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writercises Original Posting 3/15/2020
I have to admit, most of the time, I do free writing. Oh, I have read the books and articles about various patterns, and tried using outlines and so forth, but... most often, I grab an idea (or more than one. I do like the brainstorming notion of starting with several ideas, often just a phrase or sentence each, and then picking out one of those). Then I often let it percolate for a while, a day or so if I can. Not particularly poking at it, just letting it float around in the back brain, kicking up connections and so forth. Nowadays, I will often open a google doc and write down the original idea or whatever, then add the little connections as they spring up. Maybe look up a song, and add a link to the YouTube or lyrics. Let the thing collect and simmer a bit.Then, more often than not, I just sit down and do a rough draft. I may have a character in mind, and maybe a little conflict or something, but I kind of let the whole thing play out in my mind as I write things down. Yep, pantsing madly! Oh, if things seem to be stagnating, I’ll drag up my list of beats or maybe a random moral dilemma or something, remember try-fail cycles, or whatever, but most of the time, it’s just me watching the characters playing on the virtual stage in my head, and taking notes, writing down their dialogue, and so forth.The other thing that sometimes happens is that I’ll write out a rough sketch, phrases and sentences, quickly laying out a scene or two. Then I’ll go back and fill that out, writing the details in.Now, if I have a chance, I like to let it sit for a day or so, and then review it. I almost always find things to fill in, places where I need to straighten out the work or add some explanation of what’s going on. I rarely let something go without at least one, if not more, readthrough editing passes.Of course, this kind of quick drafting works best in short forms. Recently, I’ve been having fun with OddPrompts, https://moreoddsthanends.home.blog/ which let’s me suggest some prompts, then gives me an assigned prompt to chew on, and a place to let them know what I have done with it, and to feed back some comments, too. Right now, for example, I’ve got a continuing story about a cook in a monster hunting outfit that I keep adding pieces to, along with the short odd bits that working on the prompts generate.It’s kind of funny, while I keep studying the various forms and so forth, when I go to write, that’s not really what I use. Just some basic brainstorming, then free writing, aka pantsing, and some review and editing. I will admit, I keep journals, and files and files of ideas and sketches. But most of the time, I don’t even dig those out, I just run a fresh idea out when needed.Sometime, I really should take... oh, the hero’s journey or Save the Cat! beats and try walking all the way through them. Not sure what I’d end up with, but it would be a good exercise for me.So, there you go. I’m a pantser, who studies the outliners and wonders about it.
I have to admit, most of the time, I do free writing. Oh, I have read the books and articles about various patterns, and tried using outlines and so forth, but... most often, I grab an idea (or more than one. I do like the brainstorming notion of starting with several ideas, often just a phrase or sentence each, and then picking out one of those). Then I often let it percolate for a while, a day or so if I can. Not particularly poking at it, just letting it float around in the back brain, kicking up connections and so forth. Nowadays, I will often open a google doc and write down the original idea or whatever, then add the little connections as they spring up. Maybe look up a song, and add a link to the YouTube or lyrics. Let the thing collect and simmer a bit.Then, more often than not, I just sit down and do a rough draft. I may have a character in mind, and maybe a little conflict or something, but I kind of let the whole thing play out in my mind as I write things down. Yep, pantsing madly! Oh, if things seem to be stagnating, I’ll drag up my list of beats or maybe a random moral dilemma or something, remember try-fail cycles, or whatever, but most of the time, it’s just me watching the characters playing on the virtual stage in my head, and taking notes, writing down their dialogue, and so forth.The other thing that sometimes happens is that I’ll write out a rough sketch, phrases and sentences, quickly laying out a scene or two. Then I’ll go back and fill that out, writing the details in.Now, if I have a chance, I like to let it sit for a day or so, and then review it. I almost always find things to fill in, places where I need to straighten out the work or add some explanation of what’s going on. I rarely let something go without at least one, if not more, readthrough editing passes.Of course, this kind of quick drafting works best in short forms. Recently, I’ve been having fun with OddPrompts, https://moreoddsthanends.home.blog/ which let’s me suggest some prompts, then gives me an assigned prompt to chew on, and a place to let them know what I have done with it, and to feed back some comments, too. Right now, for example, I’ve got a continuing story about a cook in a monster hunting outfit that I keep adding pieces to, along with the short odd bits that working on the prompts generate.It’s kind of funny, while I keep studying the various forms and so forth, when I go to write, that’s not really what I use. Just some basic brainstorming, then free writing, aka pantsing, and some review and editing. I will admit, I keep journals, and files and files of ideas and sketches. But most of the time, I don’t even dig those out, I just run a fresh idea out when needed.Sometime, I really should take... oh, the hero’s journey or Save the Cat! beats and try walking all the way through them. Not sure what I’d end up with, but it would be a good exercise for me.So, there you go. I’m a pantser, who studies the outliners and wonders about it.