Writing Out of Order (BEDS #26)

Sometimes I have trouble deciding what order to write my story in. Generally, when I start a story, I already know what's coming--where it starts, where it ends, and a few choice scenes in the middle.

In theory, I have it all planned out. In theory, I should be able to write it all down in no time.

In reality? Not so much.

There are blanks. There are tiny, itty-bitty gaps that fall between the things that I know for sure are going to happen. It's like I know where I'm going, but not necessarily how to get there.

This isn't always a bad thing. The scenes that are stuck in my head are the things that get me excited to start writing, after all. But my entire life, I have found myself writing chronologically. I write things in the order they happen, because that's what makes sense to me. The little gaps are exactly the reason I don't like writing, say, the climax before I've written the rest--because what if something changes? What if some tiny event happens and I find later that I have to reference it later?

Well, I could just go back and change it. But apparently, that would be too easy.

So instead, I write it all in order. I start from the beginning, and proceed through the story as I would like it to play out. There's nothing wrong with this. It's almost more fun this way, because I have the exciting scenes pushing me to keep going.

But then I hit the gaps. I stumble. I struggle. I try to figure out, desperately, what direction the story has to take to get to where it needs to go. I get frustrated. I walk away, and I don't always come back.

So clearly, this is a problem.

I've always been hesitant to write scenes out of order. I'm always scared that if I write the scene I'm most excited for first, I won't have anything to look forward to later. But lately, I've been experimenting with different things, and writing out of order is one of them. I've written several scenes for my WIP that take place much, much later in the story.

On the one hand, writing the big scenes in advance give me something more physical to build up to, which has proved useful. But at the same time, filling in the gaps isn't any easier than it was when I was going the chronological route.

Those pesky gaps, huh. Maybe my outline will help me figure those out.

Fellow writers! Do you write chronologically, or do you write the scenes as they come to you, in any order? More importantly, why do you favour one over the other?

Until later,

- Justyne

THE MASTER OUTLINE (BEDS #21)

That is the title of the document that I currently have open on my computer, caps and all.

I'm not normally one to outline before I write something. Most of the time, I find outlining boring and tedious--and sometimes even unnecessary, as the major events are often already plotted out in my head. I try to avoid it, as much as possible, and rely on my memory and my fantastic "wangin' it" skills to power through my WIP.

This WIP is different, though. There's so much going on, so many relationships and subplots and emotions running wild that no matter how hard I try, I can't keep it all straight in my head. I forget things, little tidbits of information that come up later on. I end up having to reread a good chunk of the story to find it--and more often than not that ends with me wincing at how bad the earlier stuff is.

Bottom line is, I can't possibly keep track of everything that's going on. Not mentally. So, I started to outline.

I just started working on it the other day, and it's already becoming this massive document, with history and biographies and plot points. It feels nice to have some concrete information written down in a more accessible way. But at the same time, the act of actually making the outline still feels like utter torture to me. (Cue war flashbacks to every English essay I had to write that ever involved summarizing literature....*shudders*)

So, in an effort to make this outline more bearable, I've decided not to complete it...not right away, at least. Instead, I'll write down everything as I go. I'm hoping that it will make things easier for me later, when I need to reference an obscure plot point made five chapters back that I've long since forgotten (No more scrolling through documents and skimming poorly written paragraphs to find it! Hallelujah!), without my spirit suffocating in prep work.

I'll keep you updated as to how this little plan of mine works out. (Hopefully, it'll work out fairly well.)


Until later,

- Justyne