Where is it going...

[davien.livejournal.com]

When you plot something out, do you just write as inspiration hits you, and end up with something coherent, or do you start with a general idea of where things should go, if not how they should get there, and write based on a framework?

I find that I have great worlds in mind, and even conflicts, but plots (to get them into those situations, and what they do after them) are harder. I keep getting stuck either after something happens, or on the details of what must have happened before.

Usually, when this happens, it's because something fundamental is wrong and should be changed. This ends in massive surgery until I hit the next stopping point... but I never get the darn things finished. I'm stuck in an editor loop!

Comments

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

I'm generally a plotter. I like to have a nice road map of where I'm going before I begin. It doesn't have to be extremely detailed and I'm not rigid in my attempts to stick to it, but it gives me an idea of the entire story I want to tell so I have some guideposts as to whether the idea works or not before I begin.

That said, once I have some plot points in place, know my starting and ending points, and some key scenes along the way, I like to allow the story to evolve as I write. If it changes from the plot I've laid down for it, that's great. That means it's developed a life of its own and the rest of the story generally evolves with it.

If I write something that contradicts something I've already written, but I know it makes the story stronger, I continue in that direction forward, but do NOT go back to change the beginning to agree with it. I wait until the editing stage to make those changes. To change in the drafting stage could prove fatal.

[flamingruby.livejournal.com]

I plan out a basic plotline on an episode-by-episode basis. Mind you, I may think farther out and plan some must have events farther down the road, but most episode plans of mine are subject to addition, deletion and/or revision at any time.

[cat-mcdougall.livejournal.com]

A lot of times, I have a beginning, and an end. The rest just meanders along to get from point A to point B. Then editing cuts the chaff and reworks things occasionally. But first, I have to get the story down. The rest can come later.

[beautifvl-flaw.livejournal.com]

I'm not much of a plotter, and thanks to doing NaNoWriMo last November, my inner editor is very much under control, so I don't edit as I write. I prefer to write as freely as I can, although sometimes I'm simply terrible at motivating myself and don't do anything for long periods of time. A lot of what I do would probably be useful for somebody writing a What Not To Do book on writing, but gradually I'm improving.

I usually have in my mind that I want Character A to have such-and-such a revelation about why Character B did something at a certain point in the story, but I usually have very little certain. I wish I had more solid things sometimes, but other times, like when I was writing in November, I adored some of the unexpected things that happened. I wouldn't have thought of them had I been trying, but there, out they flowed onto the page. It was much fun.

I haven't started on anything really since I started reading A Novel In A Year though, which I've learnt a lot from, so I'll be trying things from there out when I next write and what I've said above might change. We shall see.

[delurfangs.livejournal.com]

i typicly just sit and write without really planning it out and when i have a few chapters i go back and revise to make sure things are coherent

[baltimoreandme.livejournal.com]

I tend to see stories as much in terms of structure as in terms of characters, so my plots tend to be built into the basic story idea.

Also, for anyone who is interested -- there is a workshop on plot in progress at this writing community (http://community.livejournal.com/meta_writer/6353.html).

[wilygriffin.livejournal.com]

I've been stuck for about 2 months at a crucial point in the plot. This is the place I need to lay the foundation for the conflict of the story. I've been trying to write in a linear method, but I'm coming up against too many potential inconsistencies. I’m going to try skipping ahead and writing the conflict scene. Perhaps it will be easier to sew in the transitional scenes that have me stalled. Perhaps this might work for you as well.

Good luck!