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The Process
So, I'm just laying this out there to compare with other writers. It's on my mind since I'm working on the bones of my NaNo. This is the structure for longer works; shorter works and roleplaying plots still use the same elements, but usually not all of them.
Step 1: Have the idea. My stories almost always start with one thing that tickles my imagination. Usually this is something small or at least singular; a scene or an image, a concept or a line of dialogue. Whatever it is, it's interesting enough to motivate me. I want to pursue it.
Step 2: Play with the idea. Classic brainstorming. What can I tie to the idea that would be interesting? What are the ramifications of the idea? It's basically just building a big pile of raw materials that could eventually turn into a real story. The vast majority of this stuff will be discarded, and a lot of it is mutually exclusive. I find discussing it with other people to be massively helpful during this stage.
Step 3: Sketch out a basic plot arc. This isn't a scene-by-scene breakdown, just a skeleton of the story. Who are the basic characters, where do they start out, where do they end up, and roughly how do they get there. It focuses me so that I'm not going in the eighteen different directions suggested by Step 2.
Step 4: Build character histories. Once I know what I essentially want the characters to do, I go back and fill in the details on their pasts and families. 90% of this stuff will never make it to the page, but it helps me come to grips with who the characters are. It makes them real to me, which allows me to write them better.
Step 5: Find character personalities and voices. This is trial and error for me, not a deliberate process. I think about the characters. I write intentionally random dialogues between them to see how they play off each other, and monologues to see how they talk about the world. I do this again and again until I start getting that "Yes. That's what she would say." feeling.
Step 6: Start writing the story. At this point I've wandered off from the actual plot far enough that I need to re-anchor myself to it. So I start writing scenes that could actually go in the story. Somewhere in here I write the beginning, but it's not always the first thing I do. I never write the ending at this stage.
Step 7: Brainstorm again. My view of the work is now very, very different from what it was in Step 2, and I need to think about what I can plug into the new framework.
Step 8: Chapter plot breakdown. I go back to the skeleton and start fleshing it out into actual scenes, changing and adding to the original plot to fit my new understanding. There will usually be a lot of gaps ("How do they get from A to B?") even after this step, but they'll get filled in during later repetitions.
Step 9: Write more. I have everything I need now for basic production, so I start producing. A little editing usually happens here as well, but mostly this is just the part where I get words on the page. Order is random; writing from start to finish never works for me. This is the longest part of the process.
Repeat Steps 7-9 as necessary until I have nearly the entire story down.
Step 10: Assemble and re-read. The bits and pieces are way, way out of order at this point, so I put them into story order and read them from front to back, taking notes the whole way.
Step 11: Editing. I will have found a bunch of stuff that needs improving in Step 10, and now I go to fix it. Scenes get thrown out, added, or rewritten entirely, language is changed, discontinuities are smoothed. This step operates on both the macro and micro level simultaneously because I can't separate them out effectively. And it takes a while.
Repeat Steps 10-11 until satisfied. Further cycles of Step 10 probably won't include the entire story again until the final few rounds.
Step 12: Peer review. I like to have someone I trust read my work. I've gotten so far inside it by now that I can't see the forest for the trees, and an outside perspective is invaluable for spotting things that could be improved. This gives me the information I need to do another edit.
Repeat Steps 11-12 until done.
So that's me. Does that sound similar to how you other writers work? What do you do differently?
Step 1: Have the idea. My stories almost always start with one thing that tickles my imagination. Usually this is something small or at least singular; a scene or an image, a concept or a line of dialogue. Whatever it is, it's interesting enough to motivate me. I want to pursue it.
Step 2: Play with the idea. Classic brainstorming. What can I tie to the idea that would be interesting? What are the ramifications of the idea? It's basically just building a big pile of raw materials that could eventually turn into a real story. The vast majority of this stuff will be discarded, and a lot of it is mutually exclusive. I find discussing it with other people to be massively helpful during this stage.
Step 3: Sketch out a basic plot arc. This isn't a scene-by-scene breakdown, just a skeleton of the story. Who are the basic characters, where do they start out, where do they end up, and roughly how do they get there. It focuses me so that I'm not going in the eighteen different directions suggested by Step 2.
Step 4: Build character histories. Once I know what I essentially want the characters to do, I go back and fill in the details on their pasts and families. 90% of this stuff will never make it to the page, but it helps me come to grips with who the characters are. It makes them real to me, which allows me to write them better.
Step 5: Find character personalities and voices. This is trial and error for me, not a deliberate process. I think about the characters. I write intentionally random dialogues between them to see how they play off each other, and monologues to see how they talk about the world. I do this again and again until I start getting that "Yes. That's what she would say." feeling.
Step 6: Start writing the story. At this point I've wandered off from the actual plot far enough that I need to re-anchor myself to it. So I start writing scenes that could actually go in the story. Somewhere in here I write the beginning, but it's not always the first thing I do. I never write the ending at this stage.
Step 7: Brainstorm again. My view of the work is now very, very different from what it was in Step 2, and I need to think about what I can plug into the new framework.
Step 8: Chapter plot breakdown. I go back to the skeleton and start fleshing it out into actual scenes, changing and adding to the original plot to fit my new understanding. There will usually be a lot of gaps ("How do they get from A to B?") even after this step, but they'll get filled in during later repetitions.
Step 9: Write more. I have everything I need now for basic production, so I start producing. A little editing usually happens here as well, but mostly this is just the part where I get words on the page. Order is random; writing from start to finish never works for me. This is the longest part of the process.
Repeat Steps 7-9 as necessary until I have nearly the entire story down.
Step 10: Assemble and re-read. The bits and pieces are way, way out of order at this point, so I put them into story order and read them from front to back, taking notes the whole way.
Step 11: Editing. I will have found a bunch of stuff that needs improving in Step 10, and now I go to fix it. Scenes get thrown out, added, or rewritten entirely, language is changed, discontinuities are smoothed. This step operates on both the macro and micro level simultaneously because I can't separate them out effectively. And it takes a while.
Repeat Steps 10-11 until satisfied. Further cycles of Step 10 probably won't include the entire story again until the final few rounds.
Step 12: Peer review. I like to have someone I trust read my work. I've gotten so far inside it by now that I can't see the forest for the trees, and an outside perspective is invaluable for spotting things that could be improved. This gives me the information I need to do another edit.
Repeat Steps 11-12 until done.
So that's me. Does that sound similar to how you other writers work? What do you do differently?