# The Writer's Circle – Week #3 [The Big 'BANG' Approach]



## Commissar Ploss (Feb 29, 2008)

The Writer's Circle – Week #3 [The Big 'BANG' Approach]

Welcome everyone to week #3 of the Writer's Circle! This week is an article by Jill Dearman on her Big 'BANG' Approach. It is a step-by-step article detailing her B-A-N-G theory of the writing process and how following it could be your best bet (for some, not all people) to a life long and consistent writing hobby/career, wherever you want to take it. Please enjoy! —CP 

“The Big 'Bang' Approach”
“4 steps to take you from idea to completion on every writing project”
By: Jill Dearman


> Writing coach Jill Dearman is the author of _Bang The Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice_, due out next month from Penguin. Web: www.bangthekeys.com


(I recommend that everyone, whether you are a beginning writer or have been doing so for a while, buy this book when it comes out. I was able to get a little sneak peak of the book from an undisclosed :grin: source, and I must say it is a great piece of knowledge. She really knows what she is talking about. This article is just as interesting and helpful. I hope that you gain something from it. -CP)



> Several years ago, I attended a Torah class in New York City, where the steps in the “creation of the universe: were likened to a mystically infused combination of four Hebrew letters: Yud, Hei, Vav, Hei. The rabbi discussed how these steps were not so different from the steps in an artist's creative process. Consider: Yud = the spark of an idea, Hei = the idea's concrete development or form, Vav = the artist's emotional hook or connection to the creation, and the final Hei = its completion.
> 
> In my “Bang the Keys” writing workshops, I have adapted these steps into an acronym (and a philosophy) that encapsulates the process every writer must go through on every writing project: B = Begin; A = Arrange; N = Nurture; G = (let it) Go—BANG.
> 
> ...


Along with this article there is a 'WORKOUT' section for everyone to benefit from as well. It talks about the acronym BANG. Here you go.

WORKOUT


> DID SOMEONE SAY they needed help? That's a step! And here are exercises for each step of the “BANG the Keys” method:
> 
> 1.Begin. You're going to use a meditation approach to try to find and frame the seed of a new story, or to jump-start your writing if you've hit a lull with your existing idea. This approach can help you focus and keep your mind from jumping about. Begin by mentally “channel-surfing” for story ideas using the “5 Ws” of journalism. If you have too many ideas and don't know which is the right one, try this guided, repetitive meditation: While you breathe normally, with eyes closed and an open mind, take each idea in turn and gently tap each of your fingers on your knees to help you focus and keep out random thoughts. During the first 10 taps, silently repeat “Who?” in your mind. Do another round of tapping, this time using the next “W” - “What?” Follow with rounds of “Where?,” “When?” and “Why?” Then, write a brief synopsis of your story, using the snippets of images, characters dialogue and whatever else floated through you mind.
> 
> ...


Alright! Let the conversation begin! I have a few questions to kick things off. First: Does everyone set aside a little bit of time to write each day? I know I do. It seems that the best time for me to get writing done is right in the morning before I have to leave for work. This gives me about three hours to do a bunch of writing right after I'm through dreaming. Its not a bad routine really. It has even helped me get into a rhythm in the morning and be able to get the day off to a good start. I wake up, grab a cup of tea (BIG cup of tea, it needs to last. I prefer English Breakfast, its a very rich black tea with heaps of energy inside...idk, I'm sure the caffeine is enough to gag a mule but wtf, it helps. Oh, and no milk, just straight. Its a good swift kick in the mouth after just waking up. Where was I?) and plop my buns down on my metal freakin' folding chair while the sun is coming up. My desk is situated right by the window so it allows for lots of nice natural light. I find it very easy to concentrate. I guess what my question really is is, what is your workspace like? Does it facilitate your writing habits? Is it somewhere where you can be comfortable? I feel that having the right workspace is one of the most important things any writer can have. Especially when it comes to the BANG system. Your workspace needs to be able to accommodate the 'meditation' aspect of it so you can do some brainstorming and not be bothered by the outside world all the time. I know that whenever I do any freewriting, I need some sort of classical music on. I guess it helps fuel my thoughts. My current choice for music notesies is the soundtrack to Miyazaki's “Spirited Away.” It is absolutely amazing. There are some very powerful movements on the CD, as well as many beautiful melodies and sweet, calming tracks. It is quite a variable arrangement. 

