Category: writing

Plotting vs. Pantsing

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Remember that quick 3,000 word short story I wrote in a weekend just for fun? Somehow it’s turned into 22,000 words and I’m still going. I’m not sure how that happened, but it’s exciting and I don’t want to stop. I missed that feeling – that feeling where I’m discontent when I’m not writing. Where I want to jot down every thought I have about the book. Where I don’t want to stop thinking about the book. I’m a bit obsessed.

The thing is, I’m going along without any plan, any bigger picture. And it’s scary in that oh wow I just graduated from college and have no clue what to do next way, but also in that the possibilities are ENDLESS way. And I love it! And while, of course, I’m worried I’ll end up with 50,000 words of slush, I also don’t care. Because I’m having fun, and that, obviously, is worth it.

In the writing world, there’s the common debate of what’s better – plotting a book before writing, or going along by the seat of your pants (what I like to call “pantsing”). When I wrote TNWSY, I plotted a lot. That’s mostly because the idea had been in my mind for years, so I already had a pretty good idea of where it would start and end. The book takes place in a limited time span, so everything had to be very exact. I knew where my characters would be at all times, I knew what would happen, I knew where they would end up. Sure, I made up the dialogue and many diversions along the way, and of course I had to change the written outline at times, but overall it was very charted. And it worked really well.

For this book I’m doing the complete opposite. I know what’s going to happen to the characters, of course, but I have no clue what’s going to happen along the way. Sure, I have some scenes I just can’t wait to write because I imagine them before falling asleep, but on the whole I’m making it up as I go along. And it’s kind of exciting.

In the area of plotting vs. pantsing, I think it depends on the writer, and it depends on the book. You can’t just go pants The Hunger Games or Harry Potter. There was a definite layout, a definite guide. But in my YA contemporary romances? Sure, I can have a bit of fun. See where the characters want to go without forcing them.

As of right now, I’m not sure which I like best, but I’m having fun experimenting with both.

What about you?  Which do you prefer?

Writing for the Fun of it

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Yesterday I wrote 3,000 words that I’ll probably never use.

And it was So. Much. Fun.

I think because I knew i’d never use them, it was easy to get my words out, easy to form a quick short story that entertained me. That just allowed me to write what I wanted without the pressure of it becoming something BIGGER, something BETTER. I didn’t have to worry about a character arc, or development. I didn’t have to worry about pacing or authentic dialogue, or anything, really. I just wrote. And, sure, 90% of it is probably terrible (I don’t know, I haven’t looked back), but it doesn’t matter. Because it was fun to write.

I think, every now and then, you just have to do that. Write what you want without a deadline, without the pressure of making it awesome. I love writing, I really do, but every now and then I need to move away from writing My Books to just scribbling. Because scribbling is fun, and brings a whole new world of creativity into my life.

Because, really, when else would I write a mummy love story?*

*I did not, in fact, write a mummy love story.**

**Although, let’s be honest…a mummy love story would be hilarious.***

***Come to think of it, we have zombie love stories…why NOT a mummy love story? Are we against mummies or something****

****SOMEONE WRITE A MUMMY LOVE STORY. EQUALITY TO ALL PARANORMAL CREATURES.

Funk

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I’ve been in a writing funk. A real writing funk. I want to write, I want to with every ounce of my being, but every time I sit in front of my laptop, I freeze. My mind wanders, but not in the good, creative way. More so in the “so, you forgot to do this…” way. And that’s just annoying.

So I’ve been in a funk.

But then last week I got to see my friend Jenny, who’s an amazing writer (you should probably go buy her book right now), and inspirational person. She told me about some of her negative moments in writing, and how she pushed through them. And it reminded me of a quote Harlan Coben once wrote –

“Only bad writers think they’re good.”

So back to Jenny, I told her about some of my issues with my writing and she told me how sometimes telling a different story helps. Maybe my characters are right, but the story is wrong.

And you know what? She was absolutely right.

So two days ago I sat down in front of my laptop and for the first time I didn’t freeze. I didn’t choke or cry or slam my laptop shut. (Let’s be honest, I’ll never slam my laptop shut. Why would I want to hurt it?) Instead of dreading writing a scene, I kind of thought of something fun my characters might want to do. And I wrote that scene. I don’t know if I’ll end up using it in the end, but I’m so glad I wrote it, because it let me explore them some more, get to know them a little better. Let them have fun and, in the process, let me have fun. And it was so nice, stretching my fingers like that.

So, I think I’m back. I’m pushing back my negativity and worries and moving forward because it’s all I can do. And we’ll see what happens.

(Incidentally, this goes nicely with WFMAD’s Day 1 prompt.)

Putting it to sleep

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Sometimes writing needs to breathe. It needs air, space, time to develop into what it wants to be. It needs to rest, and not be pressed into what it isn’t. It needs to understand that nothing else can be done at the time being, but perhaps, hopefully, the future can change that. Sometimes, it just needs to take a nap to be recharged.

Book 2, or, TSWB, is at that stage. For the past month or so I’ve been editing it – fixing the grammar and story and character names. I’ve been piecing together parts that were missing; fixing parts I knew could be written better. So now, it’s a complete story. It’s there. And it’s…fine. Overwhelmingly fine. I love the characters, but I feel like the plot needs work. And I’m not sure what kind of work.

So i’ve decided to let it sleep for a while. Once I tried pushing and prodding, I knew nothing would happen. I’m too close to it right now, too confused. Like a relationship, we just need a small break to remind ourselves of what we like about one another. To remind me of what I once saw it in. To let me fall in love all over again.

So that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m not giving up on it, oh no, I like it far too much. But I am putting it aside for the time being to let it grow and mature on its own. Because I know in a bit, when I open up the document again, I’ll know exactly what to do to make it what I want it to be. What it should be. And what it was meant to be.

Have you ever put a piece of writing to the side? How was it when you were reunited? 

Let Me Start Over

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You know what’s hard? Starting a new book. That first sentence, that first word, just feels so important.

I’ve been talking to a very cool blog friend about writing lately, and upon reading her latest message, I remembered how hard getting that first bit of writing down is. How exciting and nerve-wracking it could be.

For TNWSY, I stressed over that first sentence a lot. I wrote one, and then analyzed it from every angle. Was it good enough? Memorable enough? Will it bring readers in, or distract them? Will it catch their attention or bore them? I became obsessed. Crazed. That is, until I finally realized “eh, I can change it later.” So I forced myself to move on and you know what? That line didn’t feel as important after I was a few paragraphs in.

So here’s what I’ve learned – just write. That first sentence may not be perfect, but at least you’ve got something. Something concrete. Something to work with. Because in the end, you’ll probably change a lot, but you’ll never get to that moment if you don’t just write.

Oh, and my first line? It was changed twice prior to querying agents.