How do you write your novels?

[Androxine Vortex]

For some reason I can't seem to just type away at a computer. Even if I know exactly how my story is going to go, I find it difficult. I have a bad habit of falling in love with every letter I enter on the keyboard and then when I go back and edit a little part of me doesn't want to remove it. Sounds silly, but true. So what I do is I write what I plan on typing on a notepad (I think this makes me more careful about my choice of words because using an eraser is more tedious than just pressing the backspace key) Then I go back and do some minor editing and when I feel it is polished enough, I take it to my computer. Even at this point I am still changing things around but I feel it is stronger than when I just jump straight at the computer. I know this process is a lot more time consuming (a resource I wish I had more of) so I am actually trying to just be more careful what I type on the computer instead of having to go back to pen and paper. I'm just weird, but I'm sure you all knew that by now.

What is your method(s) on writing your novels?

 

[CupofJoe]

I did try dictation [speech to text] software to try and reduce my tendency to in-line edit...
But now I'm back to LibreOffice.

 

[Androxine Vortex]

I did try dictation [speech to text] software to try and reduce my tendency to in-line edit...
But now I'm back to LibreOffice.

Do you do any special planning or anything when you write or do you just wing it as you go? Curious to see all the answers!

 

[Chessie]

I like to brainstorm ideas, then twist and mold, etc. I plan my scenes by using a scene primer format I saw on a website. I also created one of my own where I do this number:

-scene opens with this happening/feelings
-someone says this/feelings
-someone does this/feelings
-etc

I get all the details down with a pen and paper before I write anything down. This includes setting, props, etc. Much less painful and the creative juices flow nicely.

 

[Androxine Vortex]

I like to brainstorm ideas, then twist and mold, etc. I plan my scenes by using a scene primer format I saw on a website. I also created one of my own where I do this number:

-scene opens with this happening/feelings
-someone says this/feelings
-someone does this/feelings
-etc

I get all the details down with a pen and paper before I write anything down. This includes setting, props, etc. Much less painful and the creative juices flow nicely.

I can see how that can help. That's why I like doing prep work like this because I don't have to tackle the computer screen head on. I feel more prepared but still, I am trying to work a little faster (while not reducing quality) so I'm going to practice just typing for now and see how that goes.

 

[Chessie]

Gods, there is nothing worse than spending hours at a screen being tortured by what could be in there, what to take out, etc. When I sit down to write, that's it, I just want to write! Editing can come later. So getting all the details down on paper also helps me solidify what is going on in that scene.

 

[Androxine Vortex]

Gods, there is nothing worse than spending hours at a screen being tortured by what could be in there, what to take out, etc. When I sit down to write, that's it, I just want to write! Editing can come later. So getting all the details down on paper also helps me solidify what is going on in that scene.

Yeah I have a problem of not moving on because I know what I had just typed is awful. It's like continuing to eat something that tastes disgusting in hopes that it will be delicious.

 

[Feo Takahari]

I write little notes at the top with everything I want to change, then leave these changes for the second draft.

 

[Rob P]

I spent three years writing my first draft in my spare time usually in the hour before midnight and such like nooks of solitude. This came after daydreams where I mentally created the feel of the story in my mind, the main characters and the settings. I put pen to paper and built my world and the rules etc.

I wrote something everyday even if it was drivel, sometimes 1000 words, sometimes only 50 and once when the mood took me, 8000 non-stop. The story grew, it moved and I never looked back except to see where I had come from. The story was all that mattered. I structured notes for perhaps five or six chapters ahead but always followed the rough guide line of my journey to the end scene. I always knew the nature of that scene just not the detail or the meaning.

Of course the first draft is finished and a verbose tome it is at close to 580k. A veritable monster but the satisfaction of the story finished is a joy and a relief. The edit is the soul cruncher but I find peace and meaning in sculpting the rough hewn form of my work towards something of grace and strength. I am one third of the way through the first edit of POV screw ups, spelling, grammar, redundancy, passiveness, adverbs, general mistakes and killing commas. 40k of redundant words have already gone.

Someone once told me a story is written in the first draft, a book is written in the edits.

 

[Twook00]

So far this method has worked surprisingly well for me, although I'm still working on the experiment:

1) Using Word's Document Map, outline the story

a) Start with the ending, then the beginning, and then all key points in between (if you know what they are).​

b) For each plot point, list the setting, characters, actions, and goals of the scene. Lists are much easier for me because I don't have to worry about grammar and prose, which comes hard for me at 11 o'clock at night.).​

c) Next, I write the dialogue, leaving out tags and attributions. This has been huge for me. My goal is to write the dialogue in a way that I know who is speaking without any additional words. I read it a day or two later and add tags, action, and exposition where it is obviously needed. Also, the dialogue is typically the meat of a scene for me. I like writing it by itself so I don't disrupt the conversations happening inside my brain.).​

2) After outlining a scene, I start filling in all the gaps, blending things together, etc...

