I once read that it takes a writer ten years of work to learn to write. I scoffed at that. If your creative mind is brimming with story ideas and you have natural word-smithing talent, I reasoned, what's there to learn?
Three years and approaching 100 short stories later, I am humbly aware of how much I still have to learn.
Case in point: What's the best way for me to approach a new story?
The first couple of stories I penned were by the seat of my pants. I had ideas and I went with them. As if by magic, the beginnings, middles and endings emerged as cohesive tales with rich exposition and suspenseful climaxes.
A funny thing happened as I delved deeper into the craft. The magic started to fade. Not in the end result, but in the process. Was I thinking too hard? Did trying to finesse the story damped the creative kindling? I didn't have any answers. All I knew was the honeymoon phase was over. And the real work began.
I've attempted outlining my stories with various tried-and-true methods touted by published, award-winning authors. I've tried working a story out from start to finish in my head before sitting down and banging it out. Once, I began with the ending and worked my way back to the beginning. (Not my favorite experience.) I prefer working at a snail's pace and editing as I go, but I have tried writing a fast draft and then spending weeks editing paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence.
And here I am, with a new story idea ready to go, stuck because I don't know how to approach it.
Then last night, I had an a-HA moment during Curriculum Night at my son's middle school. We were in a session with the Language Arts teacher who was talking about her approach to teaching creative writing. Her students outline their idea, sketch the scene, write the first draft, then edit and revise until it's finished. Writing 101, right? So why the a-HA moment?
This new story is stalled because although the basics are worked out in my mind, I haven't decided the order of events. Open on the balcony or in front of the computer? Climactic moment happens in the apartment or out on the street? Is the character involved in the twist a sideline character or will she join the others center stage?
If I sketch the scene first, screenplay style, I'll have the freedom of auditioning different scenarios. Sort of like thumbnail images before the brush strokes canvas.
It's worth a shot. Who knows, maybe I'll learn this is the method that works best for me.
Or, maybe the real lesson is every project calls for its own process. A different method for every madness. If the opening statement holds truth, I still have seven years to figure it out.
What about you? Do you approach every new story in the same way? Or do you find your process changes with every project?
31 comments:
I've tried doing differnt things from pantsing it to free-flow writing but I always come back to my outlines. But, they have evolved the more I've written - and I'm sure they will continue to do so.
Like you, my writing method is still evolving. I started my present WIP with a detailed outline, that definitely was the wrong thing to do for me. I'm a bare minimum outliner to know where I'm going, but I'm a seat of the pants writer for the rest of it to keep me excited. Having said that, I like the idea of what you wrote about sketching the scenes. I'm a third of the way into the book with scences coming up. I'm going to give it a try.
I find that I begin at the natural beginning of where I think the story should begin. I write out the whole story. Bad scenes, bad writing, everything that I think needs to be said. During revisions is where I go crazy and cut, cut, cut.
For you, I would begin outside, place the inciting incident where it should go, and then continue from there. You might find the beginning somwhere else you know.
i'm at the point where i write whatever i'm thinking -- a scene, a character sketch, an outline, a single idea, a whole chapter, etc...then, if i'm stuck, i'll try to take one part and rewrite it into a different form, to see where it leads. trying to dramatize a single idea or writing an outline of a scene that seems stuck, for example, can "fix" single parts while keeping the whole thing in mind.
My process is usually the same. But yes, sometimes a project decides to be unruly and forces me to approach it in a different way! It drives me mad, but it's never a bad thing. It's good to get out of my comfort zone every now and then!
You know...I never realized it, but I have used a different approach each time I've written something...
I've written two novels, both using the same method, and I was pleased both times. I use a rough outline (which I will be posting about tomorrow) that becomes more developed as the story progresses. The outline is never so restrictive that it supresses creativity, but it does prevent me from veering too far off the story's central core & theme.
Different for me. Each book seems to need something different.
Um, by the way when did you change up your blog style? It's nice.
I just wing it and let the story flow. It often changes dramatically but that's half the fun!
My projects, well I don't really know if I do it the same, but I tend to just write down piece by piece of what I know. If I want a car chase in the story I start writing it, no matter how its starting, if the idea is there eventually they will come together. If its a love scene, i type it out, I'll work out the wheres later as long as the idea gets down on paper.
I'd lean toward the "every story is different" hypothesis. I haven't written a single one the same way. 'Course, I haven't written nearly as many as you, good lady. I'll get there. :)
I thought I had a 'method' but it turns out I don't! I seem to do something different each time around!
I thought I had a method, too, but it actually has been different with each story. That's sometimes frustrating when I go to start a story like I did the last and it does't quite work, so I have to step back and reapproach it until it works.
Ooh, I love the new layout (new to me, sorry if I haven't been by for a few days)!
