I like about YA is that teenagers are still exploring many issues that adults have stopped wondering about, and there's a lot of struggling with emotions. I love the self-discovery and the wondering about what their place in the world is. I think I still struggle with a lot of these questions myself. But it's funny I like YA so much because I certainly did not enjoy being a teenager... - I am a little bit obsessed with names. I collect them like a stamp collector. I like names that have meanings (e.g. Lacie is an anagram of Alice, many sylphs have names from plants, Llewellyn means 'leader'). But often it's just I like how it sounds and it suits the characters. My favourite name resources: http://www.behindthename.com/ and http://surnames.behindthename.com/
Congratulations on your work so far, fingers crossed we'll being seeing your work on bookshelves. A few questions: - How do you organise the time to write/edit ? - Have you ever encountered the dreaded writers block, and if so how have you overcome it ? - In the course of writing/editing have you ever had an idea for a completely different story pop into your head, and what do you end up doing with those sorts of ideas ?
What do you mean by 'organise'? Do you mean how do I find the time or how I organise myself?
- I do have writer's block. I either go and write a different passage (hence the 'not writing in order' question) or I delve back into my world by working on an aspect I haven't studied uet. Often writer's block comes if I don't have a good enough idea of what's supposed to happen or what it looks like. If I really can't write (or rather, what I'm writing is rubbish because I'm not inspired) reading or watching film making ofs (how they made movies, especially fantasy movies). Or I go and daydream.
- If I have a new idea while working on a story, I'll give myself some time to write the new ideas down somewhere, then I go back to the first piece of writing. I have about 5 different ideas of novels at various stages of development, plus about 40k of a new novel. And that's not counting books 2 and 3 of this novel.
I find the time to write... when I'm on holiday. I can't seem to have head space for 2 things at once, and as a teacher my head space is always used up by school. Luckily I have quite a lot of holidays. Also, a lot of the book was written when I was applying for jobs after uni or volunteering, and had more time for writing. Bring on the summer holidays!
As for the making ofs, I love the Lord of the Rings making of, though Harry Potter is pretty good too. I like how they came up with the designs for the clothes and architecture, how they were inspired by different cultures or time periods. I find that very stimulating and it makes me want to go and make my own. It also make me want to learn how to draw or design costumes, but I think I should stick to writing...
I do all of my writing in Word, but I use the software Scrivener to organise all my info about my world: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php Then there's the good ol' pen and paper. I have a number of notebooks I write ideas in when I'm not in front of a computer, but I try to type them up afterwards. I wrote a blog post about it: http://soizicsplace.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/mess-and-cat.html
In terms of writing resources, I have a couple of books and bloggers I follow who write about writing. I really like the Writers Workshop people (like Emma Darwin and Debbi Alper). I was actually just talking about making a section on my blog about resources for writers (or rather, the ones I have found useful).
Scrivener is really neat for world building in that you can have lots of subfolders and access them easily, and you can have pictures in. You can also have 2 documents side by side, and you can have folders made of a keyword seach. There are many features I don't use, though.
Bonus question: I also had the question on the names and the inspiration. Do you reckon you first come up with their names and then who they are, or the opposite?
For big characters, I definitely come up with who they are first. Lacie's parents names have changed a lot. Izzie was Ysee (see how it sounds similar), then Roxie, then Izzie. Rowan was Noah until a couple of months before the end of my first draft. Stus was always Stus, and it's not a name I particularly like, it just fitted. Esther was Romane, but when I changed Rowan's name it became too close in sound.
Lacie was always Lacie, but not always as a nickname, and I'm now considering changing her surname to Vaughan (Little, in Welsh) because I have been told Lacie Little is too cutesie and there's no way I'm changing her first name.
For minor characters, I sometimes come up with the name first, especially if the name has some sort of meaning. If they're really minor characters who only make a brief appearance without any significance, like Emerald (see excerpt section), I haven't planned them. It's only when I write the character that their personality emerges.
I'm first ! (and I don't know how long I'm going to stay, so... let's get started)
ReplyDeleteQu'est-ce qui t'inspire le plus comme ambiance / atmosphère ? (musique, lieu...)
So the question was: what inspires me the most to put me in the right mood/ create the right atmosphere.
DeleteSongs definitely inspire me, but I tend to listen to them first or during my 'daydreaming' phase. Once I write I blank everything out so it doesn't really matter where I am and I don't listen to anything.
