Defining your writing method or trying a new approach will help new authors write a great story. Understanding technique enables writers to accomplish their goals.
Fog writer or Outliner, which one are you? Different styles of writing work better for different writers. Maybe it's a right (write?) brain/left brain thing or maybe it's just creative style. Whatever your method, make sure you are utilizing your best approach when writing.
Writing Without an Outline
"Fog" writers (also called "seat-of-the-pants writers) create as they go along, finding their way through the haze of their story. This type of writing flows out of the author, with the story taking on a life of its own. If you write your whole novel this way, it's likely you'll end up with a big piece of work that needs lots of edits and rewrites when you're done. That's not necessarily a bad thing, finishing a novel is a huge accomplishment. In fact, November is National Novel Writing Month and thousands of people join together each year to finish a novel in 30 days writing this very way.
If you're creating as you go, with no set plan, you can build on this method and save time later. Simply make time to do a few self-edits as you go along.
- Take a break at specific intervals (especially when your creativity wanes) and go back through your work, reading your words with an "editor's eye".
- Tweak and refine. Look at your word choice and descriptions.
- Is your writing clear and natural?
- Eliminate unnecessary dialogue or repeated phrases and words.
- Look at each character. Are they interesting? Are they encountering conflict?
- Is the story line for each character making sense?
Outliners: Plotting a Story from Begining to End
"Outliners" have a set plan and strategy for the story; the author has envisioned the whole plot and storyline from beginning to end. It's a good way to write, but sometimes stifles creativity.
There are lots of formulas and even software based on outlining designed to help a writer set up the foundation of their story. This is a good process, especially if the logical side of your creativity is predominant. But this method is very confining to someone who writes "on the fly".
An outline formula for writing can be the same as an outline for a thesis.
Beginning-A
Middle-B
End-C
Then go back and plug in the storyline and chapters.
A Beginning 1. a , b, c 2. a, b, c and so on
B Middle 1.a, b, c 2. a, b, c and so on
C. End 1. a, b, c 2. a, b, c and so on
Or if you are mathematical, think of a number line.
Write out your story on a timeline/story line, in landscape fashion, and plug in the significant events.
Seeing a story in this format is very helpful for the visual and logical thinker.
If you use the 5 W's (+H), Who, What, Where, When, Why and How, it's important to consider that this is a formula for journalism. When writing fiction, there is a much broader focus on explaining the "W's". You must add in the C's. Conflict and Climax. And then there are the R's. A good story will have multiple layers of each, but the Big Resolution must not come until near the end, with the Climax of the story.
In reality, most of us tend to be a bit of both fog and outliner. But focusing on one method or the other does improve the flow and effectiveness of your writing. Also, if you are experiencing writer's block, switching from your current method to the other can help get you out of a snag.
