Apr 2021
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therosesword
Apr '21
rajillustration

It's kind of like a friend of mine and the different ways we travel.

He looks up where he's going. He finds all the things he wants to see. He plans out what he'll see and when (leaving a little leaway for unplanned stuff.) but on tuesday he'll see this and on wednesday he'll see that.

I went to live in Sicily for a month a couple years back. Looked at the Isle of Ortigia, looked at some killer videos on youtube and bought my tickets and rented my apt and packed one, yes one, small overhead carryone bag and off I went.

Our convesation:

What are you going to see?

I don't know yet. There is a castle I'd like to see and one amphitheater, oh and I have to light a candle for my step-mom in the cathedral and there is the Caravaggio painting.

You're going to be living there for a month.

Oh, yeah, there's a market for food, but I'll be living above a restaurant.

You'll be there a month.

uh huh.

that's four things. what else are you going to see?

I don't know. I'll find out when I get there. the place was rebuilt in 1600, I'm sure there'll be stuff to see.

You're going to be there a month or longer.

Uh huh.

a month?

uh huh.

what are your plans?

to be there a month or longer.

It was a terrific trip. One of the best I've ever taken and I want to go back so bad it makes my teeth hurt. Better even than Wales and Scotland.

the only thing I did do in preparation was try to learn some Italian.

So that's how I write. Oh look, there's three or four things I want to do, guess I'll sit down and write now.

Ortigia, Sicily Walking Tour - 4K - Prowalk Tours
rajillustration
Apr '21

Oh man I can't imagine going to sicily without any planning...but like...I have done that with places that are closer to home.

I think the writing prep style for me changes project to project. So I'll have shorts that I like...can't dream of plotting because there's no point. And I'll have stories where I totally did make a plan, and then completely ignored it. (which is my current project, so I kinda considered it pantsed.) And then I have other projects where I planned because it's got too many woven parts. But, when I do plan, I don't like to write anything down. If I do, then it probably wasn't necessary to remember (especially in comics where basically everything gets edited out. You can waste years doing worldbuilding on stuff that never sees the light of day). I just kinda daydream and whatever remains in my head is what goes in the story.

therosesword
Apr '21

I think if I was doing a traveling trip from one end of Sicily to the other I might do more planning, but I was going to OrtigIa, an island off of Sicily and part of the city of Syracuse. You can walk the edged of the island all the way around in less than two hours. It's one of the reasons I prefer to travel by myself. To tell you truthfully, I watched so many youtube videos of the island by the time I got there I knew how to get everywhere and recognized market people. I texted a friend once asking if she remember this one market guy from a video and sent her a picture, I was standing in front of him.

every project dictates (to me) how it wants to be written. I can't do a hard outline or anything like that because I feel (internally) that it's done and I'm not interested in it anymore. sometimes I make notes, but then I lose them or I start writing and I forget they're there. it's like cooking, who cares how it was made if it tastes good.

cherrystark
Apr '21
rajillustration

I daydream a lot of my stuff too. I still remember going on a walk one day last summer and came back with a whole story planned. Whatever "world-building" I come up with is what sticks around in my brain long enough to become part of the story. I try to make written notes if I have too many loose ends in play or even one shots that need to fix back in, but even if a plan a good sequence for those ideas, I end of changing my mind.

foxnflames
Apr '21

This is not an accurate definition of a plotter lol. People who plot don’t lay out every detail and I’m sure y’all who tell people you pants every time you blink think at least a little about where your story is going. GUESS WHAT? THAT’S PLOTTING!

If you make notes or have an iota of where you wanna go with your story, you’re plotting. And people who plot don’t have some huge notebook or files of notes on notes of every single detail of their story.

Personally, I have my acts laid out with the overall points of what I want to happen. Then I add bullets of how I want to bridge them. Then I outline and write. Most of the time I deviate from it and sometimes I move things around. I constantly think about where the story is going and as I think of me things, I adjust. I don’t like sticking to something so strict, so I like the freedom of writing at will but knowing what track in on.

Regarding your outline you gave, I’d say you need to add an inciting event between the hook and first plot point. And a climactic moment after the climax and before the resolution. Also, I think you need to spread out your chapters. As you write, you need to sprinkle in some subplots and more plot/character development, or else your story will come off as rushed and you’ll probably end up jamming so many things in they won’t have time to flesh out.

There are a lot of resources on act structures and character arcs that are helpful. They benefitted me when I planned out my story.

alexlcuri07
Apr '21

I prefer :sparkles: organic writer :sparkles: because the idea of being associated with people who pull other people's pants down is a little bit cringey to me.

Also, I'm a strong advocate for doing what works for you, when it works best for you, however that works for you.

Personally, I tend to sit down and write until I have enough material that I can organize in a better way. I use that rough material to "plot." It would be most accurate to call myself a character driven writer, because my character's conflicts, motives, and personality often dictate what happens at any given moment. Essentially, I am at the behest of the numerous imaginary bullies who reside in my head rent free.

foxnflames
Apr '21

Here they are (and for anyone else who finds them helpful)

This has the three act structure broken down:

Different character arcs:

BreakingChalk
Apr '21
Just_Chyna

No, you got it right (I guess so, this is the second time I've found the term panster for writing), I just tried to combine Plotter and Panster in one word, hehe.

therosesword
Apr '21
cherrystark

there are three reasons I make any notes,

  1. I'm on the toilet and a piece of dialog occurs and I've got a memory like a sieve so there are notebooks and pens allllll over my place.

  2. I'm out for a walk or on my treadmill or doing something away from my computer

  3. I wake up in the middle of the night when the muse sits on my bladder, scribble some note and realize I can't read them in the morning.

but truth be told, I'm not at my computer 24/7 and sometimes I go sit on the back landing and write a whole chapter long hand because I like to write longhand and then I come in and transcribe it.

cherrystark
Apr '21

Thanks for sharing this video with us. I liked his metaphor about the fire, sometimes I just need more light to fully be able to see my characters.

What I like about pantsing, or organic writing as I prefer to call it, is that you can apply as much logic as you want to your writing process. George R.R. Martin describes the two "groups" as architects and gardeners. Architect writers need everything to be perfect for their product to work. Gardeners let stuff grow. And if you've ever dabbled in gardening, you know that to have a successful garden, you do have to put a lot of thought and yes, planning into your work to get a result. The same reaction and development won't happen everytime, and sometimes your little plants surprise you and grow into something more fruitful than you ever planned it to be. The key is letting nature take it's course.

WizardWatson
Apr '21

Plotter, all day long. As an engineer, I cannot fathom starting a project without a clear roadmap and end goal in mind. "Failure to plan is planning to fail," is my motto.

therosesword
Apr '21
cherrystark

kind of like like me planning on my last cat from his pictures and descriptions on the pet finder page as being medium size and he turns out to be 36" from tail to nose and 19 lbs. ahahaha or maybe planning on buying a cute little red puppy named clifford!

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