No
one can dictate to you how to write your book. The way the story
presents itself to the author is all important. How-To authors will
tell you what you must avoid, shouldn't do, how you have to approach
something. The fact is, they don't know any more than anyone else,
they just sat down and wrote a book about it. Don't let them bully
you and dictate to you how you write. Chances are good that they have
broken their own edicts at one time or another.
The
best advice I have ever heard came from actor, director, author,
screenwriter and producer, Ken Farmer. “Just write the damn story.”
I
couldn't have said it better. There is no set in stone way to
approach your story. Anyone who says differently is lying to you. I
read an article many years ago, when I was a mere novice. I had one
book, Indian Summer,
under my belt. I was beginning my Lone
Wolf sci-fi series. I came across
this article by a famous sci-fi author, whose name I can't remember
now. He said that an author must outline everything carefully before
beginning to write. An author must know the ending before beginning
to write. An author must spend more time on the outlining and
planning stage than on the writing itself. It was, in this author's
opinion, essential to follow a carefully crafted plan.
That
one article spun me into a panic of momentous proportions. I don't do
any of that. I tried writing an outline once, only to find myself
writing the story instead. I scrapped the outline and wrote. I don't
plot and plan before I begin. I never know the ending. I hop in and
hope for the best. I dispense with the long, drawn out planning stage
and go for the fun part—writing.
For
certain styles of writing, outlining is important. For instance, if
you're writing a biography, non-fiction or a how-to book, you should
probably know where you're going. I've always been more of the
opinion that the outline is something you write after they paper is
done, but then I never have had a conventional approach to anything.
I
have been a Blog Talk Radio host since 2009. In that time, I have
talked with dozens of authors and I ask them the same question every
show, “Are you a plotter/ planner or do you jump in and start
writing?” Surprisingly, the plotter/ planners are in the minority,
though how-to authors would have us believe that theirs is the only
correct and perfect way to approach the story. This offers food for
thought. Which approach is the correct one?
The
answer is simple, no one can tell you that. What works for me doesn't
necessarily work for anyone else. I'll describe my method (such as it
is) and tell you some variations I've come across.
I
get a starting idea—usually an opening sentence. Once in awhile,
it's dialogue. Whatever is the case, it nags at me until I write it
down. If I don't, it's gone and I may never get that story back.
Frustrating but true.
Once
I start to write, the words flow and I type as fast as I can in order
to get them down. Sometimes, a story presents itself through pen and
paper. I don't argue, I just write. These are rare, but do happen.
I've learned to live with it.
My
stories, for the most part, come at me chronologically. I begin at
the beginning and write until I reach the end. I rarely use
flashbacks, though I do have them from time to time. I rarely skip
from one scene to another. For me, that's a lot more work. The only
time I do that is if I get a scene that's really compelling and wants
to be written now. Then I pick up and continue where I left off,
bringing the story to that place.
Once
in awhile, I can't remember exactly where I left off. If I'm away
from home and intend to write while I'm gone, I'll take a notebook
with me. I might pick up a scene a bit further in the future and
write it instead, then go back and bridge the gap.
I
listen to music when I write. What I have playing varies, but usually
it's something that provides a background and doesn't intrude. A lot
of my author friends say they can't have music with words, but that
doesn't usually bother me. I hear the melodies and am only marginally
aware of the lyrics.
I
continue typing until I finish the book, or the muse clams up. Since
she's a pesky wench, she does that fairly often—hence the fact that
I have nearly as many unfinished novels as I do finished ones. If she
closes her mouth on one, she often opens it on another. I write on
that for awhile until she clams up again.
This
is my method, if it can be called such.
There
are variations, the most common of which are below. I am presenting
these in First Person, though they are the ways and means of other
authors:
I
write each scene separately, whatever interests me the most. I write
notes of each on a note card and lay them out on the floor, moving
them around until I get the right sequence, then I string them
together.
I
write chronologically, but I write different scenes, the ones that
speak to me the loudest, then I weave them together.
I
have to have absolute quiet when I work. I can't have music, TV,
radio or any other distractions. If I do, I lose track of where I'm
going with the story.
I
don't like music playing, but I have the TV on while I write. I don't
pay attention to it, I just like the background noise.
I
listen to the radio when I write. It helps me block out other noise
and concentrate on my writing.
I
work on only one book at a time. If the words stop flowing, I give
myself a break and do something else. When I feel the story again, I
go back to it and keep writing. I can't keep track of more than one
plot at a time.
These
variations are endless. I have only listed the ones that I've heard
more than once from other authors. I'm surprised to find that there
are a few of us who constantly juggle multiple projects. I don't know
if it speaks to our level of Attention Deficit or some other
personality quirk. Most people I speak to work on one project at a
time. There are some of us who are, apparently, gluttons for
punishment and torture ourselves with more.
Write
the way that feels comfortable. Allow your chaotic process to be
productive and don't worry about it. Accept that the first draft will
probably be terrible and live with this fact. It takes years to write
an acceptable first, second or hundredth draft. Don't feel as if you
need to control it all, because the fact is, you control nothing. The
story chose you, not the other way around. It will control how you
write, what you write and how it ends. Accept this and move on. It's
much more fun when you allow yourself to relax.
©
2016 Dellani Oakes
Dellani
Oakes is the author of 10 published novels and over 100 more which
haven't been published yet. She's a Blog Talk Radio host on the Red
River Radio Network. She's also former A.P. English teacher and
journalist.
