28th September 2007 - You should drink liquids

[V-Adore]

Hmm. This is a pretty interesting conversation. I think I can postulate that there are two basic kinds of Achewood story arcs: the Party/Cartilage-Head-style arc, where the basic scenario is established immediately and never changes much, and the GOF-style arc, where the scenario that appears to start the storyline has no actual connection to what the arc turns out to be about. (The GOF is actually quite complicated in this regard, since it goes from "Ray and Todd consider various artificial-scrotum-based business ventures" to "Ray awkwardly entertains his mother" to the actual GOF.) I find it interesting at this point that everyone's intrigued by this arc specifically because we're hoping it will turn out to be something else -- that nobody particularly wants to read three more weeks of Todd's Insane Crackhead TV-Star Adventures, but we'd love to see it turn into something unexpected.

Is there a correlation between relative lameness of startup and likelihood of a GOF-style swerve? If so, is it just a product of Onstad saying "eh, this isn't going anywhere, time to do something different?" I have to assume it is, but with Onstad, you can never deny the possibility of a boring startup being intentional as a run-up to something totally bizarre and epic.

(Yes, I'm overthinking it. Shut up.)

[Ruta Bagas]

You know, I don't think I've ever even considered the possibility that he might plan anything in advance.

[V-Adore]

Yeah, I've never been sure about that either. He's remarkable at creating the effect, but he may just be an awesome impromptu writer. (This is more likely, really, since it seems to be the major skill required for keeping up a webcomic.)

[Lister]

That and drinking.

[littlefallsmets]

See, I think he plans it all out meticulously, at least on some level.

You can't have such distinct character voices without REALLY overthinking what you're writing about.

It's just that... in the actual execution, if he has a funnier idea, he goes with that idea and worries about making it all come back to The Plan later.

I dunno, I know it's kinda navel-gazing to theorize about the Process of a writer you've never met but...

That's just what I always figured.

[AugustWest]

See, I think he plans it all out meticulously, at least on some level.

You can't have such distinct character voices without REALLY overthinking what you're writing about.

Yeah, but...

I think you're right on when it comes to character voices.  Onstad has obviously devoted much mental energy to the details of each of the characters.

However, I'm not sure that the plots are developed that way.  They just feel way (waaay) too spontaneous for that.

But the so-called "over"thinking of the characters fits in with that style.  Onstad knows his characters so well he understands how they will react to any random situation he throws them in.  Because he has created Beef (or Ray or Lyle or whoever) as such a fully nuanced character he could randomly pick plot twists and write realistic character reactions and interactions.  Because he's made the characters so real, they will act in real ways -- no matter the situation.

[wombat]

I think August is exactly right.

Also, doesn't Onstad say in an interview somewhere that he doesn't plan the plots? I'm working on pretending to have a life outside the internet or I'd reread them all to find it... let's see how long that lasts.

[jay-ell]

But the so-called "over"thinking of the characters fits in with that style.  Onstad knows his characters so well he understands how they will react to any random situation he throws them in.  Because he has created Beef (or Ray or Lyle or whoever) as such a fully nuanced character he could randomly pick plot twists and write realistic character reactions and interactions.  Because he's made the characters so real, they will act in real ways -- no matter the situation.

This is how Pedro writes.  He meets the people in his head, and then throws them into different situations to see what they do. 

Also, Faulkner said he wrote this way.  "'I listen to the voices, and when I put down what the voices say, it's right." 

I personally don't have that kind of brain -- which is why I write shitty dialog, all my characters sound like me.  But it's certainly a natural process for a lot of writers, and I think Onstad is probably one of them.  Without it, writing the character blogs would be impossible. 

[V-Adore]

Ironically, this is a skill that roleplaying helped me with. All the writing classes in the world couldn't make my dialogue non-shit, but doing enough D&D and other character-focused activities helped a lot. Who said it was a waste of time?

(Me. Frequently. But hey.)

[JorgeFabregas]

I'm interested in this rating system of Ray's. I need you to give me a ride to work on a scale of 1-10. You'll do a seven? Great.