Personally, I like to outline plots. I'll come up with what I think is an interesting idea for a book, write a rough 2k-5k outline on it, hitting all the important points. I'll usually come up with general ideas of characters, a paragraph or so long descriptions. While regular writing can be a bit tedious and draining, writing an outline is rejuvenating for me, which is probably why I have almost 100 of them stored away. So my question is, what parts of writing do ya'll enjoy or find yourself doing more than necessary?
I am exactly the opposite. I find outlining to be tedious and draining, and the actual writing to be rejuvenating. I guess that's the fundamental difference between a planner and a panster (I hate this term, haha). I'm learning to love the revision process as well. It can be fun to see what can happen to a story in revision.
I really enjoy plotting out my story, however... in recent drafts I've come to LOVE layering in subtext and Allusions into my work.
I like worldbuilding. Character creation is up there, but when I found myself writing a dissertation on the evolutionary history of an alien race from what circumstances drove them towards becoming the apex predator of their habitat, to the circumstances that birthed their earliest civilization (it's because hunting for yourself is energy intensive and making someone else do it for you is cool), to their first contact with another species and how seriously it molded their culture even some 800+ years into the future where the story actually takes place ... well. I kinda figured out that worldbuilding was my thing around then.
Wait, if I'm good at outlines, but not the actual writing, and you're good at the actual writing, but not outlines, then maybe... Maybe writing is actually really hard? Oh, a puzzle master. So you're why all the critics can't accept that the curtains in my story are only green because that's my favorite color. (I'm kidding, no critics ever read my book) Woah... that's a lot. After you're finished building these worlds, do you just find multiple stories within them, or is it more of a one and done? Because the way it sounds to me, is like you're building a Warhammer 40k type universe where hundreds of stories belong. A whole world for just one... seems like a lot of work.
I think I fall more in Spencer's camp on this. I really enjoy writing, particularly, writing to see where the story takes me. While I have a general idea of where things are going, I tend to immerse myself mentally in the scene and just let things pan out sometimes. It's fun and it has produced some of my more unique and enjoyable passages.
In that case it's a setting that at least about 5-7 stories are set in (those aliens feature heavily in two), but very little of the detail I worked on is actually needed or in any of the stories the aliens are in. I just love thinking about them and their culture. I've been known to build worlds that I then did nothing with.
Personally, I find the act of writing itself the best. Even if you're just writing dribble or cooling of with a bit of writing after a long day. I still think it's nice. Especially that moment when you finish a chapter or a good day's worth of writing and you read back to check what you've written. I have to admit, worldbuilding comes close.
Character creation for sure. Humans are so complex - and so the characters require layers upon layers of personality traits and quirks. Working out a really good character and personalizing them however I want is truly an amazing process for me.
I like being surprised. Not to worried about the "by what": character, plot, setting... as long as I am floored when my brain does something for the first time, I don't care where it came from. Urban Fantasy WIP Brainstorming how my Urban Fantasy protagonists met and started working as drug dealers, then realizing that one of my supporting protagonists - who is actually unconscious for most of my WIP - is actually one of the deadliest serial killers in American history and that her part of the backstory is actually the glue that holds the group together: everybody else is more closely connected to her than most of them are to each other Realizing that said serial killer enjoys Civil War marching songs (after previously toying with the idea that she might enjoy automotive work) Trying to decide whether my characters were going to pull of Epic Climax X or Epic Climax Y, but then realizing that they were going to do both Planning for my narrator to be a sexist pig who respects his two female friends (one of whom turned out to be the serial killer) but who objectifies basically every other woman in the world, then realizing that he takes great pride in being an egalitarian (though I'm thinking that this is more a lack of self-awareness than it is an actual change to the guy) Or, most dramatically Working on a setting for over a year, working on a bank robbery scene for months, and not being able to come up with a story for either, but then realizing that the villain of the bank robbery was the villain of my Fantasy world (I am now 40,000 words in ) Doctor Who fanfic Daydreaming for a few months and then realizing that I had an actual story with a plot to write about Writing a group of 4 hero protagonists but then realizing that the leader worked best as a villain protagonist instead Realizing that my villain protagonist had superpowers