Writing Approach--thinking vs. working

[Incanus]

Not as many as you think, and it's not as hard as you imagine to tackle. When I began, I was overwhelmed by the numbers. How can anyone write 100k? Where do they come up the words and the number of things to talk about? It seemed impossible.

Of course, there are words and there are words. I'd say it takes someone like a Robert Jordan to do in 2000-3000 words what Tolkien accomplishes in 500. Not that this is strictly true, mind. WoT will never be LoTR even if it was a trillion words long. Some writing is fluffier than others.

As painful as it might be to produce, I think I'd rather create one Lord of the Rings, than 50 forgettable, run-of-the-mill fantasy novels.

For what its worth, one of those quotes above wasn't mine.

I have to say, though, that I disagree 100% with Addison's uncle: I believe thinking is crucial to imagination, indispensible.

 

[Dalleena]

Hi
I've found that for myself, I can't plan ahead. I lose interest in the story, if I know exactly how it's going to play out. I know this might sound weird, but seeing that we're all a little weird. I let the characters decide. I will sit in front of my computer and know that anything can happen, which inspires me. Of course this approach takes up a lot of extra work, when I go over it again. But for me it works. I tried writing with an outline a while ago, but that just ended in a writing block for a few months.

 

[Ryan_Crown]

As painful as it might be to produce, I think I'd rather create one Lord of the Rings, than 50 forgettable, run-of-the-mill fantasy novels.

I admit it would be amazing to create a Lord of the Rings quality novel, but even if all I ever wrote were run-of-the-mill fantasy novels, as long as I knew there were people out there enjoying my writing (even if there weren't that many of them), that would be pretty damned satisfying.