I Was Processless
Or I was processless. I wrote my novel without a process. I mean, I had a plan, the big board with all the coloured post-its. Yet, I wrote without knowing the heartbeat of a book. I wrote a story. Then rewrote the story. I rewrote multiple times until it was 217000 words.
I knew there had to be a story plot arc. I told myself there was one. There was. I had an inciting incident, plot points 1 and 2, a middle (buried deep somewhere between the two, conflict and a resolution.
Then...
I learned the beats. I read as a writer, not just a reader. I began to pick apart everything that had a storyline, books, TV shows, films, video games.
Sidenote: Although, now I've started seeing through this lens, I can stop. I struggle to enjoy watching something these days because I'm aware of the story beats, the character archetypes.
Despite the loss of innocent viewing, the result was worth it. I suddenly had everything connect clearly. Sub plots, story plots, characters, side characters, it all went into breathing life into this story.
Learning the beats helped me cut away the irrelevant, the parts that didn't move the story forward, and hack down the staggering word count.
I know not everyone writes this way, some people are pantsers, other plotters. I find juggling both helps me. If I can set the landmarks, I can follow the map, which can take several different routes, which allows for creativity. Or, as usually happens, for the characters to travel there while I ride shotgun.
So, I was processless. Now I know my process, and it works. It keeps me motivated to stay awake during the car journey because I know I'm getting to the next attraction.
I'd love to hear ways others tackle their stories. How do you travel the world you've created?
Thanks for reading.
M
I have started to see “plot points” in films way before I understood that I could write a story myself. When my husband asks watching a film “why do they have to do this”? I calmly react: because that’s the way the screenplay has to be written.
I was craving stories and films that would actually surprise me one way or another. I absolutely get bored with “the same difference”.
So, I’m trying to beat the routine with some freshness. Whether it’ll work or not, that’s a different story. But if someone wants to read the same story with different names, they won’t like mine. Which is fine. I won’t feel offended. I’m not writing for them apparently.
I’ll write the stories I wanted to read.
I agree, stories have to have beats and ups and downs. Definitely. Stories cannot be boring. That’s the whole point. :)
As I write romance, some basics are given whether I like it or not. (No, I have no problems with these.) :) Two people will become a couple. I just tell the “how it happened”. I tend to keep them finding problems as I have that in my life all the time. Sometimes them meeting is not at the 15% place, but right in the first scene. And sometimes the last scene is not where they finally confess their love. I write the scenes as the story requires it.
If I pull and push right, I can even fit the stories into structures. But that’s not my main aim. :)
I hear you with consuming media as a writer! Once you know what to look out for, it’s hard to unsee! It’s also fun to see which movies/books/shows break the “rules” and get away with it
I’m a discovery writer who does some minor outlining and planning ~ I like to have a sense of where I’m going in my writing sessions and at the same time I love it when my characters surprise me and when the story goes in a direction I don’t anticipate!