Do you plan much or have an idea and just write it, taking notes as you going along. Just in general tell me your method for writing. I'm hoping some of it might help me.
My method tends to involve several things; I like first to have a relatively clear outline of where the story's going to go, not chapter-by-chapter or anything (there needs to be room for later ideas), though it'll generally consist of beginning-middle-end. Or just beginning-end. The middle doesn't necessarily even need to be right in the middle; the trick is remembering that books don't stretch on forever, and each page has content which is useful to the reader.
After this, I usually begin writing, planning a couple of chapters ahead as I go so I can make things correlate and keep them from steering themselves in the wrong direction. After a while I'll begin to get more ideas and fill in the blanks, until I have a pretty sturdy outline. From there I'll just keep writing, getting more detailed as I go.
Remember always that the first draft is always more about getting your ideas down on paper/Microsoft word than making a bestseller. It's always good to keep audience/impact/etc in mind, but focus more on the story than dressing it up all fancy. (Well, you know. If you're capable, do it. But if you're in danger of being over-critical to the point where there's nothing on the pages, then you might want to bear this in mind. I speak from experience.)
In the second draft, I'll link up things that didn't quite match, find new solutions for loopholes, make my writing generally a bit more interesting and relevant and then once I'm done with all that, I'll go over it quickly and polish the final piece.
I let the idea incubate for a while. If I try to get it onto paper immediately, it tends to fall over.
I'm okay with doing a lot of first drafts - especially for the beginning chapters. So I tend not to plan it out too much. Basically, as long as I know where I want to go next and how I want to get there (and, obviously, how the story ties together and ends), then that's chilled. I won't plan it out meticulously.
I don't force myself to write. Some days I'll do a sentence; some days I'll slam out something like 10,000 words (though to be honest, I can only think of two occasions when that's actually happened, and the quality of those 10,000 wasn't great >.<). Some days nothing at all. Forced writing always *sounds* forced.
Like I said, I do a lot of first drafts. When I've finished writing, my first impulse (after an editing sweep) is to go back and write it all out again, in a slightly different way. In my last long-term project, I rewrote a 150,000 word story something like seven or eight times (over a few years, obviously), and that was fine by me. It helps tighten the story.
Eventually I just go, "Yep, cool, I've done all I can here."
And send it off for someone else to rip its guts out in an unbiased edit.
I get an idea and mull it over for a while, sometimes years even. When I feel like I want to write it, I usually start with the beginning.
If I feel like the story is good and can really go somewhere, I take the time to develop the characters. I set the story aside and write up information/biography and that kind of stuff on them.
If I have a deadline like NaNoWriMo I will write an outline to ease the story forward.
Other than that. I write once a day at the same time of day. I get up at 6 or earlier drink coffee, listen to music and write. Sometimes there will be a cat on my lap. I have to be done by 7-7:30 when I make breakfast for the family.
Each time I write a book I go about it differently. Sometimes I plan, most times I don't.
Usually I prefer to have a very general idea of the story. Things like a genre and setting. Once I know that I start on the characters. I figure out general things like their gender, or hair color, and then go into more details like their backgrounds, and families.
Once I know the character I fit them into the story by sort of building the plot around them and their motivations. Then I just start writing. Once I've begun writing sometimes I plan ahead, but usually not too far. I sometimes have an idea of how I want the ending to go but nothing concrete.
Oh my goodness! I love your question to start! I think that this is a question that everyone should look at as a writer. What are the obstacles? What is your process? Ya know... Like I really love this! Anyway.. I guess I should begin.
So, when I get bored I pick up a sheet of paper and a pen, (this ususally occurs during school...), and I write a sentence that will grab the reader. Before, when I was 12 to about 15ish, I always enjoyed it but was never seriously involved in writing and I would have millions of beginnings (first pages) of stories and I had always wanted to continue them but never did. Now that I am a little older (16) I really feel that writing is a way to let myself into another world. So, when I write I begin with a story then think of the plot. Right now I am trying to figure out what to do with it. I never use to take notes, but now i am writing just little bullet points and am finding that it truly helps me. I write a whole bunch of ideas down and then review them. I'm still on chapter one (started it tuesday) but am ever changing it, I am making it perfect. I keep changing around words and making it to the best of my ability.. and I guess for me.. in order for the story to be good and feel right, the first chapter has to be perfect.