My next question. Does anyone really have a hard time letting 'Go?' I know that here on Heresy, there is the option of editing your entires for a set number of days, so there really isn't all that much letting go to be had. Your story is always where you can see it, and you can change different aspects of it if you so please. I wonder if there are others out there like myself who truly does let their stories go after posting/publishing them. I for one do not like to edit (except for perhaps grammatical errors) my stories once I've posted them. Especially, the first ones that i've done. Simply because I find it being a gauge showing me how I have progressed. My stories have grown in complexity and depth and description. I'm quite proud of myself. Again, how do you all “Let Go?” or don't you? 

Question #3! When it comes to getting help, who do you turn to? My 'editor' and I have been friends for a long time and he has always been someone that I can bounce ideas off of. He helps calm me down when I've gotten myself into a tizzy and can't quite seem to do anything. He helps me error check my work when I'm busy or when I swear I've checked every last bit of my story. Because usually I haven't...haha. Does anyone here have an editor? How about another person to throw ideas at? A parent? A significant other? An old volley ball with a hand print face you've named Wilson? Anybody? If so, what is your relationship like? 

That about wraps it up for this week. I hope that everyone was able to gain something from this. Please feel free to let me know about things that you want to have discussions about. I'll add it to the list. I've got a few ideas for the next couple of weeks and they should be pretty good ones. Please enjoy, everyone. Have a great week!

Write on,

Commissar Ploss


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## Dirge Eterna (Apr 30, 2007)

Great addition to the Writer's Circle, Ploss, it is easier, IMO to write in small chunks then big stories. Personally, I randomly have ideas throughout the day, like one day I'll be sitting around the hangars or eating lunch, not paying too much attention, and without any prompt I'll just think of something and say "wow, that would be really awesome". It's often a race between my thoughts and how far down on the page my story is. I like to have a number of "reserve" ideas, in case I have to go away for a while, or focus on something in real life. It is important to keep up some momentum, as I know from experience as soon as I run out of ideas a story totally loses all it's appeal. I often make up a complete scene beforehand, choreographing fights and making a full mental image of the setting before I ever hit the first key. Essentially it's good to keep a pace, but you should NEVER try and keep the pace with a dull idea, as that waters down the story something fierce.


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## Void_Dragon (Jun 11, 2009)

An interesting approach to writing... :/ Personally I disslike structure, I find it ruins creativity. But I am very interested in the "Arrange" part. It has given me an idea. Over the next few days, the piece I'm working on atm (The Black Crow - it's in the Original Works section) is going to go up on my wall on lots of bits of paper. I will rearrange them whenever I find new ideas, and actually prepare a proper story I think.

As for who to turn to for help, the closest thing to an editor I have is my friend Lloyd, who I tend to make proof-read my stories (and he points out all the stupid flaws in them), and who has helped me with my writing consistently for the last year. This would be my advice to you all: get a friend who knows the English language VERY well (he is an A level English student who wants to study script writing next year in uni) to proof read and discuss everything with you.

Edit: HAHAHAHA, post number 69 for me. XD I'm so immature at times... lol


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## Kreach (Mar 25, 2009)

I am much like Dirge and Dearmans' 'Begin'- whenever my concentration wanes my mind will play with ideas that i'll often write down to include on my planning sheets later on, which take the form of mind maps or lists of words and phrases.

Yet I could never force myself to sit down and devote the next 20+ minutes to writing, I feel some of my best ideas come from the most unstructured of timetable and am not pressured by getting anything solid on paper. Which is why i've yet to post anything here in 'Original Works'.

While I do not sit down and spend time on the story itself I do like to devote some time to finding background material- i've many links I bookmark or text I download to look over later, to get ideas from and which authenticate the story I am working on (heh, I take the "by the book route" with stories and as 40k is new to me, I find having the codex a good anchor).

