LifeLog #4

I’m not sure if it’s the weather outside, as we just got another dumping of snow, or it’s me but this week has been kicking my ass.

I’ve been so tired and out of it I really haven’t gotten much accomplished. And I don’t feel like I need a break because I haven’t done anything to warrant it.

But I do have good news.

From rough drafts:

To final drafts:

Never before have I worked with maps and attempted to make my own worlds like this. So, I know they aren’t perfect, I understand this. And I don’t care. For a first-timer, I’m very happy with this and look forward to making more as my career goes on.

Other than my joy with my maps, I can’t say there was anything really of note to be had here.

So, that’s all I got for you today. How has your week been?

I hope it’s been wonderful. Just as I hope this week will be wonderful for you as well. And I will see you next time.

-T.R. Flynn.

Get to Know the Writer

I have a bunch of topics I want to talk about, but they aren’t big enough to warrant posts of their own. So I’m bringing them together to make another tag, and so you can get to know me a bit better.

So, here we go.

1. Does writing energize or exhaust you?
   It can do both. After a really good writing session, I feel really good and, almost, hyper. Usually, that’s when I want to get everything done and make a lot of headway on everything else in my life. Other days, when it’s really slow and I’m struggling to get through a scene, I finish my session and I just feel so physically drained all I want to do is curl back up in bed.
2. Have you ever gotten readers block?
   Yes! All the time. I am one of those people Who either wants to read four books at the same time, or I don’t touch a book for months at a time. Things have been better since I got a fair variety of books on my shelf again, but it still happens.
3. Have you ever considered using a pseudonym?
   I do actually use a pseudonym. T.R. Flynn is my name. The T does stand for my name, Torri. And the R does hold meaning, but Flynn is not my name. I do have a bit of Irish blood in me. But I kinda chose it more for the fact I like it and it sounds cool.
4. What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
   I am always terrified that I’m doing it wrong. I don’t have a lot of male friends, so I don’t have a lot of people I can refer to, to be like ‘is this accurate’, ‘do you do this’, ‘would you do this in this situation?’. And while I am/have been a giant tomboy for the majority of my life, I still only have my narrow perspective on things. So, while I do try to present them in more varied ways, I still always feel like I’m portraying them as one-sided and sort of bland because I’m just so afraid of getting them wrong.
5. If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
   This is the million dollar question, isn’t it? I’ve always been very creative. I don’t think I could do anything that wouldn’t allow me that freedom. I went to culinary school for a little while to be a chef, before I realized that wasn’t really for me. When I was in highschool I was really into art. So maybe an artist, or a comic. I thought for a little while about graphic designer, but I’m not very consistent. I really liked metal shop when I took it. So maybe I would have become a welder. I always had a lot of things I really wanted to do. And maybe if I didn’t have anxiety, or was better treated for it I would have gone another way. But, who knows.

That’s all I got for you today. I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little more. I’m not sure if this can be considered a tag or not, but if you want to take this and answer these yourself, go for it! I would love to read your answers if you want to take the questions.

If you have a suggestion for next week’s post, please leave a comment and I’ll do my best to make it happen.

I hope you have a wonderful day, and if it isn’t great I hope it gets better. And I will see you next time.

-T.R. Flynn.

Let’s Talk about: Inspiration

Today, specifically, I want to focus on the inspiration for stories. I’ll get to character inspirations at a later date.

I’m one of those people who works on quite a few different stories at a time. A lot of this has to do with strong inspiration that has me really excited to work on them.

So where does this come from? Books?

Not really. I do read a fair amount, but I always try to shy away from drawing inspiration from other people’s books. I’m constantly afraid of unintentional plagiarism, so if I have an idea that’s very similar to a book I just read, I’ll either break it down to its barest bones because I like the idea, or I scrap it. If I really want to write it, I’ll write some more fanfiction.

Movies?

Not generally. There can be a couple scenes, i.e. panoramic, large battles, quick cuts from different characters to build tension, that I enjoy and might even want to imitate in my own work. But the basic premise has already been done. So, much like books, I try to avoid them as often as possible.

