I recently shelved a novel manuscript, despite it being complete.
It was my fourth, and the first time I wrote something I'd plotted in advance. I breathed a sigh of relief when I decided it could sit in a file, and gather dust.
As a horror writer, I was reminded of Stephen King who has said the novels he plotted are among the least favourite of his own works.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you change, depending on the story, or have you (like me) tried both?
What works for you?
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I'm a plotter, Alex Hunter. I write myself into a corner if I don't outline a spec script.
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Maurice Vaughan I have written myself into a fair few of those!
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Writing yourself out of a corner isn't fun, Alex Hunter. I stick to the outline when I write a spec script, but some things change. I'm a pantser when I write fan fiction scripts though.
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I'm both- a Plantster. I have the main points, but let me tell you-- I love being able to just meander. That said, my screenwriting is very OUTLINE and try to follow the outline. Do I though? Like 90% of the time. LOL
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Cynna Ael Plantser, love it!
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I’m a Plantser, like some other people here. If I plot it all out, I inevitably (usually quickly) deviate from what I wrote down, so it’s kind of a waste. But once I reach the second draft, I have a good idea of what I want to do, so I’ll do a rough outline. That doesn’t mean I have to stick to it, if the story decides otherwise, but it helps me keep on better track. Then when I edit and/or draft again, I’ll write out basically what I want to do. But it’s never heavy plotting. I store most of that in my head.
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Love it, Lex Lanc! Glad someone else out there is like me- it's so hard sometimes to have indepth outlines when I inevitably go off-track when the characters suddenly show a recessive trait of "NOPE, THIS WAY." Normally I'm then like-- OMG, that means... And I end up scrapping half an outline. Better to have those loose guidelines of what things I MUST HAVE and the freedom to get to those points how I need it.
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Cynna Ael, you’re definitely not alone. I’ve talked to plenty of writers over the years, and, at least for prose, most of them don’t seem to do well with a strict outline for the first draft. You have to figure out what the story is trying to say before you try to hammer it down. Better to have freedom in the beginning, then do the refining in editing, I think. For a lot of people, anyway. Some just like the structure, though. Whatever works for you!
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I'm both. A plotter before I write, and a pantser when I actually write.
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I'm old school - I use a word doc and wine. I have one word doc for outline, then one for paragraphs, then I copy and paste for the final manuscript then wine to cheers the experience.
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Lauren Hackney Oh, wine! Tat's what I've been missing!