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New writers often want to know what process they should use in constructing the book. Should they outline? Create a timeline? Use Excel spreadsheets? Write a detailed synopsis? Fill out a worksheet for each character who’ll appear in the story? Start with the scene that’s most vivid in their minds? Write separate scenes and then decide what order they should go in and hook them together? Or start with page one and just see what happens?
There’s one (and only one) right answer. And that answer is, “It depends.”
(Gotcha!)
It depends on you — what kind of person you are. It depends on the story — the more complex the storyline, the more planning you may need to do. It depends on the writer’s skill level — the more experienced you are, the safer you are to wing it.
Some writers are planners. They work best when they outline or create spreadsheets or detailed timelines — whatever it takes so they know exactly how the story unfolds.
Some writers are pantsers — they find out what the story is by writing it, operating by the seat of their pants and being surprised by the characters, the plot, and the action. Many of them find out about their characters by writing opening chapters — and then they set those chapters aside and write the real book.
Most people fall somewhere in between — they benefiting from some planning but not a detailed outline. They enjoy some unexpectedness and surprise without feeling they’re walking a tightrope without a net.
The only way to figure out what the right method is for you is to try a few different ways and see which pieces work for you. Then keep that in mind while you try something else. Sooner or later, you’re likely to find the combination that’s just right for you — the method that keeps you excited about the story without finding yourself writing thousands of words that don’t take your characters anywhere.
You may find that the method, or the amount of planning, varies with the story, or the genre, or whether it’s your first book or your eighteenth, or something as kooky as what season of the year it is. Sometimes a tried-and-true method just doesn’t work anymore, and then it’s time to try something different. (There’s a reason why major league baseball teams keep batting coaches on staff — and it’s not because those guys forget how to hit a ball. It’s because there are always improvements to be made — especially when a player gets too comfortable with a particular style.) Writers sometmes need to challenge themselves, too.
Whichever way you opt to organize your writing, stop and ask yourself now and then how well it’s working. Are you making steady progress toward your goal? Do you enjoy the overall process of writing? (Not every minute of it, of course — writing can be darned hard work.) Do you look forward to the next time you’ll be able to sit down to write?
If the answers to those questions is YES, then the process you’re using is a good one, for you. For now. For this book.
Next time around? That will depend.
Happy writing!
What do you think? Share your thoughts, your experience, your examples, your questions. Is there a topic you’d like to see addressed?
The Snarky Editor’s Softer Side is represented by author / editor / teacher / writing coach Leigh Michaels, commenting on random topics of interest to writers and readers. Leigh is the award-winning author of more than 100 books. (The Snarky Editor herself mainly comes out to play when she discovers egregious and often hilarious errors in published books.)
To find out more, check out https://leighmichaels.com
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