Hi all, Being an inconsiderate person, I dove straight into posting without introducing myself. Now that my social skills have caught up... I'm Si. I enjoyed creative writing as a kid, but went down other paths after high school. A couple of years ago, I went through a rough patch and took some time off my current vocation, during which I started dipping my toes back into writing. I've returned to my main pursuit now, but writing remains as a hobby I wish I had more time for (I'd consider changing professions if I was lucky/talented enough to have any success as a dilettante). My WIP (...the P is debatable...) is a severe revision of the monolithic novel I was writing off-the-cuff for 3 years in high school ('influenced by' is probably more accurate than 'revision'). I did have some good ideas buried amidst the hormones and shameful naivete. No title yet. I've become what I expect most would call a meticulous planner and haven't even started a draft yet, for better or worse. I don't intend to have every minute detail planned out, as I want some spontaneity, but I do want to intimately know the main characters and where the plot is going before I start. I have a pretty good grip on the plot, and am currently half-way through writing a profile for the last of my MCs. When I 'planned my plan', I incorporated some exercises into steps so that I'd have a chance to work on my writing technique too, although I think my style will change once I start drafting. My main aim is to entertain but I'd also like to discuss issues I consider important. Which probably just means I'm sugarcoating my moralising, but hopefully it won't be too obvious In trying to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, I seem to have painted myself into YA (although not specifically trying). I should point out that 'meticulous planning' is only the approach I took to this piece. I quite like experimenting and would like to try out a 'completely impromptu' approach in future to see how the results differ (...if I ever arrive at a result). I occasionally dabble in poetry and lyricism too, and also wrote short stories back in high school. My non-writing interests are: music (listening to, writing, playing, producing), mythology/folklore, mixology (cocktails), some sports (not a follower of leagues though), card games (especially hearts), prestidigitation (at a very amateur level), animals, sustainability/conservation/environment. Because of these last two categories I'm vegan (...this is always a tin of worms...), but try not to be too idealistic/militant/sanctimonious. I'll let you judge how successful I am. And now you know far too much about me. Thanks for having me!
Welcome to the forum, Si. If you're yet to check it out, here's our New Member Guide where you can find information on the ins and outs of the forum. Some writers plan ahead, some dive straight in, I don't think there's any right way to go about it. There're several rooms on the forum that are pretty helpful for planning purposes like Character/Plot/Setting development and Research. I've heard being a vegan requires some planning because so many food products are left out of the diet, so I tip my hat to you for being able to follow it. Anyway, see you around. -Kat
