{"id":679,"date":"2018-10-30T11:34:08","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T15:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/victoriafeistner.com\/?p=679"},"modified":"2019-02-21T20:08:22","modified_gmt":"2019-02-22T01:08:22","slug":"view-from-the-inside-of-a-writers-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/victoriafeistner.com\/blog\/2018\/10\/30\/view-from-the-inside-of-a-writers-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"View From the Inside (of a Writer’s Mind)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thursday is NaNo! This month, in preparation, I started putting together a “showrunner’s bible”. Since I am terrible at outlining–if I know too much, it kills the story dead for me–I’ve been focussing on all the other elements: characters, worlds (yes plural), backstories, possible antagonists, possible Obstacles, etc.<\/p>\n

My friend Laura<\/a>, aka The Pillbug, has been invaluable, as she often is, with the worldbuilding, because her ideas aren’t just outside the box, they are nowhere near<\/strong> the box, and even just in brainstorming she throws curves that I have to scramble to catch–which makes the story stronger and more interesting. (I like to think I help just as much in return with her fiction, offering solutions to her sticky plots, being very good at tying threads together, like a fiction macrame artist.) Fletcher & Cooper is going to be so much better and so much weirder<\/em> thanks to her help.<\/p>\n

For instance, in my original vague vision, the Hero Livingstone and his Stalwart Steward, Weekday were just… MacGuffins<\/a>, essentially. Cardboard cut-outs at best, which didn’t sit right with me. But after a good discussion in a weird little park in the Annex, I came away not only with two reasonably filled-out characters, but the inkling of their own backstory, that I thought might be fun to “sketch out” as a warm-up for NaNo.<\/p>\n

Naturally, because she was the only person who knew the details of my world–and because she became JUST AS EXCITED ABOUT THE STUPID NERDS KISSING that I was–Pillbug became the person I shared my thoughts with as I was writing, usually in the form of random chat messages left at all times of the day as soon as something occurred to me.<\/p>\n

She suggested that these txts would make an excellent blag post. Perhaps she was trying to get me to stop livetexting her; in that she failed because I most certainly kept texting. But it was a good idea, and so, BEHOLD.<\/p>\n

YOU’RE WELCOME<\/p>\n

\n

Livingstone and Weekday’s adventures
\nAS THEY ARE WRITTEN<\/h3>\n

A Journey\u00a0from inside
\nTHE WRITER’S MIND
\nfeat. guest artist PILLBUG<\/em><\/p>\n

18 OCTOBER 11:38<\/strong><\/p>\n

VDF
\nSo went on another plot blender walk<\/p>\n

Fletcher & Cooper are still probably Not A Thing<\/p>\n

But Livingstone and Weekday most certainly are, hoooo-boy *nosebleed*<\/p>\n

I might have a short story to write about the two of them and their luuuuurve<\/p>\n

18 OCTOBER 17:04<\/strong><\/p>\n

TPB
\nWeekday and Livingstone in luuurv sounds odd and exciting and I need to hear more about it next week when you’ve blenderized the details.<\/p>\n

VDF
\nI am writing Livingstone’s and Weekday’s luuuuurve story as we speak<\/p>\n

(so far there is a ripped up notebook, an exploded apple, and the noise of peaches on a summer’s afternoon)<\/p>\n

TPB
\nCan I read the lurv story when it’s done? plsplspls<\/p>\n

VDF
\nof course!<\/p>\n

it’s still not a kissing story<\/p>\n

just be warned<\/p>\n

TPB
\ni GUESS I can just make them smooch in my mind.<\/p>\n

VDF
\nThere is likely to be triumphant smooching at the end<\/p>\n

TPB
\nAWWWWW YISSSSSSS<\/p>\n

VDF
\nbut it’s more of a “falling in luuuurv with the angry little red-headed boy next door” story<\/p>\n

TPB
\nI guess I will deal.<\/p>\n

VDF
\nBabby!Weekday I realize is a little bit like Babby!Kyo from furuba<\/p>\n

TPB
\nAWWWWWWWWWWWWW<\/p>\n

YIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS<\/p>\n

VDF
\nand it will have a happy ending because I think we all need a happy ending right about now especially with kissin’<\/p>\n

18 OCTOBER<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am 2,100 words in and they are still both children \ud83d\ude10<\/p>\n

