Black Rabbit Revenue Statement (01/2021)

In the first month of the new year, I was ambitious, experimented with new writing modes, and practiced the goal of the weekly update. The result hit the rocks. I was caught in the endless cycle of writing and deleting, deleting and writing, and repeated trial and error. not written. Word counts are worthless until the draft is finalized.

Experiment starts

As I said last time, there are three reasons for dragging down the productivity of writing: lack of motivation, procrastination, and perfectionism. Partners/groups who supervise each other's progress are like shadows in a castle in the sky. How can they treat the symptoms when fighting alone? I also thought, under what circumstances can I write the most smoothly, at least not procrastinate because of difficulties, and make every step difficult because of meticulous craftsmanship?

The answer is - when poofing on a poof.

Puff Features:

• Each message has a limit of 360 characters, and cannot write too much
• Write in reply
• One message, one point, the whole string is the complete content

It is precisely because of the form of the puff that it does not have to be as formal and rigorous as writing an article, which makes it easier to express immediate feelings, and more often, a puff is not enough, and you have to keep replying to write all what you think in your heart. Publishing the action itself has the effect of encouraging people to write.

For example, I complained on Pulang that the new version of FB is not easy to use, and I quickly wrote a large list, but if I want to publish the experience of using the new version of FB on the website, I am afraid it will take five or ten times to write it.

Everything is difficult at the beginning. If I write an essay, I can write like a poof, isn't it easier to get into the state?

So I thought of Excel:

• natural giant form
• If the cell is too high and too wide, it is difficult to browse
• It's not easy to wrap lines, let alone the writing format.

Under these constraints, can’t you suppress the mentality of being meticulous and one-step, and only fill in the grid with what you think of?

Although I wrote the skeleton first, and then filled in the flesh and blood, I have tried it before, and it feels like I have written it twice, but when I think about it, I am stuck on the draft, so let’s try again.

Creation is a long journey. There are no instructions on the way, and it is easy to get lost. The famous movie screenwriting guide "Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need" breaks down a movie into 15 turns and then 40 scenes, deconstructing how to arrange the beginning and end of the story, Capturing the audience effectively.

At the moment, my goal is very simple. The upper limit of the grid I fill in is 40 grids, and the upper limit of each grid is 140 characters.

The focus is after filling in the grid

In the end, it took me four days to fill in 30 boxes and more than 3,000 words. In the writing environment of Excel (in fact, it is Google Spreadsheet, I don’t have MS Office in my laptop), it is indeed easier to put aside persistence. Skip and write down what comes to mind.

In fact, when I wrote Chapter 11 of "Contracted Boys", when I wrote the 12th column, there were 10,000 words, and the rest would become the content of Chapter 12. I don't have to worry that I don't have enough ideas to support a chapter, the real problem is to get the details right.

When I fill in the grid, I have no idea. When I formally write it, I still have no idea.

When the grid was filled in smoothly, when I officially wrote it, I realized that what I thought at first was unreasonable. Under the domino effect, the subsequent plot could not be connected.

In this case, as I said last time, it can only be written hard.

Filling in the grid has a finish line, so how do you call it the end? It may be enough to adjust the way of narration a little, or it may be adjusted until the tenth time, or it may be completely written after changing the runway, or it may be that the runway has been changed a few times before finally grasping the direction.

Write from 1.0 to 1.10, then jump from 1.10 to 2.0, 3.0...Is this process difficult?

Of course it's difficult.

Sometimes I write a thousand words, but I still feel that something is wrong and I throw it away; sometimes the end is in sight, as long as I write this paragraph well, I can update it. Maybe I think something is wrong, it is nothing in the eyes of readers... I still can't pass it. For yourself, think again.

The moment of blessing to the soul is like a traveler finding an oasis in the desert. No one can tell you how far you have to go to find it, and you don’t know how many mirages turn you in the wrong direction on the way.

