Stories . . . do you like . . .

[lass]

Do you like stories w/action or mystery or emotion? Or a combo of all 3??
How much research do you do when you are writing a story?
As you can tell I'm still thinking AND still writing.

[Silver]

I always think the best guide is to write something you can imagine happening on the screen. To me, all three of your elements have happened on the screen. RC has always had a real skill with showing Jim West experiencing but controlling strong emotions. RM was an actor's actor and could run the gamut as needed.

[California gal]

The answer is yes. ;D

I do like stories with emotion (angst) and I think I tend to write that way. It's partly why I've developed my own version of Jim's past and family. I've always intended to do something similar for Artie but just haven't gotten to it. And of course everyone comes up with their own ideas of the boys' past lives.

As Silver said, Artie is much more demonstrative with his emotions than Jim. But as we've seen in a few episodes, Jim can display his feelings as well (Murderous Spring, Pistoleros).

As for research, I try to write about some place or situation I know at least a little about, either from reading, something I saw on TV, or actually having been at the place. But when something comes up, I do some net surfing. There's a great site for finding railroad termini and routes of the day, in case you haven't seen it:

cprr.org/Museum/Maps/

I try to consult it so I at least have an idea of what routes were available.

Didn't we have a thread here with a lot of links useful in writing--with clothing, food, etc.? Maybe I'm remembering wrong.

But imagination is a great resource as well. I usually make up names of towns as well as people, only once or twice using actual historic personages (beyond Grant).

[Artiespet]

Nah I don't see where angst has a place in the stories (and if you buy that I have some oceanfront property in Arizona I'd like you to look at!) Its hard for me to pin down any kind of formula for what does or doesn't go into a story. I get an idea and I open Word and just try to keep up with my twisted mind. I throw words at the page and hope the right ones stick . But a good well rounded story usually has a little of all those things in it.

[California gal]

Ahem, madame chairwoman... Are you throwing words at the page and are enough of them sticking that we might be able to read some soon?

[rielle]

first of all, glad to hear you're keeping on writing! It's both fun and nerve wracking in the extreme, as I'm sure everyone here can agree.

I have to work to make sure there's more action than talk in my own stories. And I work at that constantly to see if I can reach something more like a balance. I know that one of my stories I set out to discover my own notion of why Jim can seem so buttoned-down at times, particularly in the first season. That was my impetus and it took me a long while to answer the question, and a couple of long stories.

Artie in some ways is more of a challenge, cause I don't want him to be over-the-top, unless he's flim-flamming some bad guys with that kind of an act, of course. Ross gave Artie actually a lot of quiet moments and a whole lot of non-verbals. When we see Artie being super flamboyant, its' almost always in a good cause, for a good purpose. Artie himself is deeper waters than that, I'm quite sure.

Anyway here's the thing, balance between action and emotion is what everyone wants to create in their stories. That's not saying it's easy, it's not, but even the heartfelt effort makes for some amazing story telling... like those archived here. One of my favorite quotes about writing comes from the era before word processors, much less computers...

'Writing is easy' [sports columnist Red Smith said] 'you just sit down at a typewriter and open a vein'.

[Artiespet]

Apr 29, 2011 18:07:08 GMT -8 California gal said:

Ahem, madame chairwoman... Are you throwing words at the page and are enough of them sticking that we might be able to read some soon?

Hey I have been working on the rpg lately

Yes I am toying with my story. I was king of hung up when I discovered another poster was toying with almost the exact same scenario . We talked about it and she gave me some great ideas so I think I can get back on track. And now that I have my new computer (dang this sucker is FAST) the only excuse I have is that I haven't transferred the files from the laptop yet. But I have to have Kenneths help with that so that may never happen lol

[conansf]

I usually get a scene or line stuck in my brain and mull it over for a while before using it in a story. Or sometimes a character just stomps out onto the balcony during a high society Washington ball and exclaims "Oohh if I have to listen to one more insipid conversation, I'm going to grab Everguard off you and spit someone!!" I don't plan on upsetting THAT character so I had better write her story
What I find useful sometimes, is to keep notes on characters, so I can use them as more rounded characters when I need to, especially some cannon characters who were little more than scene fillers in the orginal series and TV movies by no fault of their own. I understand the scriptwriters can't provide a decent backstory on the whole cast eg Juanita, the cause of Jim's trouble in the second movie:
Juanita fell for the dashing James West as much for his attitude to independent women, as for his looks. Being at the centre of an adoring family, as the only girl, she felt confined and longed to be free of conventional strictures. So she threw herself in his way. James enjoyed squiring the firey senorita, as being on good terms with her family opened up a lot of business opportunities. When it looked like things were serious between them he explained his lifestyle very carefully but Juanita being a spoilt, wilful and very much indulged girl, simply dismissed as irrelvent anything she didn’t want to hear. Leaving her family, she moved to the ranch and was shocked and chagrined to find that the situation was exactly how James had explained it. Used to being the centre and only object of attention she schemed to be Number One in the household but found herself gently thwarted by the rest of the Girls, who knew very well that they were on to a good thing and did not want anything to change. So Juanita did what she always did when she got in over her head. She called for her brothers, uncles and male cousins to come and fix her dilemma. Jim sent his family to safety with friends who owned a place on the Gulf of Mexico and stayed to negotiate. But Juanita was sure she could force the issue and insisted that her menfolk hunt the man she now saw as her seducer.
And this is where the second movie starts.