As for letting go, I don't. I've had so many unfinished pieces- because I am my worst critic (as they say), I am my editor. Heh, all thoughts and no action :biggrin:

Edit: (posted without refresh) and it would seem i've a similar view to Void too.


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## Commissar Ploss (Feb 29, 2008)

Yeah, i'm in agreement to the structure issue here as well. Although this article did prompt me to start designating time to write, i'm agree with your statements on how structure seems to deter creativity. As an example, i hated highschool, but i loved college (university for those across the pond :grin. probably due to the structure issue. Highschool was too structured, but then when i got to college, i could choose my own classes and show up when i wanted to, and i LOVED IT! 

Now, like i said, i do designate time in the mornings to writing. This is mainly so that i can get my jotted ideas down onto the computer. I acutally carry a composition notebook around with me everywhere i go. This is so that i have a place to put down the ideas that spring up when i'm not near my comp. Here is a cooky example. I'm actually commenting right now from the mechanics shop while my car is getting worked on. lol no joke~! They have internet kiosks here and even Starbucks coffee dispensers for free while you wait! its awesome. And guess whats sitting right beside me as i type this...my composition notebook. I'm getting an oil change and writing stories! like i said, i bring this thing with me everywhere. its in the passengers seat when i drive around. If an idea strikes me while i'm on the freeway, i pull over, and write it down. Absurd, maybe. Convenient, not so much. But effective, YES. Then at the end of the day, i put my notebook on my desk and go to sleep. I dream about what it was that struck my brain fibres that day, and when i wake up, i grab a cup of tea, sit down and Arrange. My notebook is just a jumble of character names, ideas for storyline, enemy encounters, quick paragraphs, love stories/scenes, pistol whips and end of the world scenarios. But when it comes to writing it down on the comp, it somehow manages to work itself out into a cohesive story. Most of the time :grin:. 

oh and Void_Dragon: 



> But I am very interested in the "Arrange" part. It has given me an idea. Over the next few days, the piece I'm working on atm (The Black Crow - it's in the Original Works section) is going to go up on my wall on lots of bits of paper. I will rearrange them whenever I find new ideas, and actually prepare a proper story I think.


thats great man! Its this kind of thought provoking stuff that i'm trying to accomplish with the *Writer's Circle*. I'm glad that you were able to gain something from this article/discussion. Please let me know how it works out for you. I'm really intersted to hear about it.

write on,

Commissar Ploss


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## Mossy Toes (Jun 8, 2009)

*My own ruminations upon the questions asked.*

*1: * I try to set some time aside, but don't do it often enough. Once I get through the tough part and actually get the first two, three, five paragraphs done, though, it generally flows very fluidly for another thousand to two thousand words. The hard part is breaking through the barriers that you built around ideas, and actually beginning the day's writing. I have spent too many hours string at a screen that contains the same thing it did yesterday, before moving off to browse the web or do something similar.

*2.* Editing stories is really a beautiful thing. Actual publication, I imagine, would be a whole other ball park (Little League kiddie field to the World Series, I imagine). That said, larger edits than reworking a paragraph, at most, are hard to dig into and actually do - more hard than beginnings. 

Actually, I would like to contest the idea that beginnings are one of the hardest things to do. I have no shortage of ideas, personally. The hardest part is the beginning of the middle, when the initial rush of enthusiasm dies and you're left holding the fragments left from the rave-like fiesta of ideas that you had the week before.

Beginning stories - not too incredibly hard, especially if you have a writing plan set up. Beginning the day's writing - many times harder.

On the subject of planning out your work and the plot: I think that _self-imposed_ structure is not unduly limiting. Yes, it keeps you from killing your characters on a whim or because it feels right (and then realizing that that character had the secret pass-code burned into its brain. However are they going to get in now? - or somesuch), but when you are the one who sets the arch, you know that you can abbreviate passages, or let scenes stretch on for another hundred, or even thousand!, extra words.

*3:* Fellow fan fiction writers. These are the key; the core. They read your works, praise you, flatter your ego, and most importantly, give you constructive criticism. Don't go bothering or bullying them into reading your works, though - if it's good, they will come. Reading and critiquing the works of others is the best way to get them to come to you.


