Writing Strategies and Methods

[Lady Idril]

A conversation I had a little while ago led me to thinking about methods of writing, and I got to be a bit curious about how everybody goes about writing their beautiful works.

Personally, I have no strategy yet. I'm working on that one. I get a scene into my head, plop it on a WordPerfect document and wait til the next rush comes along. Not exactly a flawless plan, and definitely a daunting process.

If you have a strategy for writing your fanfiction, fiction or poetry - or a method you tend to use for no real reason, share it! I'm curious.

I've also found a two helpful articles on this subject:

• Randy Ingermanson: Writing the Perfect Scene
  
• Randy Ingermanson: The Snowflake Method for Writing a Novel
  

[Anime Monster]

Personally, I write everything in my head, I ask myself, "Does this seem stupid?" and half the plot bunnies I get never see the light of the day because they sound stupid in my head.

That's why you'll hear me say that I have a fic idea and then nothing is ever posted.

I've also been told some great advice. Such as this slice for original characters (both for fanfiction and original fiction) base them off of people you actually know, change their names and the situation, but use people that you already know the character of. What would you're best friend do when confronted by a horde of spider aliens? Mine would scream in fear, duck and cover her head, and if one attacked her she would lightly tap at it and fear she hurt it...she's a yellow belt in karate. What would you do in the same situation?

[Lady Idril]

That's a brilliant idea, Anime! (Oh dear, I have no idea what I would do in that situation...spider aliens? I supposed I'd have the same reaction Ron Weasley would ) As far as original characters I tend to study a few emotions, all similar to eachother, and build a character from that. However it doesn't exactly make for good depth. I definitely like your suggestion - it's also a good tool for learning to read people.

[Meluivan Indil]

Well, Idril you and I have already discussed this, but I will go ahead and metion it here also.

I actually have two different styles of writing that I use, that usually get meshed together in the end.

At first I just start out with one thought in my head. You never know where that scene might be in the story. I never write that scene out though until I get to it. I think to myself how would I get to this point and then I start with chapter one. At first I just start writing what comes to my head. Usually I do about the first three or four chapters that way, and then I get smart and write out an outline for the remaining chapters and finish the story.

So I sort of combine writing on the fly and the more organized approach of making an outline.

When I first started seriously writing I always just wrote on the fly. Never got organized. But when your stories get too complicated it becomes nessecary to plan ahead or you forget to tie up lose ends. Or at least that's the way I see it.

Oh and another habit I tend to have is that even though I always make an outline, I tend to deviate and add alot of extra stuff as I write. So I may originally plan to have 15 chapters and end up with like 22 because I keep having to push the major events back because I've added so much other stuff.

M.

[rayman112]

The way I write is similar to M's style and Anime's style. If I see something in a tv show or in a picture that inspires me I usually research the idea and toss thoughts around in my head until I get a solid main character. It could take anwhere from one day to two months to actually start writing.

Then I sort of go with the flow and write whatever comes to my head until I feel that the story needs a more solid plotline or anything else that it might be missing. However, I'm pretty sure that I'm gonna have to change my style because so far I've never finished a story this way. ;D

[LadyRiona]

Well, ray and I have had a convo similar to this before. I remember saying something like, for me, it isn't really so much a "style" that I have so much as really writing from different character's points of views. Such as, in my FF contest entry, when I wrote from Sora's POV, I felt really light and a little naive. When I wrote from Riku's POV, it felt different, a little darker and heavier. It's just their personalities. So when I'm writing different stories, it's really how that person is that I'm writing with. So I don't so much change my style from each story as I'm changing the points of view on a style.

But as for writing strategies, I'm very sporadic. If I get a scene in my head, whether it's for a story I have going currently or if it's just something the plot bunnies threw at me, I write it down/type it up (notice how they're opposites?) because I'll forget it within an hour... and then I can always apply it to a story with name changing, replacing, and some minor changes or manipulations to some of the stuff that happened. As for structure, I rarely have it because it feels too restraining. Yes, I have a common point I want to reach with a story, but how I get there, exactly, is decided with each step I take towards it. It's difficult to really "write outside the box" when there's this huge guideline of what I'm supposed to do crunching all my plot bunnies' carrots into nothing they'd want, so I can't think well.

So for the most part, I don't have a structure, but I have something that I aim for.

[fishercherrlynn]

Well,my thing is that usually I have a habit of sometimes putting off ideas or just keep them in my head because I either don't think about the possibility of writing them down or in fear of writing a bad story/poem. I try to develop my ideas more before I put them on paper or type them up. Most of the time I plan in my head. Usually, I choose by words carefully and now these days I try to be more descriptive and be more versatile in my words I choose and such.