Comments on: Wisdom of a Wayfaring Wordsmith – Part 1

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:03:25 +0000

That is an excellent point. A large part of the writing process is for each writer to discover the way that works best for them. Too many people tend to jump on the latest trend in story modeling and when it doesn’t work for them they get frustrated.

I actually use different models depending on the kind of writing I am doing. For short articles or stories, I generally just start writing, see where the story takes me, then I edit.

For longer stories I do quite a bit more outlining or plotting, but each chapter tends to end a little different than I planned.

By: Ray

Ray — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:03:31 +0000

But What if you DID plot the story before you started? I love writing little short stories for my friends or family to read, but usually when I get an idea, the idea for the entire story hits me all at once! What usually ends up happening is the characters begin to draw me into a different direction, and I realize my story is no longer the one I had planned. At this point I either
1. Stop writing it and move on or
2.Force the story to go the way I want

Because of this I have a few unfinished stories revolving around great ideas that I can’t finish because I don’t want to force them!