I can't really pretend to have a lot of experience but I would like to believe that each story finds a way to tell itself in whatever way it sees fit. At least I hope it does.
Mine definitely change with each project. Sometimes I get my ah-ha moment while doing dishes, and others I can breeze through a first draft without a second thought. I hate getting stumped. It's so frustrating waiting on that ah-ha.
I'll sit with an idea in my head, and I won't write anything down, until I've molded it into something with a strong beginning and end, and a few crucial plot points along the way. Then I'll write a massive paragraph "outline" which looks like an extended text message--abbreviations, no capitalization, no punctuation. Once that's all down, I'll open a new word doc and start hammering out that firm beginning, and hope my characters don't lead me astray long the way.
hi miss nicole! for me i just sit down at the kitchen table and get busy writing til it feels like its just time to stop. mostly thats when i get real hungry. ha ha. from stuff im learning on blogs my next one im gonna try doing a outline so i could see if i like it. i think you just gotta do what feel good for you.
...hugs from lenny
I like to do screenplay style, especially since my best asset is dialogue. In the screenplay, it's dialogue and action - what the characters say, what they do in scene, scene, scene.
And yes, it takes decades to really learn how to write. How to do sharp scenes; how to write lean, compelling sentences. Not easy, but worth it.
Ann
My current process is much different from the past, as I've been tossing out new ideas and toying with new directions. This project hasn't flowed as easily, either, but I think it's because I haven't got the storyline down pat yet.
I have no method to anything I do that is creative. There is madness everywhere. -laughing- In all seriousness though, I really, really like the storyboard idea.
I'm kinda trying something new right now.
I'm a longtime 'pantser' the entire first draft. I let the characters take me on their journey. This way it's fun and organic and very character driven.
However, this leads me to plot issues. And many rounds of Revision Hell.
For the revision phase I used to go through it from the beginning and instinctively make changes ch. by ch.-- which still meant several more drafts because of subplot glitches/timeline issues.
So...I'm trying this (which seems to be working): I made an outline after my first draft FOR my revisions.
It seems to be working...as far as my plots go. But, it does take the creative fun out of it and feels like an editing job or like I'm being formulaic. Then again, revisions were never fun for me anyway. I'm hoping this leads to less drafts.
I guess you'd call it a hybrid; first pantisng, then plotting. I'll let you know how it goes.
so far it's been different every time for me. I think my best was when I got this great idea and two weeks later had a (rough) first draft...
I'm about to find out what it's like to have a great idea, get 15K words into it, have to make a lot of notes and then stop for 3 mos (summer break) and then try to pick it up again.
(shaking in boots)
I like that idea of auditioning different scenarios! I generally start each WIP the same way - I have the characters and the situation they're getting into. I find out what happens as I go.
Oh boy! Tough question. I feel like my process changes a little with every project and hope that it's for the better.
I bet you've learned a lot in your years of writing. :)
I am stuck in the same place. I've always been a pantser and am trying to figure out how to outline. I know the flow of the story, but I've always just written until things show up on the page. Frustrating.
You know, this is a great post. I thought I had a formula. I thought I approached things the same (winning) way. But actually, that was me being full of myself about it. Because last night I realized I didn't even have any stakes for my character in my current WIP! It was time to recalibrate, go back and study, and take time to learn again.
The difference between now and the past is that I have better and more efficient tools.
First off I'm loving the new look... super cute!!!
I have a different way of writing each time, the story never starts the same, there is no system and I think there should be. That is where my writers rut comes in and I can't climb out... which is never fun!
Back to the basics!
I've pantsed my way through a few short stories. As for my bigger projects, I've tried different approaches. I've tried pantsing/outlining, where I write a little, outline a little, and then write a little more. I wrote a flash fiction piece for one novel idea, which gave me a general outline of how I wanted the story to go, but which still gave me a lot of free space to get creative while writing.
On my latest project, I'm using a mind map to map ideas. I think this is my favorite method so far. It's a great visual and brings up a lot of questions that I need to answer, and lets me see where my plot holes are that will have to fix along the way. I plan to use the map throughout the writing process.
Lots to think about here. (I love how your posts are always thought-provoking!)
I'm a plotter through and through, and now that I'm starting my fourth novel, I'm finding that I'm actually becoming more detailed in how much I plan. I always work with outlines, but with each new book, I focus more and more on the little things -- is the timeline well paced, does the action occur at the right moments, etc. -- before I begin to write.
I'm curious if this method will help you, so please dish when you're ready! I am still trying to find the perfect method, and really, I'm just trying new things for the fun of it.
I thrive on structure, so I pretty much approach every story the same way and outline it to death, but that works for me. I can still make changes while I'm writing, then I just have to revise the rest of the outline, which is much easier for me than revising a rough draft. I'm at that stage in a new wip right now - writing down the scenes in chronological order. It's very rough at the moment, but it's something to work with.
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