I've been doing it this way for a few weeks now. The goal is to write down what you know and save all the stumbling blocks for later, that way you don't get stuck on a particular paragraph or scene and give up.

 

[Rinzei]

I used to pants it - but then I found, re-reading years later, that the writing felt...not all there. Then I tried plot outlines, like you would for an essay. This wasn't good for me either - it felt like I was losing my train of thoughts with the simplicity of it.

I've been trying a new approach lately, which has been good so far. I've been writing my plot outlines almost like a book report - first this happens, then this, and then that, written in full sentences and paragraphs. Something about writing like it's a very basic narrative helps me to keep my thoughts focused and I can scribble in important details as I go. It also makes reading the outline later easier. I've found coming up with my plots a lot easier for me this way.


As for physically writing, has to be on the computer. My handwriting is terrible and my hand cramps easily so I wouldn't be able to get anything lengthy out. My typing is much faster than my writing anyway, so it just works better for me. I do prefer typing on a laptop though for some reason.

 

[Penpilot]

In the most simplest form. I outline my novel using scenes and sequels (Google it) for each of my plot threads. It's simple in theory but it can get complicated when Scenes have scenes embedded within or Scenes have sequels embedded with in... etc.

But doing it this way makes sure that what I write does a certain amount of work to move the story along. It may be crap but it moves the story threads a certain distance. So, on the second draft I can slot in something else that's better like slotting in a new part into a car and not have to change too much in the rest of the story.

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

I find it difficult to know if a story is working without writing an exploratory draft. And then I have a tendency to get too in love with the draft I've written.

If I could force myself to completely outline the story without writing any prose, and get that nailed down, subsequently writing all the prose would be easy. I just haven't been able to manage it yet.

 

[Androxine Vortex]

I noticed I spend way too much time revising and my story doesn't ever move on so what I do now is write in basic form what will happen in this chapter in the simplest way I can. Now that I have a skeleton of what is going to happen I go more in depth. I begin to write how things get from point A to B to C. I also map out what dialogue is said but everything in this phase is still very simple, so I don't have to worry about grammar, prose, etc.

Now once that is finished I move on to the point where I have more specific skeleton. Now I begin adding adjectives and making the text as engaging and entertaining as I can. This way I keep the ball rolling and don't have to stop every paragraph and not really have a sense of direction or like what I had written. This seems to be working very well for me so far.

 

[teacup]

I write notes of the key parts I want in the story and also notes of what will happen and when, just in case I forget, but other than that I just write it with the ideas in my head. I've not actually had to refer to my notes yet.

 

[Butterfly]

Right now... it seems to be a case of one. Random. Word. At. A. Time.

Seriously though, I tend to have a loose outline for the whole thing. As I write one chapter and move to the next the outlines for the following 2/3 chapters will become more detailed. I generally have three or four sections of the basic elements of a chapter.

Such as:-

Section One... Morning on the walls.
Sees, hears, feels, fears?

Section Two... Allies arrive
= change in emotional state.

Section Three... WAR!!!!

More detailed notes under each section / event, with descriptions, dialogue, body language, etc.


Working through a chapter at a time like this (from the loose outline) I find helps to keep the transitions smooth, and the order of events logical. I also find it helps to keep notes during the writing, such as the emotional state of a character at the end of a chapter, so it doesn't become disjointed in the next.

 

[Steerpike]

Section Three... WAR!!!!

Good god, y'all. What is it good for?

 

[Butterfly]

(Been readin' A Storm of Swords. I kinda got a moment o' inspiration there).

 

[Steerpike]

(Been readin' A Storm of Swords. I kinda got a moment o' inspiration there).

Heh. Sorry, I saw the word and got side-tracked!

 

[CupofJoe]

Do you do any special planning or anything when you write or do you just wing it as you go? Curious to see all the answers!

Most of the time I use the Snowflake method to get started and then start to wing it... and then the wheels come off...
I am trying to plan my next piece more fully using a 3 act structure and then breaking it down to chapters and scenes.
Luckily [I think] I've got some free time this weekend so I'm trying to get the thing planned and laid out scene-by-scene. Then I'll start writing.