What is your working pattern?

[jamzr]

Here's another question for all you seasoned (or not) writers:

When do you work on what?

In other words, I have a few different "jobs" in the creation of this novel: creating the storyworld, character development, plot development and outline, drafting the actual story, research historical data, creating backstory.

My method has been pretty haphazard so far. I do a little of this, a little of that in a kind of spiral pattern. I'm wondering if there is a better way, if I could be more productive if I tried ___________.

So is there a general order of tasks that is more productive than what I'm doing? Let me know what has worked for you in the past, or what is working better now. Thank you!

j

[torainfor]

From a decidedly not seasoned writer:

My first novel was done through NaNoWriMo. I mostly wrote it straight through although, if I realized one section needed some else, I felt free to go back and add. It was a kids' scifi so the technology wasn't that advanced. In fact, I only wanted to get into current, proven technology. Sure they live on a space ship and have artificial gravity, but I only delved into the specifics of stuff like jet airplanes. Well, and pteradactyls.

This next one is rougher. I started with a scene, added a plot to justify it, then added characters to justify the plot. I wrote as far as I could (2 1/2 chapters) before I had to stop and figure out more of the scene. I have a feeling this is how it will come down for the rest of it as well. It's a lot more complicated than the first book--I guess it may be the same ratio of original thinking and research, but the research is in to stuff I don't actually know a lot about.

Some people say to do all the research you can, even if only ten percent of it shows up in the story. Others (Steven King, for instance) say to just write the story, then go back and figure out what you need to be more accurate about.

[Divides the Waters]

www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

Excellent tips for the actual writing process. Presumably you've also read Jeff's tips at www.wherethemapends.com.

There are some excellent articles on world creation available on the web. I'll try to find them, and get the links.

My method would not necessarily work for you, because I'm writing a fantasy epic created whole cloth. I don't have to do historical research, per se. But I do write down ideas as they come to me in a pocket-sized composition book that I carry with me everywhere. That way, I don't lose a gem because I'm at work, or wherever, and I can go back and expand on it later. I transfer the ideas to a spreadsheet (see the link above) and tinker with the placement.

If you're doing something with a historical component, I would definitely suggest working primarily with the historical research first. It will suggest plot points, character ideas, and a wealth of material that you simply could not get by going into it blind. If you already have your characters and plot well in mind, then all you have to do is make sure that your storyline fits with the historical data you accumulate.

[jamzr]

Thanks for the input both of you.
I have worked with the snowflake method. Yes yes! In fact just last night I decided that for today I needed to get back to that to help me focus because I seem to have caught adult-onset ADD. I flit from one thing to another. If I research for a while then I feel like the story gets cold. If I just write the story for a while, inevitably I feel like I'm skimming over loads of detail that begs to be fleshed out and I go back to research, which ends up tweaking the story....and on and on it goes.

I'll admit, when I began this I didn't realize what a huge undertaking it was so I'm looking for some ways to give myself structure. I write a little, read about writing, write a little, read about writing. This site has some great info too, for sure. I think part of the "problem" is that there is truly such great info, great books, great thoughts....everything and so little time that I feel myself scrambling inside to make the most of my little niche of time to dedicate to writing (and reading, researching, etc. etc.)

I do make good progress with the snowflake method, but then I go off on a rabbit trail to create another aspect of the world or research aspects of the historical context . I continue to be frustrated because both the creation of new worlds aspect and the historical context could be infinitely deep and I could get lost in it never to come back to the story it seems.

Well, I'm whining, I know. Is there anything else I would rather spend my free time on? Nope. So for today, I will quit escaping on the forum and go back to the snowflake method.
Thanks again,

j

[Vaporwolf]

I'm quite haphazard in my writing. For my completed manuscript I was writing in a world I'd been working on for 12 years, but the story was a different take on it than I had been developing for all those years.

I spent a good bit of time fleshing out the skeleton of the premise, but I went into it without knowing much specifics of the plot. It wasn't until I was three chapters in that I made a chapter by chapter outline.

Even then I had a ton of stuff surprise me and had all new histories of the world popping up from the characters and creatures I encountered as I wrote.

It was quite an adventure!

Now in my new fantasy I'm working on I've pretty much done the same, except for spending 12 years on the world, and doing the chapter by chapter right off the bat. I did write a short story that fueled the imagination and initial premise. I don't know how productive that is though, as I still write quite slowly and often have to mull over a scene a while before I feel ready to start it.

[jamzr]

So it seems that there is not just one right way for every person or even every book. For me right now it boils down to this question for now: How much research, backstory creation, and character creation is enough to write the story? It seems there is no end!

[Vaporwolf]

My advice would be... Don't sweat the details!

Just because you have reference to a past event, doesn't mean you need to know everything exactly in how it happened back then.

Your characters may even be wrong about it (or have a distorted view of their own history).

I'd say "enough" is just what you need to give what you are writing a sense of history, without drowning someone in details. Especially since details make it harder to keep your world consistent over the long run.

So if all you know is that a war ravaged the world three hundred years ago, and a great civilization was destroyed during that time. That is probably enough to get started. If your characters stumble across some ruins from it, they may not even know what the ruins are from, even if you do. But for the most part they probably wouldn't know the details anyway, unless one of them is an exceptional scholar or Indiana Jones.

[jamzr]

Allrighty then. I'll give it a whirl.
BTW, do you do drawings of your settings when creating a world?

[Vaporwolf]

Yep. Mostly just quick sketches early on, especially if i'm trying to brainstorm some new creature or technology or just feel myself hitting some writer's block.

Haven't had as much time recently for sketching though.

[Spokane Flyboy]

I tend to have piles of sketches, notes, and then my computer is filled with multiple revisions of maps and star systems that I've created using different programs.

[JC Lamont]

Wow, 12 years -- you got me beat!

My pattern, which just kind of happened:

Year 1 -- First draft - basic world building, character creation, light research

Year 2 -- Second draft -- revision

Year 3 -- Third Draft -- Major character overhaul / New Characters added / subplots added /Heavy research

Year 4 - fourth draft -- Character tweaking/ Subplot Tweaking / More specific research

-- Currently time --

Year 5 -- 5th draft -- Finalization of World Building / Revision (craft of writing)

I do not recommend the above, that is not how I will do it again. I'd be in the middle of a scene and realize, I have no idea what happens here -- back to the Borders or to the web for research, then finish the scene. Very annoying.

For my second book (it's a trilogy), this is the plan:

# 1 -- Research. Focus on research, add notes about possible character interactions. When all research is done:

#2 -- Draft 1 - Character/Plot, subplot creation

#3 -- Draft 2 - Revise character and plot, tweak plot and subplots

#4 - Draft 3 - Revise & finalize entire mss

If that works, that is how I will write book 3. If not, then I shall come up with a new system and try that one.