First Things First...

[Guest .:Deathbringer:.]

When it comes to writing my own works, it'll get frustrating in a sense, Where do I start! But normally, my creative side is triggered by a new anime or something. Most of my characters I've designed for my stories are compiled from real anime characters I like well suited to my own liking.

I.e. - If I like his hair style and her outfit, then I just use those but tweak them so that it looks like my OWN versus stolen. Utilizing my own style of course, it gets easier. But if you saw my work, you wouldn't really know who they were modeled from, which is how I like to draw my characters. X3

Then sometimes I look at my charcaters and automatically know what their backgrounds are. And that's where I kinda stem off. I start writing bout their history, who they new and the like. Then I go back and revise it. After that, I typically create the world they live in.

But this whole process of creation takes not just a few days, sometimes it takes months. This original story I've been working on has taken me a few years and I still only have about 5 chapters because it's not easy trying to come up with something everyone may like.

So, I usually start with character designs because then it'll give me the type of story I'll be working on, the characters and the TYPE of world I need to come up with. And THAT'S just based on how the character looks in all. But how do YOU guys start an original story?

[Guest Agaib]

Heh, I've been building the background for My story for seven years or so. Of course, My current story is the only one I've ever written down.

[StoryJunkie]

first I start with an opening line

No, wait, I think of a theme, something I'm really passionate about at the moment, then it kind of burns a hole in my brain and it won't leave. 'Now, HOW can I put it?' I ask myself....

Then, I start with the opening line.

When I know how it ends, then I can begin....

[Guest Serenanna]

It depends on the work. For my original fantasy/historical pieces, that aren't posted because I wanna get them published, I do actual outlines of the plot as well as character summaries, locations, anything special about the work after I just sit and get ideas first. For inspiration, I always listen to music when I write. I've also gotten ideas watching anime. Just watching Mai-Hime made me wanna tackle highschool fantasy/romance/drama. But, alas, one thing at a time, eh?

Sere

[StoryJunkie]

Mai Hime!

[redsliver]

I usually start with an idea for a scene, I ask myself what this scene means? Who're the players? Where did they come from? where are they going? If any of these answers bores me or I toss the idea, but when it comes together I have to write it.

[NightScribe]

Since it's been a while since I've worked on an original story, I must step into the way-back machine and try to remember. I seem to recall it starting with being inspired by something; usually I'd read something or see a movie and say "Jesus, what crap! I can write better than that!" So I'd start thinking. I started to plan a novel by thinking in general terms, what's the genre, need good guys/bad guys, and what's going to happen, what's this about? Then I started with the "stream of consciousness" kind of thought. I'm a very visual writer, I see the stuff in my head as if it were a film. I remember thinking over little scenarios over and over again for six months before I wrote anything down. I also started to write complete sentences, even paragraphs, in my head during those visualizations. Those incidents became so etched in my mind, the chapters were easy to write.

After a time, the characters started to grow, kind of on their own; they became more layered and textured. I think once you've got their personalities and motivations, they kind of write themselves into your sub-conscious. I knew a couple of characters so well, if they had a conversation, all I'd have to say to myself was; "OK, person A is going to say........to person B," and I'd be off. The responses and the dialogue wrote themselves, I just went with the flow, like taking dictation. Those are the best days.

My one failing was that I never wrote chapters in order. I'd usually have the first chapter and the last, and then some bits in between. I'd write what was possessing my brain at the time. I'd jump from chapter 3 to what would become 15, then to 7, etc. Made it difficult to ask friends to read when they're asking for chapter 4 and I'm like, dude, I don't write that way. One good thing about this site is you have to write in order, so that's helped with my discipline. (Thanks AFF).

[Guest Melody Fate]

With me, it starts with a character. Something will happen and I'll think, "Well, what if..." My inspiration might be someone I saw in a store, or while out walking, or sometimes even a character from another media, but I want to remake them into something else. (If I want to keep them exactly the same, then I write fanfiction )

For a couple days, I just think about him/her, think about who they are, what they like, and what their story is. If their story seems interesting, I try to write about them. If it doesn't, I write down a few notes about them, and save them, they might make a good secondary character if needed.

[Guest Adara]

Well, my original story spawned from Role Playing. I began to develope characters, becoming involved with them, and coming to the conclusion that they deserved more than 15 minutes of exposure. I kept exploring the characters, giving them personalities, flaws and finally coming up with a character I could in their world, consider a "real" person. So I suppose in a sense I start my stories by creating a character.