Why do I do this to myself<\/p>\n

19 OCTOBER<\/strong><\/p>\n

Up to 4K and they are STILL CHILDREN<\/p>\n

but they’re really cute together<\/p>\n

HOPE YOU LIKE ANGST, LAURA<\/p>\n

edit: 4700 words. I think I’m done for the day though. Maybe?<\/p>\n

They’re SO CUTE LAURA<\/p>\n

LAURA<\/p>\n

20 OCTOBER 11:36<\/strong><\/p>\n

VDF
\nHi. My name is Victoria Feistner, I am 37 years old, and I just wrote my first queer kissing scene (and like only my third or fourth kissing scene overall.)<\/p>\n

+ 1 level up<\/p>\n

TPB
\n…I cannot for the life of me recall if I ever made anyone smooch in any of my stories, OH GOD I NEED TO MAKE EVERYONE SMOOCH.<\/p>\n

Maybe a husband gave his wife a peck on the cheek but I think he just told her to eat her breakfast?<\/p>\n

Also, YAYYYYYYY<\/p>\n

VDF
\nI’ve written plenty of pecks but very few full-on first smooches<\/p>\n

7800 words in and I think I can finish part two today and then there’s only two more parts to go!<\/p>\n

…I really should cut this down BUT I HEART THEM SO MUCH LAURA<\/p>\n

tiny angry nerds in luuuuurv<\/p>\n

have you ever written a story where you were like WRITE FASTER I MUST FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS WHY ISN’T IT DONE SO THAT I CAN READ IT<\/p>\n

I think it’s like the writing equivalent of craving a cigarette while you’re already smoking one<\/p>\n

20 OCTOBER 17:27<\/strong><\/p>\n

oh no<\/p>\n

oh no, they’ve broke up :O<\/p>\n

AUGH WHY AM I DOING THIS TO MYSELF<\/p>\n

20 OCTOBER 22:05<\/strong><\/p>\n

11,160 words and I am done part one! Or is it part two, I am not sure and I can’t feel my hands<\/p>\n

WHY CAN’T THEY BE TOGETHER<\/p>\n

also oblivious nerds in luuuuurv are the worst especially oblivious male nerds<\/p>\n

But Livingstone’s mother just showed up for graduation and she’s a firecracker, so that’s a win<\/p>\n

22 OCTOBER 15:44<\/strong><\/p>\n

WHY CAN’T THEY BE TOGETHER, LAURA :'(<\/p>\n

WHY IS LIFE SO HARD FOR A CARTOMANCER<\/p>\n

22 OCTOBER 16:46<\/strong><\/p>\n

…I may understand your frustration with Creampuffs a little better. Watching\/writing along with Livingstone completely muck up his life by not being honest with his feeeeeeelings and just KISSING HIM ALREADY is excruciating<\/p>\n

He’s just about to do it AGAIN, the dope<\/p>\n

God, nerds<\/p>\n

So frustrating<\/p>\n

TPB
\nNOW YOU KNOW MY SMOOCH-PAIN<\/p>\n

VDF
\nI KNOW IT ALL TOO WELLLLLLLL<\/p>\n

TPB
\nMaybe this is why one of the nerds is always suUuUuch a klutz, so they can just trip and do an accidental smooch, OOPS<\/p>\n

22 OCTOBER 23:12<\/strong><\/p>\n

YAAAAAAAY I’M AT 17,600 WORDS BUT REACHED THE SMOOCHES FINALLY YAAAAAAAAAAY<\/p>\n

i love these goddamn nerds so much<\/p>\n

23 OCTOBER<\/strong><\/p>\n

19,000 words but have wrapped up all the character arcs (since it is very obviously a romance novella, whaaaaaat, I am 37 years old and just wrote my first full romance story) and this even I shall jump ahead to the ILL-FATED BEEHUNT<\/p>\n

*evening, or perhaps eventide<\/p>\n

P.S. Also I looked up pignuts and they are A Real Thing so clearly what the urchin was eating out of a boot<\/p>\n

24 OCTOBER<\/strong><\/p>\n

21,000 words and have leapt forward 8 years and now they are comfy nerds still in luuurv and it makes me so happy.<\/p>\n

25 OCTOBER<\/strong><\/p>\n

VDF
\n24,000 words and I AM DONNNNNNE<\/p>\n

I FINISHED IT<\/p>\n

TPB
\nAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH<\/p>\n

VDF
\nAAAAAAHHHH<\/p>\n

\n

That \u201ctiny bit of backstory\u201d became, as of last Friday, a 25,000 word novella. I wrote 25,000 words IN A WEEK<\/p>\n

Definitely a new record for me.<\/p>\n

AND it\u2019s a complete story!!<\/p>\n

AND IT\u2019S MY FIRST ROMANCE STORY (although wrapped in a weird, Regency fantasy candy coating).<\/p>\n

I feel sufficiently warmed.<\/p>\n

SEE YOU ON THURSDAY FOR NANO!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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