When I first started writing, I wrote when I felt compelled
or inspired, and I let my ideas flow and be my guide. Somewhere along the line,
I started to plot and outline, and then I learned I wrote better if I plotted, so from then
on I did just that. Another experience forced me to write a lot of words in a
short time period, and I then learned that if I started writing by a schedule,
I worked more efficiently. I also learned that I could achieve X
number of words per day if I set my mind to it, and I set that as my
reasonable-yet-challenging daily goal.
Some of my process has remained unchanged. I always write
from beginning to end - I have tried
writing scenes out of order and that doesn’t work for me, so my first instinct
was right there. I also don’t write well at night. I have tried, believe me, I
have tried. It just isn’t for me. I would rather get up early than stay up late. I also don't write well with music playing in the background - too distracting!
I think when it comes to any job or responsibility, there is
an element of trial and error, a learning curve where you work out the kinks
and figure out how you work best. Usually once everything starts to click,
other good things follow, and at the very least, the process feels more
manageable.
So how about you? How do you write best?
Thanks for sharing. :-) To me, writing is all about finding your process. At the beginning, I wrote by the seat of my pants. But don't even get me started on how many times I got totally stuck and the rewrites...yikes! I knew there had to be a better way. So I grudgingly started plotting/outlining. The more I did it, the more I liked it. Much easier to fix holes in an outline than an entire book.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I know what you mean about not being able to write at night. Usually I don't have the energy by then, but if I do then my mind starts racing and I can shut it up in order to go to sleep. LOL.
I'm with you, Jennifer! Once I started plotting, I could never consider going back to winging it. I thought I would hate outlining, but in the end I liked it:-)
DeleteUnfortunately I have more writing time during the day, but feel more inspired at night, usually when my head hits the pillow. I plan and outline but once I start writing I never seem to stick to it. I look at my plan and then at what I've written and wonder how it happened. The only routine I have is that writing has to involve coffee and chocolate :)
ReplyDeleteWith coffee and chocolate, where can you go wrong? I also tend to get ideas when my head hits the pillow, but then I am too lazy to turn on a light and jot them down. I've thought about getting one of those hand held tape recorders...LOL. :-)
DeleteUsually the only time I can write is at night, so that's when I write by default. I plot mentally, but I don't write much down. I've tried, but that doesn't work for me. My stories are constantly evolving, and almost as soon as I manage to write down a chapter-by-chapter summary, I find that I want to make a change. More recently I've plotted by selecting the high points of my story and where in the book they will occur, and then writing around them.
ReplyDeletePlotting around the high points of the story is a really good idea, I imagine especially so in suspense, where so much conflict needs to happen. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteWell, I do know I'm a born-planner. I can't function without setting myself a schedule for the day. I LOVE to plan, so it should be no surprise that I'm a natural "outliner".
ReplyDeleteI'm also a morning person. I've always found that I'm productive early in the morning--best time: 1am-9am--before I progressively slow down and eventually crash by noon. Although that's probably because I'm tired.
I need to plot to a certain extent. I don't require a detailed scene-by-scene outline, but I need to have those major plot points figured out. I also need to know my ending, but I find I can start writing without a plotted beginning.
Then again, this is coming from a writer who hasn't completed a WIP yet, so...I guess I'm still in this process of finding out what works for me.
And I'll tell you as soon as I figure that out. xD
Thanks for stopping by! I am also a morning person, and have always gotten my best writing done at that time (if I can!). Knowing the ending is key for me as well - I need that sense of direction, especially as things go deeper with the story. It sounds like you are well on your way to completing that first WIP - good luck!!
DeleteThank you!
DeleteActually, I'm participating in my first NaNo to complete what will hopefully be my first story.
BTW, congrats on 'Twas the Week Before Christmas. A little belated, but I found you awhile back when I was searching for call stories (I love reading them! I'm weird, I know.) I cry a lot when I hear about the struggles and feel the passion of writers, but it always ends happily with the CALL and post-celebration.
Yeah...I'm a sap for HEAs.
Anyways, thank you again for the boost of luck! I'll be looking forward to your Winter 2013 release. Have you started the countdown yet? =D
Nano is great! I participated last year - the word count analyzer is great!
DeleteThanks so much for the kind words on Twas the Week Before Christmas:-) Not sure what the real title will end up being, but yes, the countdown has begun with about exactly a year to go now. A long wait, but well worth it when I think of the struggles and hurdles to get to this point!!
Come back and report to us when you finish your WIP! You can do it!
I'm not too much of a plotter-usually I'll let the ideas float around in my head for a while. I will make a general page of notes, and rough outline, but then I go for it. I find for me some books are easier than others. One book I ended up writing out of sequence because a lot of scenes just 'came to me' as I wrote and didn't want to lose the momentum so I wrote them. I found that process pretty stressful though and don't want to repeat that! :-)
ReplyDeleteSo true that some books are easier than others. I wonder how much is the external stuff going on in life and how much is the actual story itself? Maybe a mixture of both? But absolutely, I too have found some books far easier than others. If I could figure out why, wouldn't that be the secret recipe to all others going forward ;-)
DeleteHi Olivia. A fab idea for a post! It's great reading about what works for other writers. I always start writing with a fairly clear idea of how the book will develop and progress. I don't plan in huge detail though as I find this can stifle my characters. Like Tracey, I do most of my 'plotting' when my head hits the pillow at night. During this time, I make notes for scenes which usually incorporates snippets of dialogue as a prompt. Once I'm confident of how I want a scene to work, I do the 'exploratory' write. I tend to work in a logical order from the beginning to the end of the book. Sometimes I have to leave scenes to simmer for a while so, if I find another is flowing, I make the most of it and return to more challenging scenes at a later stage. Sometimes they get removed altogether, so I don't agonise over them until I have to. I then go through the book over and over again, adding in all the necessary layers. Oh, and copious amounts of coffee and chocolate play a role in my writing too. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI also sometimes "bookmark" a scene that I need to come back to at a later time. While it works for me (and it seems you, too!) to write from start to finish, there is nothing more frustrating that hitting a road block. I agree - at that point, it is so much better to jump ahead and keep going. Usually the ideas fill themselves in after that:-)
Delete