So now that school is finally out for the summer I started working on my bright shiny new idea. It’s been banging around in my head for quite some time, but I haven’t allowed myself to officially start because I knew that would become my focus and I had to much work to do before the school year was over. Let's just say I knew better. You know how you get tunnel vision when working on a new project…it’s not a good combo when you have other obligations.
But I finally started. Saturday I had the house to myself and was able to knock out the first couple of chapters. Then more and more ideas began to surface. So many that it became impossible to keep going until I stopped and jotted them down.
Now as most of you know I am a self proclaimed pantser through and though. But I have to say, it’s kind of nice to have a loose outline of where my story is going. Nothing set in stone…more of a skeleton of possibilities. I’ve been able to relax about it by telling myself that I can change whatever I want when I get there.
My problem now is that I’ve started writing out of order. I’ll get excited about an idea and just run with it. There is a beginning and then bits and pieces here and there. I feel like I'm all over the place, but for now I'm going with the flow. We'll see where I end up.
Have any of you ever gone with your gut and pieced your story together later? Have I lost my mind, or does this all come together in the end? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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9 comments:
a lot of people go about it that way- take Elana Johnson for example! I think that strategy is best if you know you'll fix it up during revisions (and actually like revisions) I HATE revisions so I always do an outline before I begin. The outline will change as I go along too though but not so much that I start not feeling the 'flow'. Good luck and have fun! I'm about a third of the way through my first draft of my new wip and there's really no other feeling like it. I'll be sad to finally type 'THE END'
I totally have done that! I'm re-starting two MG stories. One I'd written through to Act II and the other just the first chapter. I think I know need some sort of a road map, but nothing to constrictive. *sighs* Help!! :)
Don't worry. String Bridge was written in out of order chunks. Everything worked out in the end. I probably spent more time on it than I would have if I'd written with more structure, but honestly, I lose interest if I know what's going to happen. I like to find out as I go! So yeah, just go with the flow!!!
I've never needed to write and come back to it, but if I were writing the length of piece you were I'd probably try it. I tend to use an outline and then wing it from there, so I just put in what I want to happen then and wait till I get there. Glad you got some time to work on it and got so much done!
I don't usually write things out of order. Most of the time I find revisions tedious (unless I've got lots of inspiration), so I try to get everything down so that it looks something like a novel by the time I'm done with the first draft. :P
I sometimes do this too. If the idea for a scene comes into my head I go with it, even if it's in the middle of the book. I figure I can lay clues for it when I go back to write the parts leading up to that scene :)
'A skeleton of ideas' - I like that - & I think that's what happening with the story that's banging around in my head!! Good luck with yours :)
Just wanted to say Hi, Renae. I found you through Alyssa's Share Your Blogs discussion on Goodreads.
I am a consummate outliner--as in my outlines often end up being 50 - 80 pages long, but I have done the out of order writing before and it seemed to work into my outline just fine.
I think you should do what works for you. I haven't tried your way. Actually I'm going to try outlining my next project. If I can ever finish my first one. Sigh.
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