I'm one of those people who lives life flying by the seat of my pants. I don't organize. I don't plan. I wake up not having a clue what I am going to wear that day or if I plan to blow dry my hair. Everyday at work is a struggle to find that note I made on that sticky that one time that guy was in my office. And I think I truly have A.D.D.
This is just how I roll. It's been like this since I was a kid, so for me it's all perfectly normal.
It's also how I write. I have no idea where I am going and I'm usually as surprised as the characters at how a scene plays out. It works okay for me but sometimes I wish I was more of a plotter, more of an organizer. I usually have a cheat sheet of some sort, sometimes on the laptop, sometimes in an old notebook, with names, birthdays, plot points (noted AFTER they happened) and character traits.
And that's it.
This last WIP has a subplot from hell and I have found HUGE GAPING holes in my write-while-I-go method of creation. I'm not taking enough notes and proofreading is frustrating when I remember something I shouldn't have forgot - which makes planning kinda appealing to a girl who doesn't truly understand the meaning of the word.
The problem with actually trying to plot BEFORE I write (like on paper and not just in my head)is it really takes the fun out of it for me. I love not knowing what's going to happen. I love that I don't know exactly how it's going to end. It's kind of a rush to find the last page at the same time as the characters.
I'm trying to incorporate small things, trying to find a system that reaches some sort of compromise between the two worlds. So, I'm wondering what about you guys? Do you plot? Do you know what the ending is before you ever begin? How do you keep track of all the little details that work together to create the piece?
4 comments:
I've tried storyboards, notecards, outlines, and just writing without a net. I tend to gravitate to the just writing method more than anything else. But there are times when I really wish I knew where I was going.
I'm a pantser, but I tend to write the story in my head before I start so that I have a rough idea of where it's going. Not like it always winds up there. Sometimes the muse jumps in and takes me off in a new direction.
I've wasted more money on plotting classes, books, outlines, and software.
It doesn't matter what I've done in preparation, I sit down and write whatever pops inside my head.
Pantsers Unite!
Wah, I don't know what I am:( I begin stories like a panster, but I gravitate more toward quasi-plotting once I get into it. I have never done storyboards or anything systematic. I plot in my head when I drive, when I do laundry, when I cook dinner, etc. Then, by the time I sit down at the laptop all I have to do is put it down on paper. Now, like most everybody said, that can change once I start writing, but when I can't be in front of the laptop, I write in my head. Nothing freaky about it.
I hear what you're saying about taking the fun out of it. Sometimes when I read stories that are so multilayered with plots, subplots, I think - there is no way they just let this roll off their head. And to me, that's not as natural. But, to sell, sometimes I think you gotta absolve a little of the creativity for the logistical setup.
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