Oh Lord, you've asked for it now. I could spend HOURS talking about our prep.
You're sure you really want to know this?? ;)
Okay, when FauxMaven and I plan a story, one as complicated as 'Human Puzzle in a Packing Crate' or our current one 'Firestorm: Gehenna' we plan it out to the nth degree. It's not our fault, we're geeks; we can't help it (we say that we need a 12-step program...!). But we will not change course half way through, it's all there ahead of time. Also, it's going to take me 6 months to write 'Firestorm', like it did with 'Crate', and I'm human and I forget things. If it's not down on virtual paper, I'm toast.
First thing we do is our research. In this case, as Gib had offered to be our guide through the wonderful world of firefighting, she sent papers and photos and investigative info. We held multiple 3-way MSN conversations and I compiled 3 huge 20 or 25 page documents on fires and fire investigations from those conversations and that info.
The next thing we did was storyline it and that's a job that FauxMaven and I share. We'll discuss where we want the story to go, what we want the case to be, what relationship issues will be involved, if any (I'm a sap, there's ALWAYS a relationship component). Then we move onto the real storyline which is a bulleted Word file that break the story down in time. Monday this will happen, Tuesday this will happen. This goes back and forth until we're both happy with it.
I'll post an example of this storyline after this message as I'm blowing the max size of the allowed post... (quel surprise... I warned you!)
After that we make a chapter table. Literally a table in Word that outlines each chapter, the major activity in that chapter, what day and time the activity is, the chapter number and the chapter title (when we've got that) and any details about it (yes....we're such geeks, that even includes smut!).
Only after all that is done, only then do we start to write. For 'Firestorm', we've managed to stay 4 chapters ahead the whole way. I just published Ch. 9, I've just finished Ch. 13. This allows us to go back and review the chapter that is just about to go up just before it does to make sure it jibes with the later chapters. Real authors write the whole book and can make sure it all matches before anyone outside of their writing circle sees it. We don't have that luxury. But a 4 week gap is working very well. This also allows us to fit in an extra one shot (like we'll be doing next week for the week after that) when inspiration strikes...
We write one chapter a week. The previous chapter goes up on Monday then I take the next 4 or 5 days to write the usual 7,000 - 8,000 words and then we go back and forth tweaking over about 4 to 5 versions until we're both happy (Gib gets a go at it too at this point to make sure that I haven't messed up any fire fighting details). Then my husbands gets a last go at it to hopefully catch any residual spelling whoopsies. While this is going on the chapter about to go up is reviewed and then posted and the cycle starts all over again.
I know, I hear you cry -- LSQ needs a life. Sadly, I like this one... ;)
So that's the planning in a nutshell. It took us probably 3 - 4 whole weeks to plan our Firestorm before we were even ready to write and then we had 4 chapters in the can before we even started to post.
But maybe we go too far? I don't know that anyone else is this precise with their pre-prep and planning, but we write a totally different kind of case fic than anyone else I've ever seen either on FF.net or LJ (definitely on LJ...). With the accurate real-life science and the details that we do, there's no other way to do it and do it right in our opinion.
no subject
You're sure you really want to know this?? ;)
Okay, when FauxMaven and I plan a story, one as complicated as 'Human Puzzle in a Packing Crate' or our current one 'Firestorm: Gehenna' we plan it out to the nth degree. It's not our fault, we're geeks; we can't help it (we say that we need a 12-step program...!). But we will not change course half way through, it's all there ahead of time. Also, it's going to take me 6 months to write 'Firestorm', like it did with 'Crate', and I'm human and I forget things. If it's not down on virtual paper, I'm toast.
First thing we do is our research. In this case, as Gib had offered to be our guide through the wonderful world of firefighting, she sent papers and photos and investigative info. We held multiple 3-way MSN conversations and I compiled 3 huge 20 or 25 page documents on fires and fire investigations from those conversations and that info.
The next thing we did was storyline it and that's a job that FauxMaven and I share. We'll discuss where we want the story to go, what we want the case to be, what relationship issues will be involved, if any (I'm a sap, there's ALWAYS a relationship component). Then we move onto the real storyline which is a bulleted Word file that break the story down in time. Monday this will happen, Tuesday this will happen. This goes back and forth until we're both happy with it.
I'll post an example of this storyline after this message as I'm blowing the max size of the allowed post... (quel surprise... I warned you!)
After that we make a chapter table. Literally a table in Word that outlines each chapter, the major activity in that chapter, what day and time the activity is, the chapter number and the chapter title (when we've got that) and any details about it (yes....we're such geeks, that even includes smut!).
Only after all that is done, only then do we start to write. For 'Firestorm', we've managed to stay 4 chapters ahead the whole way. I just published Ch. 9, I've just finished Ch. 13. This allows us to go back and review the chapter that is just about to go up just before it does to make sure it jibes with the later chapters. Real authors write the whole book and can make sure it all matches before anyone outside of their writing circle sees it. We don't have that luxury. But a 4 week gap is working very well. This also allows us to fit in an extra one shot (like we'll be doing next week for the week after that) when inspiration strikes...
We write one chapter a week. The previous chapter goes up on Monday then I take the next 4 or 5 days to write the usual 7,000 - 8,000 words and then we go back and forth tweaking over about 4 to 5 versions until we're both happy (Gib gets a go at it too at this point to make sure that I haven't messed up any fire fighting details). Then my husbands gets a last go at it to hopefully catch any residual spelling whoopsies. While this is going on the chapter about to go up is reviewed and then posted and the cycle starts all over again.
I know, I hear you cry -- LSQ needs a life. Sadly, I like this one... ;)
So that's the planning in a nutshell. It took us probably 3 - 4 whole weeks to plan our Firestorm before we were even ready to write and then we had 4 chapters in the can before we even started to post.
But maybe we go too far? I don't know that anyone else is this precise with their pre-prep and planning, but we write a totally different kind of case fic than anyone else I've ever seen either on FF.net or LJ (definitely on LJ...). With the accurate real-life science and the details that we do, there's no other way to do it and do it right in our opinion.
Hope that helps!