Most of this is done in my head, usually when I'm walking down the road the street to get some groceries, or when I'm cooking! I start becoming inspired by their dynamic personalities. I decide then what parts of their lives would be an interesting story to tell, and then I get to it. My first truly original story came out one night when I was talking to my husband about a RP character who I thought deserved a little attention. Thus, Adara was brought into an actual story of her own.

In any case, before I continue to babble on, I decide on which character I'd like to explore, and let IT guide me to what I should write.

[Guest Vamp468]

I write fanfiction about anime, books and other such forms of media, but their are other ideas that tend to build up in the back of my mind that would not fit with those characters. The majority of these ideas run on taboo tracks and as I mull over these ideas the characters start to form personality and other mental traits. Then comes the setting and other circumstances. And then the last thing I address is the character's outward appearence. To me that is the most difficult part of all. I usually end up watching alot of tv and picking out traits that I find attractive.

[StoryJunkie]

You know, I've given this a little more thought, and I remember just being really really bored. I was tired of TV. I was tired of housework. I was tired of sewing. I was tired of the dull world I lived in. So I decided to work on a story, which, actually, was a work of science fiction. Isaac Asimov ticked me off, you know, with that story about the mule, so I just wanted to make up a thing where, what would happen if...there were no more humans? And I went on from there, and bit by bit, discovering humans in pockets of the galaxy. This went on for years. Then I would forget about it, then I'd go back to it and find a new spin on it. I don't think I was mature enough to write a really good story, although I knew a lot of science. Now its the opposite. Can't think of a scientific theory that hasn't been solved by Captain Picard, so...yeah. But I'm better at writing. (Or so my reviewers tell me) (They better not be lying!) That story ended up in the bin. But I sure had fun doing it. It was (and is) better than TV or reading a book or talking to people. (I didn't say that)

[Guest ShinigamiShimai]

When writing a story I start with who the two main characters are and what will set the story in motion. This can take weeks to years. My longest running series took me years to work out all the details of the characters and their world. From the inner workings of dreams worlds to the deep depths of their histories. I have lengthy notes for my shadowlanders series that ran through several note books as a teen and now are on the computer in one form or another from art to writing.

Now my other tales are less extensive. Morbid Tales for instance started with a deranged thought. I wrote out this weird scene set in a Victoria town about a girl arguing with her mother about getting married and not married to just anyone, but she is being forced to marry a teddy bear. This lead to all kinds of strangeness as I began to wonder how a person could get stuck in a teddy bear, who this person was and their background. I ended up writing chapters just about this character alone and had alot fo fun doing it. In the end I was twisting all sorts of old Victorian horror stories in strange ways.

My mind generally seems filled with all sorts of bizzare ideas and since completing 3 full novels nothing seems to be stoping my imagination and when I am stuck there is always the wonderful influance of Nyquil. LOL

jaa ne

Kat Williams

[Guest Reika]

I usually start with characters, because I love to create them. I love to think up their looks most usually first because I am a visual artist first and foremost. My writing is a bit weak but it is one form of expression for ideas for scenes I have that I want to draw and either don't have time or cannot make it look the way I wish, and I wish to practice them.

I am a fantasy writer first of all, so I also think of the usual RPG questions regarding them after I ask myself "What truly is behind their faces?"

My only story that I've actually written more than two chapters for started this way with a collection of inspiration from various musicians as well as some themes I like to incorporate into the characters to give them a personality. Are they deceptive? Are they honest? Are they naïve?

Once I decide what they will be, I decide where they fit. Are they human? Are they facing a crisis? Etc.

Then I shape a world. What happened there thats good? What happened there that is bad? I tend to subconciously incorporate real-world themes into my fantasy worlds btw, sometimes that can help in making an interesting reality the reader can identify with.

Then I lay out, either in notes or in my mind, the main events that turn the story. After than I add fillers so that not everything happens at once.

And.... thats how I make my stories

[Bargle5]

I've only written one original story so far, so this is how it came to be.

The story is here, if you're interested.

http://original.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=544190584

Several years back, I was daydreaming and got to wondering what I would answer for the old 'three wishes' thing. A couple of things that I came up with were a time machine and a device to control people's actions. That led to the 'Observer's Box' part of the story.

True Crime is another interest of mine. There is an unsolved murder here where I live from that occurred in the early 90s.

I don't remember exactly how, but the two things crossed in my mind and led to the story. It was a nice feeling to have the murder solved, even if it was only in fictional circumstances. That's the only thing I've gotten completed in the way of original stories.

[Guest Pink Lace]

In terms of writing or planning a story, Roger Zelazny wrote a nice lil essay that unfortunately I can't get my hands on atm. I lost the book in a flood lol but anyway he said the question people always ask him everywhere he goes is always "where do you get your ideas?" and he explained his answer in the essay.

