Novel What's Your Writing Process?

I actually joined this forum to overcome barriers to writing, I hope to learn something from those who are generous enough to share their knowledge

 

1. Start writing. No plot outline, no character outline, just pen to paper and see where it takes me. Continue to end of novel. Absolutely no editing.
2. Character outlines
3. Start detailing some of the plot
4. Start editing from first chapter, add new chapters if necessary
5. Repeat step 4 until happy

 

I'm new to this, so my method might change. I wrote an outline, which was really chapter summaries laying out the plot. Then, I revised the outline. Now, I'm writing the actual chapters, but I will rewrite these, too. While I'm at this step, I have revised the outline some more. The chapters are also coming out slightly different than in my outline.

 

Writing kind of come naturally to me now, I am not sure if I felt like this way three years ago. So I guess all you would need is experience, time and patience. At first, I used to brainstorm hundreds of ideas, which actually amount to nothing at all. However, as it progress, I started gathering only a few ideas and implementing it on paper, and through those ideas, I vision the outcomes, such as the character's progression, the climax of the story, and the probability of it getting publish or being read after it is publish. I am currently working on three novels, in which I am halfway through, and you do have to sacrifice a lot of time and effort for it. I am in college right now, so its kinda hard, but I usually scrabble down whatever idea that come to mind during class, after work, or at my free time; plots, names, personalities and dialogues. Writing more than one piece at time does really helps, although it may overload, especially when you are using different styles and language for it. For example, in my first novel, I use a technique called "Stream of Consciousness", which I kind of do best it. It tremendously improved my wordplay and research, and I scrabble phrases, foreign words and riddles out of nowhere, to create a comely wave of expressions. On the second case, I am venturing into the high-fantasy genre, where you basically need a lot of imagination and guts on how far you want to go. On my third one, which is my least favorite, is an allegory with a spice of black-comedy and semi-auto-biographical aspects, where I put my work on tons of dialogue and flourish them to make it as interesting as possible. Well, that is a summary of how I undergo through my writing process. After you put a certain dedication and affection to your works, it only get easier.

 

I guess my writing is more based on my inspiration at the moment. Also now I try to edit while I'm writing and first drafts will not be published anymore. Got back edit and edit more

 

Well, it kinda depends.

I tend to write short stories or song lyrics mostly (when I indeed do write), and very much off-the-cuff. Inspiration strikes and all that, and I write my piece in one sitting. That's my favourite type of writing.

Anything longer, I may start with just jotting down anything that comes to mind re the storyline, characters etc, and go from there. Do research if needed. Again, I prefer to 'just write'. I never take detailed notes or spend time on chapter outlines. Re-writing is not something I enjoy, but it's a necessary evil.

Everyone will differ and find what works for them.

 

I kind of write notes for characters now to give me a better idea who they are. But I very much write when I feel it's the right time to write when the right words hit me so to speak.

 

My preference is to create content before anything else. For me this means I spend a great deal of time world building, developing characters, and perfecting the rules of my worlds before I even start writing the story. After that has all been polished I again make content for the story itself, often using freewriting until I feel satisfied with the days work. Then at the start of the next day I edit my previous days work. The key I think is to work on developing both your content and craft mind.

Content Mind- Your ability to come up with content, regardless of how technically correct it is.
Craft Mind- Your ability to make writing palatable and technically correct.

Both are absolutely necessary, but content should always predate craft. After all, if you have the greatest sculptor in the world but hand him mud instead of marble, the results are likely to be less than pleasing.

 

To EmiliaBrown: The above is pretty much my method as well and I find it works. I have done it other ways too - such as going back over chapters and changing things before I am completely done and I find it creates a very obvious break in the flow of the story. Your mind can be a glorious thing and you need to let your story play out in motion, not in pieces. I find that even if I am not writing, I dream or daydream about the next chapter in my head and continue to go over it and play it out like a movie until I am able to keep writing. I find it helps with flow.

 

I think of an idea and create an outline. I then expand on the outline until I have a complete story. The final step is going back and fixing mistakes and making the story better. I should mention that I haven't tried writing a book before, so my method might be different for something longer.

 

I generally start with an idea of some sort and then if I get a certain scene in my head I start writing it. Then I try to build the story up around it.

I'm usually googling certain things if the story is contemporary. If the story is historical I usually start vague and then feel out stuff after I have more information about the time (Usually in the form of books and such.)

Right now I am currently in the first draft of a young adult story though I wrote a couple of stories that laid out the general dynamic between the main characters and I have notes that feel out the rest of their world.

 

i have no 'stock' process...

whenever i have something in my mind that needs to be written, i simply start writing and keep working on it till it's finished... could be on my computer, or a notepad, or any other way of 'catching' and saving words, or a combination of any/all of those...

 

I believe that the creative process for planning your writing is different for everyone. For instance, I am not much of a planner. I do outline, but only as I go. Once I get an idea in my head for a story, all I have to do is figure out a beginning chapter and I go from there. I pretty much build on what I've already written as I go. As Tolkien once said, [his] story "grew in the telling." That's kind of how I see myself on most projects I undertake.

Recently, however, I hit a slump. I realized that it was because I didn't have that much substance to my story. So I had to rattle my brain a little bit and I had to plan a little bit more when it came to substance--but only after I had started the story. I pretty much just catch the idea and run with it and half of the time, I don't even know how it's going to end!

 

1. Think of an idea for a story.
2. Plan it out with chapter summaries.
3. Write a chapter.
4. Self-revision of that chapter.
5. Send the chapter to a group of 4 friends for proofreading and suggestions. 2 of those friends know the entire story, 2 of them only know the basic plot description.
6. Fix and revise chapter based on any suggestions that have been made if I can't defend my original writing.
7. Repeat step 3.

