Good question. it flows out in order. I can count on one hand which ones I had to "jumble the sentences around" to get it just right. I'm very much an outline person but also quite linear. My exact process for these as they are so short is to write in one sentence what I want to happen. Then I think of the character (usually nameless, I try really hard NOT to give anyone a name unless it's absolutely necessary so that the reader can put themselves in that person's shoes more easily). Once I see the character then I can drop them into the moment. So next I think of the location, keeping it simple and easy to visualize with as little description as possible; a house, a car, the street, a shop, etc. I try to steer clear of dialogue as that can make staying within 100 words difficult. And voila! A story. I want to host workshops on how I do this so I can better explain visually.
Good explanation, and that sounds really interesting. I used to draw every day when I was a kid, just as a part of my evening ritual. Eventually I was drawn to contour line drawings, never lifting the pen from the paper. This reminds me of that sort of immediate style- it's planned and you have a sense of where you want to go, but it becomes more organic as the medium begins to create the art.
As artists, this interplay between medium and finished piece is such an important part of our process! Thanks for sharing a little peek into yours.
Erica, when you're composing these by hand, do you ever write the last part before the middle, or does it always flow out in order?
Good question. it flows out in order. I can count on one hand which ones I had to "jumble the sentences around" to get it just right. I'm very much an outline person but also quite linear. My exact process for these as they are so short is to write in one sentence what I want to happen. Then I think of the character (usually nameless, I try really hard NOT to give anyone a name unless it's absolutely necessary so that the reader can put themselves in that person's shoes more easily). Once I see the character then I can drop them into the moment. So next I think of the location, keeping it simple and easy to visualize with as little description as possible; a house, a car, the street, a shop, etc. I try to steer clear of dialogue as that can make staying within 100 words difficult. And voila! A story. I want to host workshops on how I do this so I can better explain visually.
Good explanation, and that sounds really interesting. I used to draw every day when I was a kid, just as a part of my evening ritual. Eventually I was drawn to contour line drawings, never lifting the pen from the paper. This reminds me of that sort of immediate style- it's planned and you have a sense of where you want to go, but it becomes more organic as the medium begins to create the art.
As artists, this interplay between medium and finished piece is such an important part of our process! Thanks for sharing a little peek into yours.
I really enjoyed this, and I'm sad it ended, I want to know more about the owls!