Winging It.

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that I don't plan my work as such. I've previously thought I was in a small minority in this area.

I've never been sure what people meant by "planning a novel." I always envisaged flow charts and spider charts of all these ideas, but something told me there was probably more to it than that. So, I asked some writer friends and joined a couple of writers' groups on Facebook to find out about other peoples' writing processes and, I have to say, it's been quite enlightening.

First of all, I was pleasantly surprised to find I appear not to be alone in my spontaneous approach. There are plenty of people who have an idea and "just write," letting the story develop as they go along. I think this is always going to be the way that works best for me. I really like to be surprised by where my own story takes me.

Some people who responded said that they write a basic chapter-by-chapter plot guide along with some brief notes on characters and their traits, which is along the lines of what I expected. It's not dissimilar to my process in terms of how much the writer knows about where their story is going from the outset. It's just that my "notes" are rarely made on paper. They tend to stay in my head until the time is right to put them into the story.

Then, there is the other end of the spectrum, with comprehensive lists of details. One person said the "Snowflake Method" really changed her writing and, I must confess, I had to look it up to see what it was. I'm not going to go into detail about how to go about each individual stage here; it's far too complex and would need its very own blog post dedicated entirely to itself. A Google search will tell you everything you need to know if you want to give it a shot. (Hey, I told you from the start, this isn't a "How To" blog!)

The gist is, it starts with a single sentence summary of the story. (What wonderful alliteration.) Then, the plan builds in complexity from there. You build up every aspect of the story until you've got pages and pages of notes laying out every detail of your characters and plot.

It's not for everyone; it's certainly not for me. But I can see how it can be useful to people who wouldn't get bored to tears of writing this way. I mean, it'd be near impossible to get writer's block, which is a huge plus. For me, though, it seems a bit too much like writing the story twice, plus editing, Given my well-documented difficulties getting a great deal done in the pockets of time I find to work, taking the extra time to do things this way is just not a practical option.

My ideas build their own detail in my head while I'm doing mundane tasks like cleaning the house or brushing my teeth or having a shower. I don't feel the need to write them in a plan. I just like to get them straight down into the novel. In any case, I'm not the most patient person in the world, The Snowflake Method would bore and frustrate me so much I'd just end up giving in. That's not to say it's wrong by any means. It's just not the right approach for me. I'm sure there are many who would say my approach would be unthinkable for them, and that's fine.

Whatever works for you is the way to go and I'm certain the variety of different processes leads to a variety of different styles of work, which can only be a good thing. Wouldn't reading be dull if all books were written in the same way?

It might make me seem like a real novice to say I've only today become aware of the terminology for the three different "types" of writer, but for anyone who's as much in the dark as I was a few hours ago, here you are:

The Plotter- Someone who outlines the whole thing before writing the story.

The Pantser- Someone like me who wings it or "writes by the seat of their pants." (If you don't like/get that phrase in this context, we have something in common. I think it's fucking stupid.)

The Plantster- A hybrid of the two; someone who writes some loose notes for guidance, leaving a lot of flexibility for change.

Now, I suspect this is all common knowledge to anyone who actively engages with a group of other writers who have been doing this a while. I suppose I've been adrift, so to speak, in my own little rowing boat while other writers have found a ship to board and a crew to join.

But, whatever your process, there will be someone out there who does it just like you. And even if there wasn't it wouldn't matter. You'll only get your work done by using the approach that best suits you.

Happy writing!

V.