- Posts: 684
- Thank you received: 343
- Forum
- Stories, Writers and Artists
- Story Ideas and Discussion
- Writing: Master plan vs controlled chaos
Writing: Master plan vs controlled chaos
One thing that I noticed over the time was that while I always had a plan about what I wanted to happen, I never had THE plan. I really noticed that recently when Camille posted her Character Sketches for better planning with stories or sent me the outline on which she bases her "A day at the military" story.
On the contrary: My stories are more written as they go. I always have at least one event in the back of my head that I'm working forward to and sometimes I scrap these ideas or expand upon others that end up contradicting them. So far these changes were for the better - at least that's how I see it. But I begin to wonder if it might be better to actually have a plan, to always know the main point of a scene before I begin it instead of having a simple idea. Not to mention how the feedback of previous installments and beta readers affects the way I continue here.
How do other authors think about it? Is it better to have a plan that makes sure where the story is headed? Is there a length where one version get's more helpful than the other? For example a shortstory workshop entry can't really benefit of a plan with only 1000 words in length, while a multi-part story could eventually become big enough that the adaptions become necessary since they actually improve upon the original idea.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- njae
- Topic Author
- Away
- Premium Member
njae wrote: One thing that I noticed over the time was that while I always had a plan about what I wanted to happen, I never had THE plan. I really noticed that recently when Camille posted her Character Sketches for better planning with stories or sent me the outline on which she bases her "A day at the military" story.
On the contrary: My stories are more written as they go. I always have at least one event in the back of my head that I'm working forward to and sometimes I scrap these ideas or expand upon others that end up contradicting them. So far these changes were for the better - at least that's how I see it. But I begin to wonder if it might be better to actually have a plan, to always know the main point of a scene before I begin it instead of having a simple idea. Not to mention how the feedback of previous installments and beta readers affects the way I continue here.
How do other authors think about it? Is it better to have a plan that makes sure where the story is headed? Is there a length where one version get's more helpful than the other? For example a shortstory workshop entry can't really benefit of a plan with only 1000 words in length, while a multi-part story could eventually become big enough that the adaptions become necessary since they actually improve upon the original idea.
In my writing I've always been influenced by my experience as a Game Master, usually I tend to establish a beginning, a end and a serie of scenes in the middle that I want to include. After that I try to figure out what my characters will do and try to progress the story staying true to their personalities.
Overall this approach works decently for short stories, but I think that longer narratives requires some preparation, simply becuase I've seen too many great authors and great stories stopping because they wrote themselves into a corner.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- Woodclaw
- Offline
- Administrator
- Posts: 3601
- Thank you received: 1983
Most of my stories have been made up as I go along. When I try to plot things out in advance, I lose interest once I know where the story is going and have a hard time actually writing it.
I ran out of steam on "Stupendous Girl" and "Alternate Histories" for different reasons. The first because the idea of where to go next just would not come to me and the second because I mapped out a timeline which I was not capable of doing justice to.
I've mostly stuck to one-offs the last couple of years in part because I know I don't have the discipline for a continuing story.
- GeekSeven
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- inactive
- Offline
- Legend of SWM
- Posts: 982
- Thank you received: 582
Right now, I have three "Big Plans," with art work in the can for two of them, but I just can't seem to sit down and work on them. I know what I want to do and where I want to go, but I can't seem to find the will and the time.
In contrast to me, Argo is very organized. For TSOS, we started with a very definite plan that had an 18 chapter outline. There were several key points with an associated time frame that we wanted to hit. A couple of my favorites were the fight at the Diamond Bar and Lex saving Lana from the Green Kryptonite. Hopefully, another key chapter that I have had the artwork in the can for 5 years now we will get to soon.
We have done every chapter in the original timeline that we have planed except one that I can think of. I have the artwork for it, but the way the story is going I doubt we will use it. Along the way, we have come up with several new ideas that we were able to work into the timeline as well as use to advance the plot. That is why if we ever get Lana out of High School, TSOS will most likely run 35 or so chapters.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- ace191
- Offline
- Elite Member
- Posts: 930
- Thank you received: 206
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- The Highlander
- Offline
- Senior Member
- Posts: 320
- Thank you received: 207
Hopefully I will have more luck when I try to write the prequel to my workshop story, tentatively titled "A Healer's Origin", especially as the main scene is very clear in my mind. When I've done that I might try going back to my unfinished business, perhaps trying The Highlander's method of writing the scenes as they come and connecting them later.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- JKIJ
- Offline
- Junior Member
- Posts: 173
- Thank you received: 25
In my writing I've always been influenced by my experience as a Game Master, usually I tend to establish a beginning, a end and a serie of scenes in the middle that I want to include. After that I try to figure out what my characters will do and try to progress the story staying true to their personalities.
Overall this approach works decently for short stories, but I think that longer narratives requires some preparation, simply becuase I've seen too many great authors and great stories stopping because they wrote themselves into a corner.
Ignoring the Game Master part, this is similar how I did it so far. I noticed that by trying to stay true to the characters, they sometimes act differently from what I've had in mind before. Or I get second thoughts about letting the character suffer more than necessary. Feedback can also shift the focus between different installments especially when certain characters or events are better received than originally intended.
Most of my stories have been made up as I go along. When I try to plot things out in advance, I lose interest once I know where the story is going and have a hard time actually writing it.
This sounds quite familiar as well. I have begun a story where I already had the ending thought out including the major events that lead up to it. I even began to write an outline since I already had most of it thought out, but then ran out of steam. Hopefully I can at least find the motivation to finish it so that I can finish the actual story eventually.
Not to mention all the other ideas that only got a short summary either here in the forum or a synopsis in my files, with most potential ignored.
Maybe I should give The Highlander's idea of writing the scenes that pop up in my head as they come and then develop the plot later a try. This should help to give the scenes the descriptions that are needed while bothering with the actual plot leading to it later.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- njae
- Topic Author
- Away
- Premium Member
- Posts: 684
- Thank you received: 343
- Forum
- Stories, Writers and Artists
- Story Ideas and Discussion
- Writing: Master plan vs controlled chaos