There are lots of ways to write a book. When I was a brand new writer, I had an idea and I sat down and wrote. A month later I had my book and I started on the next. The more I delved into the world of writing the more I realized that people had different ways to write their books. Writers tend to fall into three camps.
They:
1. Plot - where the writer thinks about his or her characters beforehand and has a framework in place before they start writing. They know the turning points, what happens in the black moment of the book and how everything is resolved. There are advantages to this method because any plot problems are caught right at the start before any time is wasted. Events can be foreshadowed because you, the writer, know what’s going to happen. A disadvantage of preplotting is that some of the spontaneity is lost and a tightly plotted book can feel like a steel cage after a while.
2. Pantser or Fly-into-the-mist - the writer might start with a vague idea or a starting scene and they sit down and start writing with no idea about what will happen next. For this type of writer, life is full of surprises, but it can also be full of pitfalls if your plot takes a sudden wrong turn or you write yourself into a corner.
3. A combination of the two - the writer might nail down her conflicts before she starts but the framework of the plot isn’t set in stone.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m in the number two camp or I was. I’ve found that now I’m published editors want to know what is happening in my story, mostly before I’ve completed the book. I’ve had to adapt the method that works for me and actively try to plot a little more. I’ll admit, I find this difficult.
Recently I took an online class through Passionate Ink on storyboarding with the wonderful Shelley Bradley. Storyboarding is where you have a large poster-sized board plus different colored post-it notes and use these to plot out your stories. The beauty of this method is that it’s very visual and therefore it’s easy to construct your book. You know roughly where the turning points are in your story and with post-it notes it’s easy to shift things around if necessary. That’s a very basic description. I’m sure Shelley is doing more classes in storyboarding and I’d recommend you check them out. I found it really interesting, and if I’m honest, a little scary to my freewheeling ways, but I have my supplies - my posterboard and a pile of post-its - and my notes. I’m all ready to plot once I’ve finished my current story.
Are you a plotter? A fly-into-the-mist writer? Or something in between? Have you tried storyboarding? How long did it take you to work out which camp you belonged in? If you have any advice or comments on plotting I’d love to hear them.
I began as a detailed plotter.
My first published book had a mini disaster at the end of each chapter, each one carefully planned, and then I wrote one as a “pantser” and that was published as well.
These days, I start with a character and build layer upon layer until I achieve reality, then slip the character into an interesting situation and record what happens.
Once the first draft is finished, I then go back and manipulate the storytelling to its most effective form, cutting and pasting, adding new material and deleting irrelevancies.
My current work in progress is the first in a series and chronologically the last story of the Marrack family, so I am planning their history as I write, knowing that one will be saved from hanging on Port Royal by the earthquake that destroyed two thirds of the town in 1692.
I’m not sure what category this puts me in?
Amy
by Amy Gallow November 21st, 2007 at 3:45 amI’m a bit of both, but certainly lean more toward plotter. But sometimes the characters just say and do things I didn’t plan/expect.
This is how my pre-plotted EC ‘Quickie’ turned into a short novel!
by Wylie November 21st, 2007 at 7:49 amAmazing how people who live in your head can take on a life of their own :)
I’m a total pantser. That said, Shelley’s class sounds like something I could really use. I need to take it to see if I can grab some useful information from it. I might even make my life easier!
by Christine d'Abo November 21st, 2007 at 8:04 amI am definitely a Pantster too but I’d love to take Shelley’s course.
Thank you for recommending, and thanks for coming to chat yesterday. I think I missed you but saw you later in the afternoon. Hugs!
by Red November 21st, 2007 at 10:38 amAmy - I’d say you have a foot in both camps. I think that series books definitely need planning otherwise you can get yourself in all sorts of trouble later on!
Wylie - I can honestly say that my EC ‘Quickie” wasn’t plotted and it turned into a short novel. Either way - Quickies are tricky beasts to write!!
Christine - you’ll find if you want to break out into New York, plotting becomes a necessary skill. You’ll see
Red - Shelley’s course was really good, but I’m scared about doing too much planning. It’s weird because in everyday life I’m very organized. As I said, I’m always late to the party! I loved your excerpts.
by Shelley Munro November 21st, 2007 at 11:58 amI tried plotting but it doesn’t work. But complete pansting isn’t the best idea for historical fiction either (there are those pesky things called research and historical facts,
). What works best for me is an overall idea where the novel is going, some characters, and the historical background. And then I start writing scenes all over the place - it the best way to get subplots. 
by Gabriele November 21st, 2007 at 12:44 pmI should add that I’ve realised that a good deal of my plotting takes place in my brain - I don’t need some nifty software and index cards to keep trace of my plots and characters.
Scary place, my brain, with the characters of several novels running around at the same time.
by Gabriele November 21st, 2007 at 12:47 pmI’m in between. I usually start off with a basic idea. I write three chapters and then I do a synopsis for stuff I’m selling on partial. If not? I’ll just write it without more than a few notes. I don’t write that way very often anymore though!
by Lauren Dane November 21st, 2007 at 6:16 pmGabriele - how is NaNo going? You know, I tried writing scenes out of order once and ended up with such a big mess! Yup, a big mess, and I’ve never tried it again.
LOL about your scary brain.
Lauren - actually your approach sounds a bit like mine as it exists now. But it will be no more pantsing for you - not with those New York contracts!
by Shelley Munro November 21st, 2007 at 6:37 pm