Pictures and art also inspire me, for architecture or atmosphere.
I can't remember if I've posted my pinterest pictures somewhere here. I'll try to dig them up.
Great ! Same here for the "daydreaming phase", but then I tend to keep the music playing, so that when I can't concentrate enough on my writing, it keeps me in the right mood. The choice of music is very important and has to reflect the same atmosphere as my story (why does this sentence sounds weird to me ? did I write anything wrong ? english teacher required here, please ! ^_^' )
DeleteNotice how I am not at all mentioned. Clearly I am merely an obstruction to the artist's creativity! ;) However, I can confirm that the daydreaming phase is extremely important to Soizic's wellbeing.
Deletelol. That was funny !
DeleteAnd yes, I do agree with you on the importance of the daydreaming phase for Soizic. That is so true !
By the way, Hi Mark ! How are you ?
DeleteAnd by the way, happy birthday Soizic's place ! :)
ReplyDeleteMerci :)
DeleteQuestion de mon chéri : does your inspiration for your story comes from :
ReplyDelete- your life or your personal experience ?
- the books your read ?
- the music you listen to, the movies you watch, etc. ?
Merci au cheri pour sa participation!
DeleteI think it's a little bit of everything. I pour a lot of myself into the books, things I think about and wonder about, insecurities, places I've visited, etc.
Because I write fantasy, I've hard to invent new species and worlds, as well as characters, and that comes from what I know of different cultures, how they differ, what different religions might be like. And if I don't know, then I research it.
For example, I wanted my elves to be vegetarian. But after doing some reading about how species of humans need to be really different, I decided to make them herbivorous, and have physical traits of herbivores, like multiple stomachs and teeth for grinding. The anatomy of the horse was my inspiration for that.
Question from me : how do you manage to write from a non-chronological order ? (what I mean is that, it seems impossible for me. So I'm curious... ;) )
ReplyDeleteAh! Well, I had a really clear picture in my head of what would happen at each stage (I'd like to say I had planned it really well, but that wouldn't be true. Book1 was totally pantsed.) and what the characters would feel. I knew where they needed to be at what point, and how each important event would affect them. So once I had all of that in place, it didn't matter which bit I started writing first. I just went for what inspired me most at that particular time.
DeleteA bit more planning would have helped, though. So Book 2 is going to be amazingly well planned.
Re-Question du chéri : how can the elves be thin (are they really ?) if they have multiple stomachs ? (excuse him, he's biologist too) (his excuse is : Mark said that we should ask difficult questions ! lol.) (question Anglais : comment on dit "poser une colle" en anglais ?)
DeleteMe : I did not know your elves have multiple stomachs ! So I did learn something tonight ! ;)
I love that quote "Book 2 is going to be amazingly well planned". I tell myself the same thing each time I begin a new story. ;)
DeleteThey have a longer abdomen. Which is why they're so tall. Also I can't quite remember the details now but there's something else going with horse digestion which is different from cows and was better suited to a human body. Need to go dig in my research.
DeleteOk, I made a mistake. They don't have multiple stomachs. They have the same digestive system as a horse, which means an extra long small intestine. Horses only have one stomach, and quite a small one at that, so they are 'trickle feeders' - small meals, often. They have a special part of the small intestine called the caecum for the digestion of cellulose, which my elves have too, hence the slightly longer-than-normal abdomen.
DeleteNote to self: make my notes more extensive
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/32922/the-equine-digestive-system
Wow. My boyfriend also said something about the digestive system of the cows (which I did not translate in the previous question). He's fast. ^^
DeleteAs for me, I'm a bit lost there. But those talks are for you, biologists ! ;)
So I have a question. When do we get to read it? What's the final never-to-be-broken, blood-oath, total-commitment deadline for us to buy the ebook????
ReplyDeleteI agree ! I want to know about that too !
Deleteerrr...
DeleteThat is no answer !
DeleteHi! Happy Blog Birthday! Questions from me:
ReplyDelete-Which YA books do you enjoy most?
-Why do you write YA?
-How do you choose your character names?
...and because you're too modest, I'm going to link your website :) http://catherinequeen.com/
DeleteOooh! Really cool questions!
Delete- Not strictly YA, but I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I've really enjoyed the Hunger Games and a trilogy by a self-published author called Memory's Wake. I have to admit at the time I loved Twilight. I also really liked the Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.
