Channeling explanations

[mrissa]

In the context of a longer post, callunav asked, "If you write speculative fiction - yes, you, even if you never show it to anyone - how do you convince yourself to quit it when you catch the explaining bug? I don't have enough experience with it, and it's annoying me no end."

And I said, "I channel the explaining bug into character. If it's sidetracked me from story, I think, 'All right, who believes that? And what does it do to their actions that they do believe it?'"

This is, of course, in the situation where trying to come up with lots of explanations for all the details of your story is counterproductive. Sometimes it's productive. Those times -- I just go with them.

In case anybody else might find that thought useful, I guess.

Comments

[callunav.livejournal.com]

Well, *I* found it useful. Extremely.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Well, good.

[diatryma.livejournal.com]

Me too.

[howl-at-the-sun.livejournal.com]

That is a very helpful thing. Thank you.