Video games?

I have actually gotten a couple of ideas from video games. Or, more specifically, video game playthroughs. Generally, I latch onto certain little plotlines, ideas, or elements that can be expanded upon but aren’t specific enough to be considered plagiarized, but have been presented in interesting ways that I either hadn’t heard before or hadn’t considered before. I have a central plot point for a novel through one little aspect of a video game playthrough I watched presented in a way I hadn’t seen before.

The people around you?

Most of the people around me influence my characters more than any plot or device within the story. However, every once in a while when someone’s going on a tangent or just sprouting jibberish, they drop these little nuggets of gold. Something so weird and bizarre, and out there, yet so… plausible. Easy to picture. And, at times, freaking badass that I have to take note and jot that down. It might not be relevant to any of the pieces I’m working on now. Or even anything I’m going to make in the next few years. But that’s the beauty of a writer’s notebook, you don’t have to use everything there. It’s just there so you don’t forget it.

Everyday objects and situations?

Sometimes. This is far more touch and go for me. I can certainly find the mystical in the mundane. But I think a good portion of this comes from seeing or experiencing something in a certain light or mood. I don’t often get this, at least not usually on my own. So this is a far less used option than anything else.

What else is there?

Writing prompts. I feel like I’ve beaten this to death and back, but here we go again. Whenever I’m on Pinterest(usually at least once a day), I come across a handful, sometimes more writing prompts that just get the creative juices flowing and have me excited. It isn’t just story prompts either. Pinterest has character prompts, scene prompts. You can find these on Tumblr too, but posts about interesting character ideas that give way more depth and intrigue than the standard character norms we have, sometimes breaking them entirely. I may or may not have entire stories planned out from a handful of prompts, a couple quotes, and some kill the clique posts(don’t hate, appreciate).

That’s all I got right now. For my writers out there, where do you find inspiration for your stories? I’d love to read if you’d like to share.

If you have something you’d like me to talk about next week, please leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer it.

I hope you’re having a great day, and if it’s not great, I hope it gets better. And I will see you next time.

-T.R. Flynn.

Favourite Writing Tools

Every trade has their tools. Chefs have their knives, contractors have their measuring tapes and hammers, Lawyers have their briefcases, etc.

What do writers have?

Well, the answer will differ from writer to writer. Some of us only use a computer. Others use a typewriter. The masochists of us start out with pens and paper before transferring to one or the other.

We all have different preferences in word processors, pen brands, the whole coffee vs. tea debate, etc.

But I do feel like it is important to see what other writers are doing. What some of the products they’re using are. How they go about using them. Etc.(I’ve been using that a lot today. But I feel it’s so much better than just listing off literally everything.)

So, here are some of the tools of my trade that I love, and I want to share with all of you. These are my opinions, and things that I like to use. I’m not saying you need to use any of these to be a writer. I’m saying I like these, and if you’re curious about any of them, I encourage you to try them.