- What I like about YA is that teenagers are still exploring many issues that adults have stopped wondering about, and there's a lot of struggling with emotions. I love the self-discovery and the wondering about what their place in the world is. I think I still struggle with a lot of these questions myself. But it's funny I like YA so much because I certainly did not enjoy being a teenager...
- I am a little bit obsessed with names. I collect them like a stamp collector. I like names that have meanings (e.g. Lacie is an anagram of Alice, many sylphs have names from plants, Llewellyn means 'leader'). But often it's just I like how it sounds and it suits the characters.
My favourite name resources: http://www.behindthename.com/ and http://surnames.behindthename.com/
Congratulations on your work so far, fingers crossed we'll being seeing your work on bookshelves.
ReplyDeleteA few questions:
- How do you organise the time to write/edit ?
- Have you ever encountered the dreaded writers block, and if so how have you overcome it ?
- In the course of writing/editing have you ever had an idea for a completely different story pop into your head, and what do you end up doing with those sorts of ideas ?
Thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean by 'organise'? Do you mean how do I find the time or how I organise myself?
- I do have writer's block. I either go and write a different passage (hence the 'not writing in order' question) or I delve back into my world by working on an aspect I haven't studied uet. Often writer's block comes if I don't have a good enough idea of what's supposed to happen or what it looks like. If I really can't write (or rather, what I'm writing is rubbish because I'm not inspired) reading or watching film making ofs (how they made movies, especially fantasy movies). Or I go and daydream.
- If I have a new idea while working on a story, I'll give myself some time to write the new ideas down somewhere, then I go back to the first piece of writing. I have about 5 different ideas of novels at various stages of development, plus about 40k of a new novel. And that's not counting books 2 and 3 of this novel.
Thanks for the response !
DeleteI meant as in find the time to write. How do you find time to write ?
What "making ofs" do you find the most useful ? Are there any that just keep you coming back ?
I find the time to write... when I'm on holiday. I can't seem to have head space for 2 things at once, and as a teacher my head space is always used up by school. Luckily I have quite a lot of holidays. Also, a lot of the book was written when I was applying for jobs after uni or volunteering, and had more time for writing. Bring on the summer holidays!
DeleteAs for the making ofs, I love the Lord of the Rings making of, though Harry Potter is pretty good too. I like how they came up with the designs for the clothes and architecture, how they were inspired by different cultures or time periods. I find that very stimulating and it makes me want to go and make my own. It also make me want to learn how to draw or design costumes, but I think I should stick to writing...
Hey Soizic ! Happy bday to your blog! What are the tools you use (if any) to help you write/organize your story? Clara :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! :)
DeleteI do all of my writing in Word, but I use the software Scrivener to organise all my info about my world:
http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php
Then there's the good ol' pen and paper. I have a number of notebooks I write ideas in when I'm not in front of a computer, but I try to type them up afterwards.
I wrote a blog post about it: http://soizicsplace.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/mess-and-cat.html
In terms of writing resources, I have a couple of books and bloggers I follow who write about writing. I really like the Writers Workshop people (like Emma Darwin and Debbi Alper). I was actually just talking about making a section on my blog about resources for writers (or rather, the ones I have found useful).
That would be a post I would be looking forward to!
DeleteThanks for your answer. I had heard for Scrivener, but didn't know personally someone who used it!
Scrivener is really neat for world building in that you can have lots of subfolders and access them easily, and you can have pictures in. You can also have 2 documents side by side, and you can have folders made of a keyword seach. There are many features I don't use, though.
DeleteBonus question: I also had the question on the names and the inspiration. Do you reckon you first come up with their names and then who they are, or the opposite?
ReplyDeleteFor big characters, I definitely come up with who they are first. Lacie's parents names have changed a lot. Izzie was Ysee (see how it sounds similar), then Roxie, then Izzie. Rowan was Noah until a couple of months before the end of my first draft. Stus was always Stus, and it's not a name I particularly like, it just fitted. Esther was Romane, but when I changed Rowan's name it became too close in sound.
DeleteLacie was always Lacie, but not always as a nickname, and I'm now considering changing her surname to Vaughan (Little, in Welsh) because I have been told Lacie Little is too cutesie and there's no way I'm changing her first name.
For minor characters, I sometimes come up with the name first, especially if the name has some sort of meaning. If they're really minor characters who only make a brief appearance without any significance, like Emerald (see excerpt section), I haven't planned them. It's only when I write the character that their personality emerges.