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## deathbringer (Feb 19, 2009)

I have to be in the mood to write
I cant set aside a time because if it doesnt feel right the words wont flow
I need that little spark of inspiration but then i dont plan my works
I'm more instinctive 
Like yesterday reading mossy toes stuff gave me that little jolt and it flowed
Thus my workspace is wherever the hell I am
Either a desk or my bed

Yes I have trouble letting go
I constantly come back and edit my work until it feels right
though i often loose interest and come back weeks later to add a bit

I have to give it time to edit my work
i need to detatch and then come back to it
cos when i post it it looks perfect
So i have to wait and then edit but im rarely satisfied

Oh and I bounce my ideas of a friend of mine
Ironcially an ex
She writes poetry and we generally bounce stuff off each other
Even if its just a few lines
It works pretty well


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## Commissar Ploss (Feb 29, 2008)

Great contributions guys! I've enjoyed seeing the various opinions. They have been vary insightful and it just goes to show that every writer has his own way of going about the writing process. keep it up!

Just wanted to let everyone know that the Writer's Circle threads have been de-stickied in preparation for a new Writer's Circle index thread. Sort of a table of contents that will provide links and short summaries of each week as a new post. Both Squeek and Galahad have suggested this as a course of action, and i agree with them both. I'll post the index'd thread sometime this week. Week number 4 of the WC will be posted as a regular thread as normal, but it will not be stickied. It will then get a summarized post in the index thread along with a link to its specific thread. This will keep things organized and provide less clutter in the Original Works section. It keeps from having to sticky each and every WC thread...it would get kind of crowded...and i'm sure the mods would like to have me stop bothering them every time i want something stickied:grin:! keep an eye open!

write on,
Commissar Ploss


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

I promise I'll get to this one tomorrow lol. Right now I'm worn out from a long day's work and not in a thinking mood :biggrin:! However, having read over it, it looks interesting. 

Good luck and good gaming,

Nate


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## Commissar Ploss (Feb 29, 2008)

No worries Nate! Whenever you get a chance. I understand about the work issues. lol

CP


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Now that I'm in a bit better state of mind lol (which still isn't saying much :biggrin: )

I think this is the best article so far and one I think will be most helpful to me. This one has the right depth to it I think. As for your questions:

1. No..I'll be honest here. I don't set much time aside to write during the day. I have many excuses but mostly by the time I get home, I'm dead tired. However, when the writing bug hits me I can't stop it. I find something to write. Even if it's nothing more than wit(less)ty one liners for posts. I need the outlet in order to keep it from gumming up the works. I do need to find a way to set aside more time to write. I enjoy writing. It is a lodestone in my life, much like reading (which I prefer more than just about everything else). When I do write, I like to set the moment, mostly with music. For battle scenes I play anything from classical music to Black Sabbath (_Iron Man_ and _Warpigs_...awesome mood setters lol) and sometimes the soundtrack to Macross Plus(among others). Of course, _Gimme back my bullets _was playing when I thought up my arbite story. I also will sit down and watch a movie depending on what mood I'm looking for. Stoic last stand = 300, etc. What it comes down to is that I am similar to deathbringer. I generally need a trigger to set me in the right mood.

2. Letting go is not a problem for me. I only edit a story for grammatical/spelling errors and leave it at that. However, if it is a new work I think of it as a WIP. Until I put "the end" it's not finished and open for work. Older things I generally let sleeping dogs do their thing. I might think about it or even comment that I have thought about reworking it but I usually don't. I agree that it's like a mile marker or a bench mark. If you constantly rework everything you're spending too much time in the past. It's far better to move forward with new ideas than revisiting older ones. Looking back on older work gives you that sense of satification in knowing that irregardless of what others may say, you have improved. 

3. I bounce my ideas off my friends. One in particular is of great help as he is as sick and twisted as I am. He makes for a good sounding board. He also helps with additional ideas I might not even be thinking about. His help is always welcomed. I think everyone needs a good sounding board; be it friends, fellow writers, etc. A different perspective helps when writing and having someone with an unbiased opinion is damned good. 

Again, excellent job Ploss! 

Good luck and good gaming,

Nate


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