I tried NaNoWriMo for the first time this past November. While it was a lot of fun, it was also really hard. My best days were those in which I had previously thought out which scenes I needed to write, and had a rough plan for my writing time. I still got to that fun place where the writing flowed, and I even got there faster!
Part of my risk-taking in 2017 will, I hope, be focused on developing and encouraging more left-brain analytical activities, which don't come naturally to me. So I am giving an honest shot at serious outlining. I've always loved planning. But stories I've planned out never get beyond that stage. And stories I haven't planned peter out by about 3000 words. By combining the two--serious outlining, followed by a writing start date and maybe a NaNoWriMo-like sprint to finish the first draft--maybe I'll hit on the system that works for me. It's worth a try!
If you're a writer, please share what works for you. How do you get your writing done? Outlining? Not outlining?
Chelsey here <3
ReplyDeleteI know for me that I need to plot! I need a skeleton to build a body on, a map to navigate new territory. And if I deviate from the outline because I have a better idea later, that's fine. But without a plot outline, my story suffers.
I suspect that will be the case for me too. So I'm giving it a go.
DeleteGood for you!! Writing is rewarding but hard work. I've just finished reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Although I am not a writer I found inspiration for my own creative process. Keep at it, Joanna.
ReplyDeleteJad
Writing can get a bit difficult, indeed. What I like doing sometimes - especially those days when we can't get anything from thought to paper - is search and read what other people are writing about the subject in question and how they're doing it. Gives some kind of inspiration and also prepares me to do something different and unique. =)
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