1. Outline
   To the surprise of absolutely no one, I love having an outline when I write the first draft. I know there is a huge debate and people are very divided on whether they’re a plotter or a pantser. But, for me anyway, an outline is a wonderful tool. My mind is constantly in several different places at the same time, so to have a tool that reminds me where I’m going and what still needs to be done, is wonderful.
2. A Book Stand.
   I just recently acquired a little bookstand from Amazon. It has little arms that keep the pages open, and it’s wonderful. I used to always have the long list of changes I needed to make, or the notebook with my first draft in it on the desk before me, in front of my computer. And let me tell you did that take its toll on my arms and back. Now I have this stand that’s adjustable, and I can have it neatly to the side, where I can see everything. And it’s wonderful.
3. Sticky Notes.
   I am one of those people who doesn’t necessarily write in the proper order. the reason for this is I discover a story in pieces. So I might know who the big baddie is, but not how the main characters first meet or hear of them. I might know a subplot that I want to write, but not where I want to put it. Thus, sticky notes. I don’t have to worry about losing my ideas, and I don’t need to feel constricted by the fact that they can’t be moved.
4. Notebooks.
   I know I’ve said this multiple times before, but allow me to say it again. I love notebooks. I use the larger 8 by 11-inch ones for the first drafts, but recently I’ve been using the smaller 5 1/2 by 8-inch books for outlining and creating characters. I really like this method thus far. If you’re interested, I can make a post detailing my new process later. I just like the physical feel of a book in my hands. Not only that, there’s just something about seeing the ink scrawled across the page that I find so satisfying.
5. Grammarly.
   I’ve talked about this so many times, but I genuinely do love this program. I’m actually using this right now to write this post. I know I’m not the best writer in the first draft, and that my mind gets ahead of my fingers and things just blend together. So it’s nice to have a little companion as I’m working to jump up and say, ‘hey, you gotta fix this!’. And not be a jerk about it. I also really like the weekly reports that they email you. It lets me know just how productive I am every week. Which can be a really nice motivator. I encourage everyone, not just writers, to get Grammarly. It’s free, and a really nice resource. Even if you think you’re really good with the English language, get it. It can be really helpful(no, I am not sponsored by Grammarly. I just really like them).

So that’s all I got for you today. What are some of your favourite tools when you’re working(not just writing)? Do you have a suggestion for next week’s post? I’d love to hear if you’d like to share.

I hope you are having a great day, and I will see you next time.

-T.R. Flynn.

When I First Started Writing.

I know I touched upon the fact that I tried to write a novel when I was like seven, and I’m pretty sure I’ve touched upon the fact I started writing fanfiction when I was a tween.

Today, I want to touch on why I fell in love with writing, and how it made me feel when I made it a ‘habit’.

So, I first started writing fanfiction when I was, I want to say, about twelve years old. I started this because I was watching a lot of anime and I wanted more from the stories and characters. I read a lot of other peoples works, and while I enjoyed them they fell a little short for me. I wanted more complex original characters who weren’t as delicate as the other females in the original works(given the fact I watched a lot of battle shonen, this was a tall order).

I ended up thinking to myself, why not write what you want to read?

So I did. I created my own Quizilla account and went to town.

I loved the fact that I got some positive reactions and likes. It made me feel really good and want to write more. When I got a few requests to make fics for specific people I was over the moon.

I had pretty aggressive, undiagnosed depression at the time. I really didn’t have a good outlet for expressing this, or any emotion really. I felt lost and alone. And at multiple times I felt like it would be better if I just ended it.

When I started writing fanfiction and getting the positive reactions of my writing, and I wrote a couple long running pieces(i.e. releasing one chapter at a time eventually equating to something akin to a novel) I wanted to keep going. If for no other reason than to not let down the people who read my stories and wanted to know how it ends.

When Quizilla shut down, I moved over to my own blog that my sister helped me set up. I started writing more, posting more often, collaborating with a friend of mine to work on a story together.

I felt free when I was writing. Like, what I had to say mattered. Like my scattered thoughts could finally be put in order and make sense, not just to other people, but to me.

I found myself much less stressed out when I was writing. And I loved the fact that I could schedule posts to make it look like I had my life together.

I stopped writing for a while after high school as I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life. I felt lost to be perfectly honest. I did my best to keep up with my blog, but a lot of it fell through.

Once I finally got myself together and took the time to write I felt much better. Like all the stress that I had built up had gone through my fingers and into the words. That’s probably a clique to say at this point, but it’s accurate.

Writing for me can be rather difficult at times when I don’t feel in the right headspace, but even if I’m able to get out a couple lines I generally feel better than I would have without writing anything.

Sometimes this applies to blog posts. Other times these leave me more drained than anything else. This one is leaving me more invigorated than drained, which is wonderful.

That’s about all I have for you today. Is there something you do that makes you feel free when the world is trying to drag you down? I would love to know if you would like to leave a comment.

I hope you’re having a great day, and I will see you next time.

-T.R. Flynn