The Writing of Longer Fic!

[lightofdaye]

So as I mentioned in my 2013 Retrospective. A lot of what I wrote last year was drabbles and flash fic. The longest I think was Smutty claus fic at about 6K and I think in the end alot of my work follows the same basic formula. Simple set up > banging > punchline denouncement. And in the case of drabbles a lot of the first and last bits go by the board. Even the longer fics, the result is mainly longer set up. but still of the simple 'x likes y and finds out y likes x too and bedtime ensues'.

Now I have done longer fic before. 16K of it for my first smutty claus way back in 2011. And even ongoing fics. Though they were more or less the same formula repeated for each chapter.

I did have a point when I started writing this, I am sure. Anyway, I have seen other people in the friends list come up with 12K or 20K pieces for things were i would end up with maybe 1 or 3. So I'm just wondering however to people manage it? Does it take a lot of planning? How does one

Especially I was thinking of UST and slow burning use of it. (for no particular reason, tamlane) how does one right a long fic with UST without action happening? I mean on one level that sounds like my formula but with drawn out lead to up to when a pair actually does it. But I guess what I wonder is how to make it interesting? How does writing longer fic even work? I seem to forgetton.

Thoughts?

Comments

[traintracks.livejournal.com]

Obstacles. I'm probably not the best person to advise on this because I frequently (ask my betas) come up with unrealistic ones -- or the same three for every fic. But I think the trick of length is tension and the trick of tension is giving your pair realistic obstacles to their destination. These can be inner issues -- 'but I'm not supposed to want so-and-so' -- or they can be outside obstacles -- a war breaks out, a friend is vehemently against it, I'm a Pureblood and need an heir, what have you.

But yeah. Obstacles, ftw. :-)

[tamlane.livejournal.com]

That's it. Something has to be in the way. Always. We want most keenly, most desperately, what we can't have.

[lightofdaye]

Well it's definitely good idea. I've sort of got something in mind in a workplace thing. Like a 'i can't shag my secretary thats power abuse and i can't transfer her for no reason either' sort of thing.