[Silver]

I can understand what you're saying about starting from some one line that hits you. The Night of the Cold Blue Light started from Dr. Loveless telling Artemus that what he hated most about him was his glib tongue. Naturally from there the insults had to fly back and forth. Then I had to figure out how they fell into his clutches this time, and ... well, all stories start with that initial "What if?" and build from there, right?

[Artiespet]

Jun 3, 2011 5:22:42 GMT -8 Silver said:

I can understand what you're saying about starting from some one line that hits you. The Night of the Cold Blue Light started from Dr. Loveless telling Artemus that what he hated most about him was his glib tongue. Naturally from there the insults had to fly back and forth. Then I had to figure out how they fell into his clutches this time, and ... well, all stories start with that initial "What if?" and build from there, right?

I like stories that come about that way. Cold Blue Light is one of my favorites I got The Night Of The Kangaroo Court from CG when she told me she had a dream but all she could remember was that "something happened on the train"!

[California gal]

I often get ideas for stories when I hear a phrase, or perhaps just think of a brief moment that might happen to one of the guys. Then comes the fun of building the story around that "moment."

[Paradox Eyes]

Songs. Songs play a big part in my writing inspiration. Not always but a lot. In fact the character of Pet in Red Dune Death was inspired by Kelly Clarkson's song "Irvine"

Are you there?
Are you watching me?
As I lie here on this floor
They say you feel what I do
They say you're here every moment
Will you stay?
Stay 'till the darkness leaves
Stay here with me
I know you're busy, I know I'm just one
But you might be the only one who sees me
The only one to save me
Why is it so hard?
Why can't you just take me?
I don't have much to go
Before I fade completely...

[California gal]

I don't think I've been inspired (yet) by a current day popular song, but I did get a story out of a Civil War song (Faded Coat of Blue).

[tyche]

Actually it might be a line, or wondering about 'What if' For example I'm considering a story related to TNOT Murderous Spring, but I still have to think about it. But sometimes stories come from the most unlikely of sources.

My second story turned into something else about halfway through and at first I wasn't sure if I should post it with all the supernatural elements - especially as it does deal with a bit of angst (Jim West's lost love) and I really didn't want to write about that especially as it's pre the TV Series. But the second story started from West being sent on a solo mission that had some rather nasty after effects - and the lost love - well the story kind've ran away with me.

This is a problem I have sometimes - the characters don't do what I want them to do. I'm sure other people don't have this problem

However, I know what Silver means when she says that you have to imagine it happening on screen. Some of that I captured in my second story, some I'm not sure. With the one (two, three, four....) I'm working on at the moment I keep having to imagine both Jim and Artie and really think, Would Jim say that? Would Artemus say that? If the chips are down would they really act that way?

Sometimes I start a story and have to go back to pen and ink in order to continue it. Sometimes that doesn't work either, the latest story I posted took 3 rewrites before I was happy with it.

[California gal]

Oh, no, never. I never have a problem with the characters taking over a story. Never. That's of course why I rarely write a story that's less than 50 pages long!

As I've said elsewhere, one reason why I could not post part of a story before it's completely finished is because sometimes along the way I realize a batter path to take--quite often thanks to something those handsome gents did or said. Then it requires adjustments to the beginning portions.

[artiesniecewannabe]

When I was writing TNOT Unexpected Visit (the long version), I had come up with one idea of what the villain's science-fiction-ish weapon would be -- and after I had gotten pretty far into the story, my son was talking to me one afternoon and made a chance remark that started the gears clicking away in my head, leading to me using a different science-fiction-ish weapon. And of course that meant rewriting what I'd already done.

[Paradox Eyes]

For me, the stories fall into two categories, canon, which keeps to the original premise, and those that simply don’t. As a reader I prefer the stories that stay with the original show concepts. That doesn’t mean they can’t occasionally wander off into personal arenas with love and family relationships, but in the end, I like to see that type of story concluded and have them return to the original path. Then off to a new Wild Wild West adventure. This is just me and my one opinion.

I used to write in long hand, then transfer the story to computer, altering it as I went through it. Now I just use the computer. But above all, I think a story should be completed before ever posting any of it, whether you decide to post it serial style or all at once. RPGs would be the exception of course as they have multiple writers who must work off of other writers previous feed.

I rarely look back once I post. It would drive me crazy to think, “Oh, maybe I should have done this or that differently. I drop it, mistakes and all, and move on to the next, trying for improvement in the next story. Years ago, that’s probably the one thing that allowed me to begin writing and posting. Seeing that others bravely posted what they had to start with (good or bad) and then seeing their writing grow from there.

[tyche]

I still write some stuff in longhand - which alters when I post it. Sometimes rereading stuff I have to go back and do some creative rewriting which can be irritating. I tend to have the beginning of my story and the end of my story before anything else.

But I know what you mean, Niecie, about not looking back. I've only significantly changed one story and that was the second one I posted 'The Night of the Fever Ridden Cowboy' and on the whole I'm glad I did.

But I don't have any ideas for a back story for Jim's lost love although something may crop up later - possibly from watching another wild wild west episode.