frostystar

For example, can you just keep writing without getting writers block, do the ideas just keep coming to you? Or do you have to plan each paragraph in depth before writing it?

Personally, I can keep writing, then i have to re-read the paragraph to ensure it makes sense.

I would like to know which writing style you prefer.

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ink stained dreamer

For a story, I usually have a scene that I dream up, and I begin to weave a plot around it. Eventually, I get writers block after a few chapters. Short stories are my weak point, something I wish to be better at.

With my poetry, a single emotion or phrase can strike me, and I just keep writing and doodling until I have a finished project. I do it in one sitting because it's next to impossible for me to come back to an unfinished poem later.

Now that I can look at my habits in black and white, it seems to me I'm a very undisciplined writer. Does anyone have some examples or tips to share?

ttyl.

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bobothegoat

I do get writer's block, but I very rarely have a plan in depth. I mean I usually plan the basic idea of the plot, but not much else.

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Bobo the Goat

eleutheromaniac

I really can't expain it. The stories are in my head, more or less fully formed (apparently, Mozart was the same way with his music). Then, while I'm writing, I think about how to add subtle messages and metaphors and such. It's really impossible to explain exactly how I do it.

Usually my first drafts just need a little editing, but if the story/essay needs to be fattened up a bit, I go back and start adding to it. The only time I plan ahead is when I'm doing research, and even then I don't have a clear plan for what I'm looking for, just anything that might help in writing the story.

Most of the time, I just wait for something to inspire me before I start writing (it usually doesn't take long). There's nothing worse than uninspired, passionless writing. I find that a lot of books start out inspired, and then somewhere along the line they lose their wind, as if the writer just started writing for the sake of writing, to meet a deadline or a quota. So if I'm not in the mood for it, I do something else. Sometimes though, I don't have that luxury.

When an idea pops in my head, I write it down immedeatly in my notebook, to be expanded on later. Usually it's just one or two sentences.

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Eiji Tunsinagi

It depends. I always have the idea, how I want the idea done, but sometimes I just can write it. Then, all of a sudden, I'll just write out the scenes. When I cant write, I just watch movies until one gives me the write idea.

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"nothing is perfect, nothing lasts, and nothing is finished."

"how will you go about finding that thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you?"

JSneddon

When I started my first novel I reread each chapter and tried to correct typos, poorly formed sentences, etc. After a few chapters, I stopped.

I tend to write intuitively. I wrote the remaining 18 chapters without rereading anything. Not a paragraph or sentence until three months after finishing it. Quite often I did not know what was going to happen until it unfolded on the page before me.

I was stunned when I finally did read it. With the exception of numerous typos and an occassional awkward sentence, the rough draft became my final draft. When I found a publisher and went through the edit with them I was expecting major changes - red ink all over the place - but they came back with five suggestions involving consistancy of word choice.

The only explanation I can come up with is the story already existed in some ethereal place. Like the artist who claims a sculpture awaits within the chunk of marble, and all he has to do is find it.

Not at all what I expected writing to be, or what I've heard other writers describe.

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bobothegoat

Is the pun intended?

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Bobo the Goat

Chris

While I don't really plan paragraphs when I write, I certainly make sure I have an in-depth outline before starting a novel or short story. I used to write without knowing what was going to happen, but it always resulted in an uncohesive story plagued with plenty of filler and then me ultimately getting too frustrated by it to bother continuing. With an outline, I have many advantages, I can concentrate more on characterization, dialogue, description because the story is pretty much in the bag. That's not to say I stick completely with my plot, for change is inevitable. Outlining also gets me excited about writing, like I plan these twists and turns up ahead and it's kind of like Christmas, where you know pretty much how it's going to play out, but it doesn't make experiencing it any less awesome. But that's just me.

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Eiji Tunsinagi

If I said "no" would you still be laughing?

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"nothing is perfect, nothing lasts, and nothing is finished."

"how will you go about finding that thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you?"

bobothegoat

Well, yeah... but not because you said no. It's a good pun- intentional or not. And using the incorrect spelling of "right" made it better.

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Bobo the Goat

Eiji Tunsinagi

*Yay!* I guess....

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"nothing is perfect, nothing lasts, and nothing is finished."

"how will you go about finding that thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you?"

Gladiator_008

For me the words just channel from my mind to my fingers as I just keep typing and typing without stopping. Even if I make a mistake and have to delete a bit of a word or whatever, I still keep typing away which is weird in my opinion. It's different for a lot of people, as some can just type and make masterpieces while others plan it out magnificently and make masterpieces also. The only thing that's different is the way either thinks.

DawnMorningStar

I can usually just sit down and write, if I so choose, seeing that I at least have a basic idea with which to start from. But I prefer to have a general plot in mind, as well as some key things that are going to happen in the story. Then, I just build around it as I go. Ideas are constantly popping into my head, and what I write usually invokes new images and scenes. Of course, I'm trying something new with this book I'm currently writing. I've planned out the basics for every single chapter. We'll see how that goes, I guess...

HoneyB

So long as I know the general plot, I don't get writer's block that often. It tends to be on stories that I'm writing spontaneously that I get stuck.

I'm just glad I can remember every plot bunny that has hopped in to my head over the past few years, otherwise I'd be in deep trouble

spiritfire123

It depends, i can and i cant. Sometimes i'm on a roll and get several paragraphs off the top of my head, and then halfway through i get a total brain fart and forget everything, it just depends what i'm writing about and how interested i am at the time.
Generally though, its jsut getting the ideas now. At first i used to get them every 5 seconds, but now i've slowed down alot

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