I get an idea and I write it. Depending on how much I have up in my head beforehand, I might need to put things down in note form or write future scenes right away, before they're lost. Otherwise I let the story and the characters take over.
I write mysteries and once I have the basic idea and know 'whodunit', I build the story in pieces. While I try to write from one end to the other, it does not always work. However, everything goes into the computer file and I piece things in in the proper places and then smooth it out when I am done. It is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle where I get a few pieces at a time.
try to consider these "3 Keys How To Write A Book With Ease".
1. KNOW YOUR READER- traditionally, we are writing a book because we have some personal ideas in mind and want to share it with others. We want to share our own ideas, experiences to everybody without thinking if is it what our readers wants, if that is what they need? we focus n ourselves and forgetting the purpose why we are writing and it is for our readers.
2. CREATE A STRUCTURE-make an outline for your book so it would be so easy for you to edit or add any changes.
3. FILL IN THE BLANKS- " the road to someday will leads to a town of nowhere". We always say that I want to write a book someday, if I am ready enough to do it, etc and this will leads us to nowhere. if you want to write a book then start it NOW. this fill in the blanks is somewhat try to imagine yourself as the readers, ask yourself a questions what you want to know, what are your expectations from a book, questions that you think will probably the one that your readers are asking, etc and when you can answer it, you are now aware what are the needs of your readers.
And if you were able to follow this simple steps, then you are in the right track.
It is a very painful cycle. I think of some ideas, start writing them, realize they're crap, get rid of them and repeat. I have only found one story (other than fan fictions) so far worth finishing. Right now to begin writing it, I'm doing research and looking up names that I just finalized today.
Comments
My method tends to involve several things; I like first to have a relatively clear outline of where the story's going to go, not chapter-by-chapter or anything (there needs to be room for later ideas), though it'll generally consist of beginning-middle-end. Or just beginning-end. The middle doesn't necessarily even need to be right in the middle; the trick is remembering that books don't stretch on forever, and each page has content which is useful to the reader.
After this, I usually begin writing, planning a couple of chapters ahead as I go so I can make things correlate and keep them from steering themselves in the wrong direction. After a while I'll begin to get more ideas and fill in the blanks, until I have a pretty sturdy outline. From there I'll just keep writing, getting more detailed as I go.
Remember always that the first draft is always more about getting your ideas down on paper/Microsoft word than making a bestseller. It's always good to keep audience/impact/etc in mind, but focus more on the story than dressing it up all fancy. (Well, you know. If you're capable, do it. But if you're in danger of being over-critical to the point where there's nothing on the pages, then you might want to bear this in mind. I speak from experience.)
In the second draft, I'll link up things that didn't quite match, find new solutions for loopholes, make my writing generally a bit more interesting and relevant and then once I'm done with all that, I'll go over it quickly and polish the final piece.
Good luck
I let the idea incubate for a while. If I try to get it onto paper immediately, it tends to fall over.
I'm okay with doing a lot of first drafts - especially for the beginning chapters. So I tend not to plan it out too much. Basically, as long as I know where I want to go next and how I want to get there (and, obviously, how the story ties together and ends), then that's chilled. I won't plan it out meticulously.
I don't force myself to write. Some days I'll do a sentence; some days I'll slam out something like 10,000 words (though to be honest, I can only think of two occasions when that's actually happened, and the quality of those 10,000 wasn't great >.<). Some days nothing at all. Forced writing always *sounds* forced.
Like I said, I do a lot of first drafts. When I've finished writing, my first impulse (after an editing sweep) is to go back and write it all out again, in a slightly different way. In my last long-term project, I rewrote a 150,000 word story something like seven or eight times (over a few years, obviously), and that was fine by me. It helps tighten the story.