Basically he either starts off with two things:

Plot/concept

Character

If you start off with an idea or plot, it tends to move along fairly quickly, like if I were to write an ending to Death Note where the *right* character wins. That's because I know what's going to happen next all the time since the original idea was the plot itself. I won't do it because it's already been done and quite well at that.

Character driven stories are harder to write since characters tend to become unpredictable at times. I give up on those a lot! Your example seems to be this type as you start with characters you like an move on from there.

[Keith Inc.]

I have started with a title, and written something to support it.

I've started with a scene,popping into my head complete, and written that. Sometimes the scene extends itself in one or both directions and i get a story.

Several times, listening to a song, the words start to make a very specific scene appear in my head, and i end up with a new story.

And right now, i page through The Elemet Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures and see which beastie looks the sexiest.

[foeofthelance]

First things first. Holy Crap, Keith is back! Welcome back man.

Second, might as we reply to the thread after derailing it. When I write, I picture the scene in my head first. Then I fill in the gaps between scenes.

Case in point: I know the characters are going to face a tide of orcs, and one of them will have to stand alone as a sacrifice so the others can escape.

Ok. Why? Because he's filling in the role of an NPC, who was meant to die there. So he has to take the fall, even though he is now a PC character type.

Ok. But what is sacrificing himself for? So that the other can get the Paragon of Humanity back to the Paragon of Elves, so that they can combine their efforts to defeat the Paragon of Orcs.

Ok. How does the scene stand out? Well, when he goes off to fight the orcs single handedly he starts singing a bastardized version of Blood Upon the Risers, substitutong more fantasy appropriate lyrics (Already written out, if any one is interested in critiquing them).

Ok. Anything else? Well, he does have to sucker punch one of his friends, so that he can fulfill his role. And there will be more mentions of this scene later in the story.

Now the trick is to go and fill in all of the details that connect these bits of the scene. But before that I have to create the dungeon where the Human Paragon is trapped. And before that the city where they get the mission. And before that the source of their wealth for equipping themselves to deal with the dungeon. Afterwards, I have to do several interactions, as well as the show down between the Paragons. Voila. I have a story.

[JustS]

Seems like everybody gets ideas in different ways.

I too have written something after saying 'I could write better than that!' in the past, but these days it's normally when I observe something interesting it real life that I think could be explored in a story or poem.

My writing so far for AFF though normally is inspired by wanting to fill out areas that haven't been covered (my Perfect Dark Zero fiction for example), or if I spot a hint of a potential coupling in a TV show or movie.

[Melrick]

Coming up with ideas is my real Achilles heel. Once I get a good idea I'm fine, but it's getting to that stage that is usually a very painful journey. I envy those that seem to come up with more ideas than they have time to write them. I only write original stories, so that can make it a bit harder because there's no pre-established background or story or setup or characters to fall back on; everything has to be created by you with original stories. But you could - and should - see that as a positive, to test your creativity. But for me, it's usually just frustrating! At least until I have a good idea, then I love the freedom it enables me. If anybody has a database of their own unused original story ideas they don't want anymore then let me know! lol

[AlphaFusion]

Well, for me, I love to imagine things. I don't know how I generated my ideas. They just surface whenever I try to think of something to write. Of course, there are times when I'm lost as to what to write about. Still...

[wattersk]

Let's start with this:

In an old RP my sis and I had going, the devil was dating a bad-ass nature goddess, the Grim Reaper had multiple personalities, the demon bar was run by a redneck dude named Balzak, there was a mean little fate imp named Tak, who in his previous life was a good person, turned into a obsessive, possessive freak of nature bent on claiming a little person as his man-bride and destroying the kid's best friend. Tak's mentor, Jojo, wasn't quite as insane as Tak (he never tried causing apocalypses) but he liked to egg Tak on, and we never really determined his sexuality.

That would be what I consider the "WTF" stuff. I have no idea where it all came from, but these guys caused a lot of insanity. My fave would be Tak and his obsession. That made for great angst when Tak and the friend weren't going after each other with spells and sharp objects. I guess this comes out of the most simple, childish corners of my mind.

Then there's the stuff that'll get me crucified; the stuff that comes out of dark corners of my brain that I sometimes forget I have. o_O; In the project that I'm working on, most of Heaven is corrupt, Hell is trying to get the mortal realm balanced out, and the mortals involved all have different issues (ex-druggy gone obsessively-protective-father over a mute boy; tough soldier discharged for liking explossions just a little too much; overly happy african/japanese mechanic living with a psychotically prejuidce half-brother; the list goes on.)

