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Underground > Creation >

How do you plan and plot 'n stuff. (writing)

19:11 / 09.03.04

Hey.

I was just wondering how any of you writers plan each chapter when you write. I'm writing at the moment and was just sat there for about thirty minutes thinking of ideas for a chapter when i wondered how other writers go about it.

I know i should just do whatever's best for me and i'm going to do that anyway but i thought it would be interesting to see how you lot go about it. Do you brainstorm on paper for each chapter, write notes before you begin, plan it out etc? I'm speaking chapters here btw, not the whole story.

21:39 / 09.03.04

I usually just have a think about what i'm going to write or the idea just comes into my head and i start, but i was thinking of planning out certain chapters that i'm having a problem with, instead of waiting ages for inspiration when i could get something just as good by brainstorming or putting down notes or whatever and then coming to the ideas in a different way.

I was just wondering if anyone else does this.

03:24 / 10.03.04

I do this, Jack, probably far, far more than I should. But it is a nice way of sort of throwing plot or rather character movement against a wall and seeing what sticks.

Though the biggest mistake you can make is not letting the piece flow and speak on its own. I've probably got two or three plot paths and ending to a story I've been 7 years at, all because I'm too lazy to let go and let the people do the talking.

Good writing, in my experience, has been that which seemed to borderline being possessed by a character's story. And less to do with writer providence/ plot tinkering.

But give it a shot. Doesn't hurt to see what feels right in the plot to you by planning it out.

08:53 / 10.03.04

If you're stuck on a chapter try this: write down things that might happen and possible outcomes on Post-it notes. Move them around until a coherent path emerges and bin anything not on-path.

I find that once it is written down it makes room for other stuff in my creative underground car park.

Perspiration, Inspiration, blah blah.

09:33 / 10.03.04

Depends. If you know where the characters are going, then it's a question of how you get them there.

If you don't know where you're going with it, it's up to the characters to unfold the plot in front of you. I don't mean that they write you (uh-oh, I'm going all barbelith), but if you have well-formed characters and clear situations, it should be clear what they'll do and why. Some people write extensive biographies and character bibles, but I don't think it necessarily has to be written down. You really need to be inside your characters' skins (unless they're an axe-wielding maniac that's been possessed by devil spawn from the hell planet, in which case I'd rather you weren't inside their skin).

Some writers say that the characters take them on the ride - Elmore Leonard is famous for this - in some of his books, the main character suddenly dies / disappears / becomes irrelevant half-way through, and that really cool secondary character steps up to the plate.

One thing I've done in the past is switch perspectives. If you're writing in third person ('when he heard the knock, he went straight to the door'), switch to first person ('when I heard the knock, I went straight to the door'). If you're writing in first person, switch to an unexpected first person ('when I knocked, I heard him come straight to the door'). It's useful because it brings you right back into the story and forces you to look at what's really going on.

11:51 / 10.03.04

Vonnegut had some advice that may be useful in planning chapters, and that is to start as close to the end of your story as you can. That may help you focus what each chapter needs to do.

.

13:28 / 10.03.04

Thanks for all the help, it's good to know how other people approach writing. I've spent a couple of hours just letting ideas form in my head and i've got most of it now. I already know how i think it's going to end, and all of the major events in the story but it could change quite a bit, the more i read other books though the more i'll learn about different styles of writing. I love the way William Gibson writes but i'll have to read some other stuff or i'll aping his style, i like it that much. Thanks again, i'll let you know how it turns out.