Eventually I just go, "Yep, cool, I've done all I can here."
And send it off for someone else to rip its guts out in an unbiased edit.
I get an idea and mull it over for a while, sometimes years even. When I feel like I want to write it, I usually start with the beginning.
If I feel like the story is good and can really go somewhere, I take the time to develop the characters. I set the story aside and write up information/biography and that kind of stuff on them.
If I have a deadline like NaNoWriMo I will write an outline to ease the story forward.
Other than that. I write once a day at the same time of day. I get up at 6 or earlier drink coffee, listen to music and write. Sometimes there will be a cat on my lap. I have to be done by 7-7:30 when I make breakfast for the family.
Each time I write a book I go about it differently. Sometimes I plan, most times I don't.
Usually I prefer to have a very general idea of the story. Things like a genre and setting. Once I know that I start on the characters. I figure out general things like their gender, or hair color, and then go into more details like their backgrounds, and families.
Once I know the character I fit them into the story by sort of building the plot around them and their motivations. Then I just start writing. Once I've begun writing sometimes I plan ahead, but usually not too far. I sometimes have an idea of how I want the ending to go but nothing concrete.
Oh my goodness! I love your question to start! I think that this is a question that everyone should look at as a writer. What are the obstacles? What is your process? Ya know... Like I really love this! Anyway.. I guess I should begin.
So, when I get bored I pick up a sheet of paper and a pen, (this ususally occurs during school...), and I write a sentence that will grab the reader. Before, when I was 12 to about 15ish, I always enjoyed it but was never seriously involved in writing and I would have millions of beginnings (first pages) of stories and I had always wanted to continue them but never did. Now that I am a little older (16) I really feel that writing is a way to let myself into another world. So, when I write I begin with a story then think of the plot. Right now I am trying to figure out what to do with it. I never use to take notes, but now i am writing just little bullet points and am finding that it truly helps me. I write a whole bunch of ideas down and then review them. I'm still on chapter one (started it tuesday) but am ever changing it, I am making it perfect. I keep changing around words and making it to the best of my ability.. and I guess for me.. in order for the story to be good and feel right, the first chapter has to be perfect.
I hope my rambling helped.. AND HAPPY WRITING (:
I get an idea and I write it. Depending on how much I have up in my head beforehand, I might need to put things down in note form or write future scenes right away, before they're lost. Otherwise I let the story and the characters take over.
I write mysteries and once I have the basic idea and know 'whodunit', I build the story in pieces. While I try to write from one end to the other, it does not always work. However, everything goes into the computer file and I piece things in in the proper places and then smooth it out when I am done. It is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle where I get a few pieces at a time.
try to consider these "3 Keys How To Write A Book With Ease".
1. KNOW YOUR READER- traditionally, we are writing a book because we have some personal ideas in mind and want to share it with others. We want to share our own ideas, experiences to everybody without thinking if is it what our readers wants, if that is what they need? we focus n ourselves and forgetting the purpose why we are writing and it is for our readers.
2. CREATE A STRUCTURE-make an outline for your book so it would be so easy for you to edit or add any changes.
3. FILL IN THE BLANKS- " the road to someday will leads to a town of nowhere". We always say that I want to write a book someday, if I am ready enough to do it, etc and this will leads us to nowhere. if you want to write a book then start it NOW. this fill in the blanks is somewhat try to imagine yourself as the readers, ask yourself a questions what you want to know, what are your expectations from a book, questions that you think will probably the one that your readers are asking, etc and when you can answer it, you are now aware what are the needs of your readers.
And if you were able to follow this simple steps, then you are in the right track.
It is a very painful cycle. I think of some ideas, start writing them, realize they're crap, get rid of them and repeat. I have only found one story (other than fan fictions) so far worth finishing. Right now to begin writing it, I'm doing research and looking up names that I just finalized today.
What works for you?
try out different things
theres no rules and everyone is different
you could keep character profiles, or mind map or just notecards
its doesnt matter
just make yuor own planning up but dont forget to write