Realizing that a guy whom I was convinced was asexual/aromantic like me had actually retroactively been bi the whole time and ended up falling for one of the other guys in the story Realizing that the power of my ship's combined engines could be tailored to equal 1 Tsar Bomba / second Realizing that the perfect name for my ship's production model (I had decided on an engine arrangement that took me 2 years to realize resembled a collection 5-pointed morningstars arranged in an 8-pointed star) was Morningstar-class Realizing that the Judoon who show up would be straight-up Hero Antagonists when I'd previously intended for them to be yet another group of rival villains ... I also enjoy categorizing my characters according to several personality profiling systems (MyersBriggs and D&D Alignment are the two big ones, occasionally Hogwarts House every once in a while here and there) and creating networks of how each character compares and contrasts with each of the others (I am a Chaotic Neutral INTP, my UrFan narrator is a Lawful Evil ESFP, his serial killer best friend is a Chaotic Evil ESFJ...) You envious? Spoiler I am not sorry Yeah, I have put to much work into my world and characters to be satisfied only using them once
I confess to loving research and seeing my world grow in complexity in response to it. Be it character troubles, plotline, or the reality of our own world . I love trying to see the world through my MC's eyes, figuring out which kinds of things would trigger a response from them or what they would think. I like 'acting', if you want to put it like that. The actual part of writing (equals 'acting' with words ), though can be annoyingly hard - but when a scene is finished to my satisfaction I feel vindicated enough for all my troubles!
I genuinely love the plotting and character building process over actually writing it XD. I'm more of the "idea guy" as apposed to the "bringing the idea to life guy". Although I am a girl :3
Finishing. Seeing how far you've come. That's been a struggle lately--since I've had trouble getting beginnings I like, nevermind finishing anything longer than flash fiction--but it's always nice. Other than that, plotting, character building, and worldbuilding are fun.
I could not agree more with @Fawky. Coming up with characters - especially their backstory - is my favorite part of writing. Sometimes the backstory doesn't even overtly make it into the book, but knowing what life experiences they've had prior to the beginning of the story helps me keep their characterization true and consistent.
Outlining everything. I used to go in it blind, but found out that I would end up with many plot holes and inconsistencies. Yeah, it takes a while to figure out a plot, but at least you know what the story is about.
While it's not something I do more than necessary, my absolute favorite part of writing is that point at which my mind is going 100% full throttle on a story idea, so fast that my typing can't even keep up with it. It is those moments when I *am* my characters. I sense the world through their eyes, ears, etc. I know exactly how they think, how they will react, and so on, because at that moment, I *am* them. There are, of course, draw backs to this. Like when Jennifer sent a picture of her four year old child to her friend. The child that was born a year after she quit her job...three years ago. You know, stuff like that. What can I say? I do a lot of cleanup, but nothing beats the rush of writing when your mind is a raging atomic chain reaction of ideas. Usually this is followed by some serious in depth character development, as I've just seen into their minds, which is almost just as fun, because suddenly they are detached from their plot, etc. *This* is probably the answer to the part about things I find myself doing more than I need to.
I'm starting to like worldbuilding. At first I thought it was tedious, but after I started digging through a culture encyclopedia, I got more and more ideas that helped me flesh things out, and it's become fun. I wrote almost a thousand words the other night about one city, and along the way I came up with an idea for a story that's been been floating in my head. Another thing that I enjoy is when you finally get that eureka moment. Maybe you've been wondering why the hell someone would do X, or when some event happened, or maybe you're just wondering how to fill in a part of the map, and suddenly - BAM - it hits you, or you see or read something that gives you that one little idea that you fit into the great wall that is your story/world. There's nothing like seeing it come together, piece by piece, into a coherent whole.
Well you see, I write notes. That is my outline, just a big ugly stack of notes. I keep most of them in my big brown binder I once threw up on in middle school. My favorite part is that certain moment when I'm writing and I come across one of my important notes and instead of just typing - The soldier gets a visit from the ghost of The Colonel I can detail exactly how I want it. Besides the important notes I write down, I just go with the flow. Anyways, that's my favorite part.
I like the revision/editing process, for the same reason I like cleaning my hob. It's so satisfying to see something turn all shiny.
Character development. I have a backlog of characters who need a home now because I keep inventing more and more.
