From Plan to Paper: Feb 27

In these posts I would like to give you an idea of how my writing transforms from the micro-plan stage to the post-Write or Die stage. Click on the images below to see what the plan looks like. It begins halfway down the first page.

After the second image, I'll show you what came out in my Splurge.




All was silent as Eoin left the room, floorboards squeaking beneath his feet. The door was even louder as he closed it behind him. Faine stood on the landing outside, staring into the trees. His eyes were slightly narrowed.

Eoin joined him by the balustrade. “Why did you leave? We were just getting started.”

“That man. The one who was late. When he turned to me... I have no doubts at all that he is my father. The man who left us. Who killed my mother. That is him.”

They both stood silently. The villagers continued about their daily lives. Stopping in the street to chat, or carrying buckets of water from the river. Maintaining their houses, or reading a book. At moments like these, time seemed to stop. But life always continued. It didn't mean anything to anyone else.

Eoin spoke softly. “He... he killed your mother?”

“Yes. Well, no. I... I think it was me who killed her, really.”

“What?”

“I was a stupid child, ten years old. I had heard stories of a place where the Aura of Endures resided.”

“You have Endures Aura.”

“Yes. I sought it out. I was an adventurous child. I ventured deep into the forest to find the hollow tree stump where, if you looked inside, you would find that it led to a small pit beneath the ground. Here is where the Aura would be found. I jumped inside and discovered engravings of warriors all over the walls. After that all I remember is waking up and feeling different. Like there was something new inside me.” Faine laughed. “I was certain my father would be so proud of me. Then I got home, and I realised I was wrong. As soon as I told him what I had achieved, he hit me across the face and stormed out of the house, saying he wasn't going to wait around for me so slit his throat.”

Eoin shivered.

“Mother cried for three days after that, and then she became bed-ridden. It must have been two weeks before she died of love-sickness. You see, it was my fault she died. I should never have searched for this cursed thing.” Faine stared at the backs of his hands.

“No, it was your father who was in the wrong. He chose to leave, and he had no good reason to.”

Faine placed his hands back on the balustrade and sniffed. “Thank you, brother.” He raised his head and whistled the soft, sad melody that was the connection between his and Eoin’s fathers.

“May I speak to your father?” said Eoin.

“And why would you want to do that?”

“If he knew my father well, then I think I should inform him of my father’s passing.”

Faine smiled solemnly. “It is none of my business. Do what you will.”

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8 comments:

Shannon said...

It's always interesting to read about the processes other writers' use.

Ryan Sullivan said...

It really is. There are so many unique ways writers can approach their writing.

Also, writers are in so many different situations. Some have young children and can only write for 5 minutes a day. Some write thousands of words a day. It's amazing looking at how each of these people approach their writing based on the situation they're in.

Write or Die is my saviour. 200 words in an hour isn't really worth it when you can write 300 words in half the time. I've also come to realise that the words that come out of me in a WorD Splurge aren't much worse than the words that come out of me otherwise.

Mysti said...

Your writing is neater than mine. I can read it. That's saying a lot. :)

Very poignant scene! Thanks for sharing your method.

Ryan Sullivan said...

;) Thanks!

I'm really glad do have found something that works for me. It makes me feel so much more confident that I can acheive my goals.

Different things work for different people, and finding out what that is is half the challenge. They might examine what other people have done and mix and match, or they might work out their own way of doing things.

Mysti said...

I've had a few discussions on the topic of planning recently. I'm not an extensive planner. And I've been tempted to beat myself up for not doing so when I see the complex planning other writers put into their stories. But, I'm coming to realize that it's just not how my brain works.

I still like seeing how other people do things, and like you said--to learn to incorporate a tip here and there. It's good to keep your mind open to all things writing-related, but to also find how your own mind works and cultivate that.

WritingNut said...

Ooh, I really liked this... thanks for sharing :) It's so neat how every writer has their own unique processes that work so well.

Ryan Sullivan said...

I'd love to show you guys a few more of these, but of course, I don't want to reveal too much.

However, I'm not sure I've told you what the deal with the notepad is! I think I'll get to that next post.

Rachael Harrie said...

Thanks for sharing your writing process with us. I can't wait to hear about other parts of your process :)

Hugs,

Rach

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Welcome to The Dark Corner of the Mind. My name is Ryan Sullivan and my aim with this blog is to help others with their own writing, as well as to make note of some of my own writing endeavours.

Here at The Dark Corner, Real Life is both our best friend and our worst enemy. Look to him for inspiration, but don't let him get in the way too much.

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