 

1: genius idea!
2: expand on idea!
3: think about idea for several weeks
4: cry a lot because Idea wont work
5: repeat steps 1-4 until I think I might have fixed most plot holes
6: Write out a "skeleton" or "map" or "plan"
7: Begin writing!
8: Deviate from skeloton and cry

Thats about the furtherst I've ever gotten... I do have a few super short stories I wrote in, like, an hour, simply starting and ending without any planning or anything. Those are refreshing and fun to write! (I should do more of them)

 

I involve in research and outlining the topic.

 

For short stories:
I usually begin by starting to write. Perhaps just a sentence, scene, setting, or conversation. Either as I'm writing that--or after I've finished and reread it too many times--I begin to get an idea of something fuller, an entire piece. Then I continue to write following that idea. Stop, reread reread reread (not editing!!), go. I continue on like that until I've got something marginally considered complete. Next, I reread and edit over and over. I'll open up new and blank documents and begin experimenting with my sentences, turning the story into something more art than clear communication. Finally I rewrite a love child of the two with what I find the appropriate mix of creative and succinct. Edit some more, and continue experimenting and changing if I feel like it. "Finished" was always determined by having no more time before a due date. Now that I'm out of school...well, finished is an abstract concept and usually never met from failure to make the effort.

 

Idea
Start writing
Keep writing
Rewriting to death
Decide to stop

 

Maybe stream of consciousness can help too. The more dynamic you can get the better - and that doesn't mean that you have to go that route, but it's a way to start in an abstract form that can gain its own shape as you go along and make it concrete.

 

Hi there.

I write totally out of sync. Characters and an idea hits my mind and I write it down. Sometime, I wake up with five words repeating in my mind which quickly turn into ten thousand words. Once I have a few of the main ideas I will start playing with a timeline that I can keep referring to while I slip back and forth through all the individual section, writing, reading, editing, re-writing. Once I have all the sections done, I piece them all together in the right order, set out into chapters and then read the whole lot again, making changes, checking facts and polishing research as I go. Then it goes off to my trusty Miss J who goes through it all again and comes back with a list of what she thinks I should change. I either do or don't and again, edit and re-write and then ... that's it!

 

I started to write a longer post earlier, and lost it due to my laptop having a mind of it's own when it's on my lap especially.

Long and short of it is, stay fluid and flexible. I don't think the same process will always work for me. Some times I have to adapt and improvise a little more than others.

The current book I am writing (my 2nd), I am trying a little different approach than my first book I wrote out some basic ideas of what the story was, and my characters. Then I Started writing. I'd stop and do a little more thinking and planning and continue on. After about 50 pages, I did a chapter outline of what I felt was remaining. I may or may not adhere to that. I think truthfully, it has already changed some.

My first book, I went back and started editing from the start before I was finished. I found that I kept going back and editing, instead of moving forward. I felt I got hungup editing the first 50 pages over and over. Not good.

So, this book, I decided no edits until I finish the book, as best I can. That may hurt me in some respects. But I am focused on getting the story written down first anyway. Since I am at 125 manuscript pages today. My process is working so far. I will let it continue to work until it doesn't work anymore. Then I may have to go back and start editing. But if I can, I will go to completion first.

Will I do it that way next time? That remains to be seen. I've already deviated from my chapter outlines. So, above all, remain fluid and flexible. Roll with the punches.

 

I think that my process is a remind from the days when I was a computer programmer (12 years, but I'm still a programmer inside my head). The process:

- Have a plain and simple idea
- Play with it for a few days
- Write the main plot with all what will happen.
It's like an algorithm for a computer program. I use the concept of cards (explained in the book Screenplay of Syd Field. It's a good book about writing process, not only about screenplay), in each card I write the scene. Any scene, doesn't matter if I'll use it or no, I just write the idea. Then I get all my cards and start the selection of what I will use, what I need to chance, what goes to the trash can, what I need to create, and the order.
At the end I have a plot. It don't have full descriptions, or dialog, only the idea. From this point I can choose what I want to do with it: a comic book, a screenplay, or a novel.
Then I start writing chapter after chapter in the format that I choose. And it's not simple as it look: every format have their own pace, their own technique to tell the story. In novels, you can tell the story, put the character thoughts, explain things. In a comic you need to show what happens, you still have the option to put text and thoughts, but need to show, not tell. And in a movie you can tell the story only with images and dialog.
The way to write a story when it comes, or "letting it go" chapter after chapter doesn't work to me, I need to have everything set up before working :/
And, to write and control the cards I use a software called "yWritter", but simple plain text file works very well too (because I write in my tablet too)

 

When you write your first draft of something creative, do you just vomit up something and fill it in later, or do proceed slowly and carefully?

I am new to creative writing but my method for cranking out college essay assignments was pull out my cited sources and write a mini thesis statement for each. Now the essay is structured to present arguments and give evidence, which is entire point. Now add lots of padding and boom, done.

With creative writing, my brain is going a million miles an hour generating ideas. Ways of describing something, conversations between characters, action, etc. If I don't put it on the page in a certain amount of time, these ideas become corrupted. I don't loose ideas, so much as I become obsessive about the same few thoughts while I forget why I came up with them in the first place. Entire story plot ideas have become spoiled by my daydreaming at work.

Ironically, if my goal is coherence and making a point with every single sentence serving a purpose to advance the story, then I should not stress about the filler and just throw what I have on the page and see what sticks. Polishing comes later. At least that is my theoretical strategy.

 

A lot of my first draft is what you might call spewed! Then I re-read it many times, padding and changing. Then, I move to another section before going back and editing again. My main problem is that I sometimes don't know when to stop changing things and this sometimes leads to me making the section read really badly. That's when I enlist the help of one of my trusted 'bouncers' who usually comes back to me and points out where I messed up.

 

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