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| Photo credit: Raoul Luoar on Flickr |
However, I am more than well aware that not everyone works remotely close to the same way I do.
There are writers who pants completely with absolutely no idea where the MS is going to take them when they sit down to write, and there are writers who plot every last detail then write completely out of order.
There isn’t a right or wrong way to go about it, which is why I like writing about process so much—it’s fascinating to me to see all the different ways writers operate.
I’ve often seen writers encourage each other to write the scenes that excite them first—I tend to do the opposite: I write the scenes as they come, and when I have a scene ahead that I’m dying to write, I use that motivation to get me through the scenes I’m less excited about. If I start to get bored at any moment, I make something happen—both to entertain myself and future readers who will likely be bored if I’m getting bored.
Being that I’m a fairly logical person, chronological order to me makes sense—my scenes build off each other and unplanned ideas I get in earlier scene often weave their way into future scenes.
However! That doesn’t mean my way is better. It’s just what works for me.
But enough about me, I want to hear from you guys—do you write in chronological order or do you skip around? Why?
Twitter-sized bites:
Do you write in chronological order when first drafting? Join the discussion at @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)
Do you write the most exciting scenes first when drafting? Share your process at @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)
19 comments:
I'm a pantser who writes out of order. Yes, I am weird.
Wow. That's impressive, I definitely wouldn't be able to manage that lol. Kudos to you! :)
My process seems to be like yours. I plot it out quite a bit, even though I usually add in more scenes as I go. But, I really struggle if I try to write out of order. Like you said, I often find something that happened earlier, that I didn't necessarily plan, weave into a later scene.
I definitely outline. Without the skeleton, there's nothing for the meat of the story to cling to. However, I don't always write in order. I will always write the first page first, even go as far as several chapters in, but if there are scenes that are just too juicy, ones that are fresh in my head that the outline doesn't give justice to, I will write them out of order, then leave an "[INSERT SCENE HERE]" tab to place the scene later. It keeps my morale up, and it's my way of making sure I write in the highest quality version of the scene possible, straight from the press of my inner printer.
Interesting! I think it's great that you can look back at scenes you already wrote and use that as motivation. Very cool. :)
*high-fives* Yay like-mindedness!
How great! I love how many variations on the plotting/pantsing/order I'm getting here. It's fascinating how we work so differently to achieve the same end. :)
I just figured out (as in twenty minutes ago) a different way of plotting. having a loose outline for the story is key; having a more detailed outline for the different "arcs" or sections of the story helps as well. I'm working on my NaNoWriMo manuscript, and I had to make a more descriptive outline for the ending instead of just "MC defeats big meanie, saves friends," otherwise I'd pants the ending and the pace would be awful. Why is writing so harrrrrrrd? ;)
When I outline I write whatever scene I want to at the time because I know where everything is going so it isn't a problem. During those few times when I am trying to discovery write I write from beginning to end because it is easier especially since I only have a general idea of where I am doing.
I do a very rough outline, so I basically know where the story is heading, but I don't plot every scene. So, I'm a cross between a pantser and a plotter. But I definitely write in chronological order! If I wrote my favorite scenes first, I'd find the other scenes boring to write in comparison. And I'd become confused, too.
I agree that it's cool how writers can have very different techniques.
Heh, I tend to have to be more specific with ending points because otherwise I get stuck. To me, endings are the most difficult, so careful planning helps.
Scrivener definitely makes writing out of order easier, because rearranging scenes is literally a click and drag operation rather than cutting and pasting awkwardly. So I can definitely understand how pre-plotting then writing out of order would be relatively easy with Scrivener.
It also doesn't surprise me that pantsing would lend to writing in order. I haven't pantsed a novel in a long time, but I can't imagine trying to pants and write out of order (although that's not to say it's impossible—I already had a commenter say that's exactly what they do!).
Hybrid writer! That's great. I did that for a while before transitioning over to my plotting ways now. But I agree with the problem of getting bored—a large part of the reason that WIP I tried writing out of order with fell apart was because I'd basically removed my motivation for getting through those transitional scenes. So.
And yes. It never stops being totally interesting. :)
I write in the same order of the final book, but it isn't necessarily chronological. I often start a novel in media res and then fill the gaps by moving back and forth in time, but I do it directly during the first draft. I never change the order of the scenes, after writing them, nor write one which will appear later in the book.
Yeah, I have trouble trying to think out of chronological order too, even when I've planned everything out in advance, but for some it works! Just not for us. :)
I do agree about editing, though—I often edit out of sequence and jump around a lot because I focus on the issue rather than when the issue comes up...if that makes sense.
That's interesting! I think I understand what you mean, though. I've sort of played around with that with flashback, though I don't usually jump around in the book timeline all that much. Very interesting.
Sure thing!
While I try my best to outline, I end up pantsing. The characters just don't reveal themselves to me fully until I begin to write about them. And the scenes that come to me are definitely not in order - they are key pieces of insight that drop into my mind as I ponder their motivations, back-stories and the key moments of their arc. I wish it were different, because filling in the gaps takes a huge amount of work, but it's like a jigsaw that won't reveal itself until some is done. I also know that if I don't write scenes (or parts of scenes, or just dialogue snippets) as they occur to me, I'll lose them!
Wow! What an interesting method. I also find that my characters don't reveal themselves fully until I'm in the middle of writing, which is why I tend to view my outlines as guides rather than strict rules. I like that jigsaw analogy, though—I can definitely see the relation. Very interesting.
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