Currently I am writing a scene featuring a couple of characters and introducing some key world building, personal defining moments. I am almost done with this scene and know how I want it to conclude, having written the majority of it. Planning the next scene has led to many ideas I've been jotting down over the past couple of days. I'm really gung-ho and want to get to know this character featured in the upcoming scene, yet the previous one is not quite done. Not to mention the events and conclusions of the almost finished scene lay out the goals and personalities of key characters throughout the rest of the story, and are recalled upon a lot. Should I tough it out and finish the scene before moving on to the next one? My only hesitation is that I will lose inspiration by speculating and daydreaming so much about what will happen next and how that person will react. How do you write scenes? Chronologically (this is what I typically do, but sometimes stray from)? Ending first? Right smack in the middle? Snowflake method? Upside down and backwards?
The world moves forward. Stories move forward and follow a fairly chronological course of events. Even when considering alternating scenes from past to present, there is a chronological sort of process going on. Your brain, and my brain, obviously don't work this way. If you know the story, you don't have to wait for one scene to finish in order to begin thinking about the next. Some writers truly don't know what is coming next, so they can't jump around. This is clearly not the case. Strike when the iron is hot. If you're inspired to write a scene, then write it. God knows how many times you'll have to push through your writing without being motivated. If you've found something you're motivated to write, then write it. You'll find that a non-chronological process may have you making some plot mistakes eventually, but those can easily be fixed. The story, however, will not write itself regardless of which order you write in. According to some sources, Agatha Christie wrote in this unorthodox manner. She seemed to do pretty well for herself, so I wouldn't sweat it.
I agree with @Who . Write whatever inspires you at the moment. You can go back and fill in the gaps later on, but your burst of inspiration may well provide insight into other scenes you've already written—including the one you're temporarily abandoning. The trick is, you do need to finish eventually. So don't allow yourself to get so sidetracked by random ideas that you can't. But don't just plod along, sticking to some rigid plan, when you've got the inspiration to write something that will come later on in the story. Some writers actually write endings first! Me - I wrote my scenes as they came to me, and linked them together later on. Because it's all one brain at work, the pieces do come together in the end.
Thanks for the input. I already wrote half the next scene last night, and just like jannert said, it gave me insight to events of the previous scene.