It doesn't seem like much from just a brief description, but each character is, well, screwed up, as all are who get caught in the town. Again, obsession is a major point of focus in the project, among other dark themes. I got thinking about it a couple of weeks ago, and it kind of creeps me out, some of the stuff that has come out of the dark little corners of my mind; I'm glad few people I know personally are aware of what goes on in my head now and then. I think perhaps maybe my brain is programmed to magnify my beliefs to scary levels.

On the other hand, inspiration for me comes from different things. My my most recent fanfiction is based off a line that popped into my head after seeing a fanart: "When morning comes, you will be glad to be mine." Music and scenes from anime or things sometimes also inspire stuff; The song "Over and Over" inspired a scene between one of the project characters and his chaotic form which I'm looking forward to writing.

Anyway, enough babbling. Lotsa things inspire me, while other things simply come to mind. ^^;

[Azuru]

And.... thats how I make my stories

Wow! I swear to goodness everything you just said is true for me as well! XD Well, great, I don't feel special anymore.

But anyway, I pretty much start out by thinking of the characters first, and I'm good at drawing all kinds of designs and such, and then I sit there and realize that there's no point in drawing and NAMING a picture of someone if you're not going to use them for anything...

Now I'm a fantasy yaoi/slash/yuri writer, for the most part.... EVERYTHING I write has fantasy and some form of slash in it. @_@ That's just.... how I write. And I love it! So yeah, I start from the characters, then I move on to what kind of names would they have, and then I have to think about the kind of world and the kind of predicament. I love RPG type places, so yeah... My latest two fics that I'm writing are both fantasy based, monsters, magic, other things that I think I can incorporate into a story without getting too far out there.

I also like what someone else said about putting in issues in the story that people can relate to today, which I have to admit I've only really started thinking about after I finished Tales of Symphonia, which gave an intense view on racism humans and elves had for half-elves. It was really sad, but it opened me up to many things! And I think the next story I write will probably have that theme in it somewhere. XD

[Schmetterling-Meeko]

I didn't read over what everyone wrote, but maybe I will when I have a little more time. You've probably heard of this before, but carry a note book and write down even the slightest budding of an idea. Sometimes I get an idea from a lyric in a song, a picture I've seen, a movie I'm matching, or sometimes I get character ideas from the friends I'm hanging out with, or people I see out in public.

[Aeka-chan]

Most of my stories come to me at a spurr of the momment, which sucks if I don't have immediate access to a word processor since I have a very short attention span, especially durring periods where my body feels like it's eating it's self alive (Like right now, evil heat...). The ideas tend to pop into my head when I'm watching the tele, playing a game, reading, just nerding out in general, or if I'm looking for a specific type of story and can't find it, then I rush to throw the idea together for later use, and hope the idea tap hasn't dried when I finaly get to the story, of course, I also have to hope that the tap doesn't get clogged by too many ideas coming out at once... But yeah, what do I know? I'm no R. L. Stine after all.

[ladydeathfaerie]

ah.... ideas. the main staple of every writer, be they original or fan fiction writers.

for me, ideas come from all places. one day it could merely be a sentence. another day, it could be from reading what someone else has written. honestly, my bunnies are sneaky, vicious, heartless little creatures. and i love them.

once i have an idea, i work at building both the characters and the events that surround the beginning of the story. i have a tendency to not plan out anything that's going to happen, with exception of perhaps some of the more major events. you know, so that i can go from one stepping stone to another without having a chosen path laid out before me. i love the element of surprise and thus allow the characters to go where they will.

in the original i have going at the moment, Shadows Of The Night, the story actually evolved out of the conversation had by two of the characters in the first chapter. i built an entire world and drew up characters off a few sentences of exchanged banter. the story is dark and violent in some places, but its been so fun to write and, to some extent, very theraputic when dealing with some RL events that i had to find my way through. its had some very positive feedback, too.

and i now have another idea for an original going through my head that stems from reading a short story. i'm still in the planning stages on this one, still working out characters and some of the major events that take place in the beginning, as well as some that happen later in the story. i just don't know when i'll get to it because i have four stories running and a few more in my head. plus what i've gotten jotted down on scraps of paper.

keeping track of all the ideas is a task, so i write good stuff down on just about anything i can get my hands on. which means i have a three ring binder filled with paper, scraps and notes. spiral notebooks. signs from work..... just about anything, really. sheesh. its horrible. but i suppose i'll live through it all. just so long as i can keep on writing!