Original fic: Plotting

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Yo! Original writers, how are things? Written much this month? Tell us how your latest offering/s are going, and chat away amongst yourselves too - let's strike up some conversations on anything that you're after help or advice about.





Plotting

So, some questions/thoughts to get you started:

1. Do you plot? Do you plan your fic out in detail before you begin, or are you like me (generally) and fly by the seat of your pants?
2. If you do plot in advance, what's the most important part of your process? Characters, entire story, having scenes that you know you can expand into a bigger theme, or perhaps it's something else, like being in the right mood or having the right music/silence/equipment, and then opening up a document and just beginning?
3. Do your ideas flow as you move through the plotting process? Or do you have to begin writing to know if the plot is going to work?
4. Do you actively seek information before you begin, or do you begin to write and then research as and when needed?
5. If you'd like to, show us an example of something you think you plotted extremely well, or if it's easier, tell us about the story and why you think it's good, or why it works so well for you.

Comments

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

I've not written much original fic lately and really want to get back to it ASAP. Working on using my OC couple for the A-Z challenge. :)

I'm definitely a pantser all the way. Once in awhile I will plot, but normally not. Something I've found that makes plotting easier (for someone as scattered as I am) is One Note. That program is awesome. The way you can make new notebooks, dividers, etc, really helps with keeping a story organized.

My biggest issue is keeping things straight. With fanfic, it's easy because cannon is there to guide you, but when it's YOUR cannon, things get lost and confused much too easily. Hah.

As far as research goes, I do do both. Some things I know I need to know about ahead of time and others crop up out of nowhere.

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

I feel a bit the same, though I did manage to finish one short fic in January. I have some longer pieces that really need some work, though, so hope to get back to them at some point this year. Good luck with the A-Z challenge inspiring you with yours!

Ooh, One Note, huh? We have it, but I've never really known how to use it, so maybe I will have to investigate. I'm pretty bad at doing anything except opening a page and beginning to write and just seeing where it will take me... which can be a bit hopeless sometimes, but generally seems to lead me somewhere, although I've found knowing exactly WHERE my fic is supposed to end (without knowing how I'll get there precisely) can also be quite effective at actually making me finish something (because starting? No problem! Finishing? Not so great).

I know what you mean about keeping things straight too - sometimes I've gone away so long, that when I come back I find myself completing contradicting something from earlier in the story, or making someone completely different to how they started out... So yeah, organisation can definitely help. One Note, right?

You sound like me on research too, although I am notoriously lazy and very good at being extremely vague or picking a POV of someone who knows less than I do... or else I enlist interested friends to find/give me answers. That's not to say I don't do research if it interests me, but sometimes... yeah. ;-)

Thanks for joining in - always good to find others who think similarly on some of the writing things! ;-)

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

Congrats on finishing that short! And good luck with the others. Thanks - I need to find time to get back at it soon.

Yeah, it kind of intimidated me at first, too, but I have a lot of fun with it. If nothing else, it's great to store any notes you make on your wips or future wips so you don't forget those lovely little details.

I'm the same way though, so you're not alone in this. I put the pants on the pantser, I swear. It's like OOOOH... SONG LYRICS! And away we go, no point, no plot, no end in sight. It's a fun ride though, eh? The trouble is, if you have no idea where you're headed, it's hard to get there sometimes.

Yes, that too! I had one story I started and put down... only to come back to it three years later. I did finally finish it, but man, I was lost. But definitely - this would be a great use of One Note. Open ON, create a new notebook, name it, create a chapter for characters, places, whatever, and add pages as you go along. It's really easy to use and helpful for us scatterbrained individuals. LOL

Definitely, the research has got to interest me or I wind up going way off point. Was looking for something one day and wound up discovering how to distill mescaline (a hallucinogenic drug) from a cactus... I did work it into the story, but still. Not what I mean to look for. Hey, being vague can work too, doesn't bog the reader down with details or set you up to be picked apart if you get something wrong, right?

You are so welcome and I agree. I love to talk about this thing we do and most people I know barely read, let alone write. Know what I mean?

[fatorangekat.livejournal.com]

For both my original and my fanfic, I plot first and outline with that. My outlines start as a page or two but grow with notes, pictures, urls, etc as I keep moving it forward. I need a definite beginning/middle/end because I want to know where I'm going, how I'm going to get there and most importantly, how this all ends.

I love research and I'm constantly researching. I write about the military and about Vietnam and WWII so I'm continuously researching there. Adding books to my collection, speaking to vets, I can't get enough.

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

That is wonderful to hear, and I'm sure way more effective than people like me (read: disorganised and flying completely by the seat of my pants most of the time!) That would explain why you have had work published. :D

Research on something you enjoy is definitely fun, so it's not exactly like work, is it? As I mentioned to asphaltcowgrrl, I'm a bit lazy on research, which is not helpful when you're plotting something that needs to be correct, and it's probably let me down a few times (and I am forgetful too, which doesn't help), but if something interests me a whole lot, rather than just something I'm including in passing or as an aside (but should have facts), I do find it much easier.

I have to say, I admire people who can be so disciplined as to plot and outline as you do! ;-)

[fatorangekat.livejournal.com]

I read somewhere years ago that you should write what you know and I I take that with me. My first novel is set in the Outer Banks of NC and for years I vacationed there so I knew it inside and out. I've been researching the Vietnam War for at least 12 or more years but really helped me was I managed to hook up with a military adviser for the 80s television show- Tour of Duty. He served in Vietnam and was incredibly helpful for me to get the details correct.

I find if I don't outline, don't plot it out- I can't get it finished. I just flounder. But I realize that not everyone can work with an outline- they are more comfortable with just letting the story write itself.

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

And that is a good adage to live by! Wow, what a coup to have met up with someone like that, and how helpful too.

I totally get the whole outline and plan thing, but yeah, for me, if I do to much pre-work, I find I lose interest because it's like the story is already told. I need to have surprises hidden in my head, although in all honesty, having an end-point is useful, as long as I only have a vague idea of how I'm going to get there!

Thanks for sharing your methods with us; it's interesting to find out how others work, and who knows when something might rub off! ;-)