When people face difficulties, procrastination will occur, and the progress will be delayed more slowly.

trial

change purpose

Every scene has its meaning. Sometimes I can't write it down, maybe because even the author himself feels that the purpose of the act is too weak. Maybe the previous chapters have achieved the same function. Now that I write it again, what new tricks can I find?

If you can't make a new trick, try to reset the purpose of the scene.

Changed from an earlier plot point

Human thinking, it's hard to twist 360 degrees (at least I am). Even if the purpose is reset, it is sometimes difficult for purpose 2.0 to completely jump out of the framework of 1.0. For example, it was originally intended to use the mouth of the supporting role to point out the meaning behind some of the protagonist's actions... It is better to change the supporting role's perception of what the protagonist does.

If the writing is still not smooth, then from an earlier plot point, try different writing methods, which may lead to a more different plot development.

What I'm talking about here is the beginning of Chapter 11 of "Contract Boy's Favorite", the part of the grandfather and the protagonist. When I wrote that there was nothing I could do, I started thinking about where the old grandpa went to change clothes, and what clothes did the protagonist choose for him... and then it became what I am today. published version.

Further reading: Chapter 11 of "Contract Boy": Stealing a Moment

Change POV (Point of View)

This time when I restart my creative project, I always tell myself - Show Don't Tell.

Write less about what the characters are thinking, less general descriptions, less fuss about things that are obvious, and more about the actions of the characters, which speak for themselves. The more important it is, the more you want to show, otherwise I will use the perspective of other characters to talk about the characters I really want to talk about.

But sometimes how to write it is not right, change the perspective of the character, maybe it will work.

Review the effectiveness of changing writing patterns

So far, it seems to be... failure XD

In the past, I was a style of writing without drafting. When I thought of where to write, once I wrote about the idea/inspiration gap, I either finally had a flash of inspiration (God knows when I realized it), or I silently fell into the trap, and the effect was too low.

Writing outlines and drafts is equivalent to time management. Dividing difficult things (completing a work) into steps to be executed in different stages, each step is more specific and easier to complete.

I am good at reading books, and I am good at finding teaching online. There are many ways to write outlines and drafts. The personal experience of others is also quite encouraging. However, when I actually implemented it myself, I changed several genres, but I still didn't complete it once. After all, I returned to the mode of thinking while writing.

Or, I finally finished the draft (like this time), and when I actually started writing, I found that the draft was several versions away from the finished product. The biggest role of the draft is to write down the stalks that come to mind at the moment.

The most difficult thing about creation is that this is not a question with an answer. You can reach the end by following the steps and methods provided by others. There are too many unsatisfactory situations along the way that need to be overcome.

In the same way, creation cannot be simply quantified. For example, it is set to write one hour a day... time is spent, but the output can be zero; or writing 2,000 words a day... 2,000 words of scraps are also 2,000 words. what.

The only certainty is that in the process of discarding outlines and manuscripts, I have refined the finished product into a more satisfactory appearance; however, improving the creative efficiency is still to no avail.

Finally, thanks to the readers who still support me

The writing progress is not ideal. I am anxious and frustrated, and then fall into a vicious circle of procrastination. I also hope that one day I can explore my own writing mode, and the monthly review can summarize more meaningful results.

The last two months have become monthly updates. The views of the latest two chapters in Penana have dropped a lot, only about 1/3 and 1/8 of the previous ones, respectively. The latest chapter has also dropped by nearly half in Abiso, which is increasing the update frequency. Before, it was probably the same bleak look.

Thank you to readers who still liked (or other similar actions), commented, or tipped during this time.

(Original: Black Rabbit Zhiwen. Story Station <Black Rabbit Revenue Statement (01/2021)> )
(Serialization of the novel: Gestation/ Penana / Writing in the Water / Abiso EP / Mirror Literature )
(Social accounts: FB / Plurk / IG / Pinterest @brjstory)