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I'm in a more writerly frame of mind today, because the kids are at school and I am editing my novel. This is something I can't do when they're around. The novel is all out of order and, when I cut 6,000 words, I don't want to be interrupted before I can paste them, because then I'll forget where I was going to put them and have to start again.
This leads me to a thought about planning. Last week I went to a reunion dinner (work, not school. Never been invited to a school reunion. Can't imagine why). I met a PHD Graduate there, who was relieved and thrilled to hear I don't often work to a definite plan when I write. He found it very frustrating to be told he had to write his intro first, then chapter one, and work his way through. He didn't do that; he wrote the bits which inspired him then did the other bits. I work the same way. Often my first draft is a mess of asterisks, don't forgets, research this, figure that out. In the rush to get 'it' onto paper, I don't want to be stopped by procedure. If I'm bored with a bit I'll stop and work on another bit. If I'm bored writing it, the reader will be bored reading it, is my theory.
This poor man had tears of joy, to hear that a professional writer (yes, he called me a professional writer. Wasn't he a nice man?) works in the way he was told was unforgivable.
Does anyone else work in this haphazard way? Or do most writers work to a plan, and follow it from beginning to end?
He's also an expert on sand and soil, which could prove very useful in future projects.
Kaaron
This leads me to a thought about planning. Last week I went to a reunion dinner (work, not school. Never been invited to a school reunion. Can't imagine why). I met a PHD Graduate there, who was relieved and thrilled to hear I don't often work to a definite plan when I write. He found it very frustrating to be told he had to write his intro first, then chapter one, and work his way through. He didn't do that; he wrote the bits which inspired him then did the other bits. I work the same way. Often my first draft is a mess of asterisks, don't forgets, research this, figure that out. In the rush to get 'it' onto paper, I don't want to be stopped by procedure. If I'm bored with a bit I'll stop and work on another bit. If I'm bored writing it, the reader will be bored reading it, is my theory.
This poor man had tears of joy, to hear that a professional writer (yes, he called me a professional writer. Wasn't he a nice man?) works in the way he was told was unforgivable.
Does anyone else work in this haphazard way? Or do most writers work to a plan, and follow it from beginning to end?
He's also an expert on sand and soil, which could prove very useful in future projects.
Kaaron