Joined: 1/18/2012
Posts: 8
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some of my readers have asked why I have Killed a certain character? My response is always the same, I did not kill them, I found them that way.
I have found that when I am writing a story I do not dictate what goes on in the story, Pictures play out in my head and I simply write what I see happening. If I dictate the story, I usually do not like what I have written, but if I let the story do the dictating, I come up with a better book. The story line seems to flow a whole lot smother for me.
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Joined: 6/14/2012
Posts: 194
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It sounds like you're a discovery writer--similar to the way I write--though from your description you're seeing the action from outside. I'm seeing it from inside my viewpoint character (maybe you do, too.) Characters develop as I write them, revealing themselves to me through their words, actions, and thoughts as the story rolls on.
The trick with this kind of writing is to realize that although the story does seem to flow more smoothly...it may also flow smoothly into dead ends, loops, and other story-damaging places...and some of your characters may be unreliable narrators. While it's fine not to "dictate what goes on" in first draft, the final version needs a different approach in order for the story to hang together.
Similarly, while I let characters do whatever they are doing, in first draft, I do stop and consider, during revision, whether Anne would actually stop to lecture John about his failure to put the seat back down before she shoots him (for instance.) Particularly since she knows that she has only a few minutes before John's friends will arrive...she needs to shoot him and get out of there. That moment isn't the best time for a lecture. Maybe the lecture needs to go somewhere else, or maybe, all that's needed is John's plaintive "But why, Annie?" and she says, "The toilet seat." BANG.
The first draft offers us easy answers--better ones may be waiting for us to think of them. Deeper motivations for a character's actions, a better order of events, etc.
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Nice thread. I'm always interested to see the methods of other writers. It seems there are many discovery writers out there. I can’t do this. I give props to discovery writers for writing with no restraint. As for me, I don’t let my characters run amuck. I free write until I have a good idea, then layout an outline, jot down all my scenes, often working on them randomly and out of order. Reminds me of how movies are created with storyboards and nothing is shot in any type of order. In this way, I can’t let my characters do everything they want. I have a plan, I’m their God, and they’re going to listen to me. Ya, they bitch and whine, but they’re little children at the beginning of the story, they don't know what is going on or what they are supposed to be doing. I usually have the end goal and a rough conclusion in mind, and they need guidance to stay on track with my plans. I do let them stray at times, only if I see potential for increasing tension and strengthening the impact of the story, so I’ll allow a little flexibility in my outlines in case I decide to make adjustments.
Once I am into the flow of the story, I’ll pause to create character development charts on which I’ll note what needs to happen to show their growth, where this should happen and then work into in my storyboard. I know it sounds painstakingly OCD, but I have to have organization, a plan or my brain will run around in circles until it collapses in frustration.
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@Elizabeth: I like your method of letting the characters write the story in the first draft and then pulling them in on the second draft. Seems like a method found near the middle of the Discovery Writers vs. OCD Anal-Retentive Writer spectrum.
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