Plan A - Griffin's Guide

A break from writing, despite how long it has been, has really helped me redefine my techniques for writing. Before, I rushed headlong into the fray, only to get my head cut off at the first pass. Like every other form of art, there is ALWAYS some planning to be done. Whether it be in the form of note cards, outlines, character sheets (whatever the heck those are...), or anything else, every successful book always has some planning beforehand. As of now, my ideas have been just that: ideas. Any progress falls short with poor planning, and more than anything it can make or break a book; even short stories have to be pieced together in some degree. All forms of films start with a script, all music starts with scribbled lyrics and rushed sheet music, and all writing starts with something on paper. If there's anything that people don't understand about writing, it's the fact that things have to be planned out; there's no improvisation, even in the theater (improv is merely comical, never to be taken seriously). So what makes me an expert?

Cleaning out old files, I've deleted some 10,000+ words in old ideas that I just ran with. That's a LOT of wasted time and effort, especially on my own schedule. Not all of it was bad; in fact, most of that I took pride in. The inspiration ran from me, though, and now I have words on paper. When someone tells you to get an idea and run with it, DON'T. Sit on the idea, give it a leash, and make sure it doesn't get away from you. You can NEVER just jump into a project blind; you can never just push on without a plan, otherwise you'll lose yourself to stray ideas. I repeat: When someone tells you to run with an idea, DON'T. It can be, has been, and (I really hope that I'm lying) will be the downfall of many ideas I've had. What makes me an expert? I've fallen to it countless times. I learn from my mistakes, and I took the time to write this so that I don't have to see anyone else do the same.

Current Progress: 0 Words. And I'm d*** proud of it.

-- JPGriffin