Thursday, February 12, 2009

I haven't had trouble writing lately because I haven't even dared to try to write. Too sick originally, then too stressed out, too anxious. So I've been playing computer puzzles, which the fabulous man who gives me my anti-anxiety pills says is a wonderful way to de-stress. Most recently, I've become interested in Escape puzzles in which you find yourself in a room full of hidden clues and you have to find them and figure out how they work with each other to get the key that lets you out of the room. I used to hate these, but suddenly they're very calming....

...which led me to a sudden thread that I'd like to follow in my writing. A puzzle like this would be perfect for the great scheme of my storyline. But how do I build it? Do I decide on the clues themselves and how they fit together to lead toward the prize first, or do I look at the general surroundings and work in toward the details and the best places to hide them? I'd ask the Escape puzzle creators, but so far, most of the ones I've found are by Japanese artists/programmers.

Any advice?

5 comments:

UrbanUpscale-Intown Green said...

Wassup, Roz!

Your post interested me b/c I'm playing around with a comic b....ummm, scuse me, sequential art based....storyline and drawings now and over the past year or so have become much more interested n the creative process. I don't know anything about puzzles, but one thing I'm having fun with in my creating is starting from the big picture of what I'm interested in and then working back to the details. I think that's the essence of your question.

I have a classmate of mine from college who's published who blogs about creative writing: tayarijones.com (You may already know of her). You can friend her on FB. Tell her Courtney Echols sent ya.

ninthmuse (roz m) said...

Thanks, Courtney! Happy to have you visit, and very happy to have your input :)

Shauna Roberts said...

Maybe it's because I'm a detail person, but I think I would start with the clues and then construct a suitable environment to house them. The clues would almost guarantee a strong thread/path through the story and it would be easy to find the proper shrubbery or furniture or whatever to hide the clues in.

ninthmuse (roz m) said...

I decided to start keeping a list of potential clues to get started. Even if I work from the big details in, having some of the clues on paper already would simplify the process.

Sphinx Ink said...

Can't advise you on building the puzzle, but I encourage your doing it and playing computer puzzles, because it's important to allow your brain to work in a different frame when you're stressed. Give yourself the benefit of some down time. Planning a wedding can be very stressful, and layering that atop the multitude of other responsibilities of job and life in general can lead to overload. Blow off the steam!