Just finished J.H. Moncrieff’s guest blog on terribleminds.com. My favorite comment is to Keep Breaking the Rules. She writes,
Keep Breaking the Rules
When it comes to writing, I break every rule in the book. I don’t outline. I don’t write at the same time every day. I don’t know the end of my novels before I start—and yet, they always work out the way they should. Whenever someone tells me I should change my way of doing things, I smile sweetly and keep on writing. (If I’m in a good mood—if I’m not, my response is a little on the blunt side.)*
This makes me giddy. I have trouble with the traditional outline, although I do enjoy the process of just trying to define my character in a few sentences. That is a very helpful technique. But the outline has always escaped me. I was really bummed to hear Jim Butcher say that his first successful novel was the one in which he finally gave in and outlined. (He said this during his appearance at last year’s DragonCon.)
I’m not sure if every writer outlines and J.H. and I are the real outliers, but I’d like to hear what others do…leave a reply.
visit her on: http://www.jhmoncrieff.com/
I’m really glad my post resonated with you! That’s why we do these guest posts, right? (Well, that and it was Chuck-FREAKING-Wendig’s blog!) Sorry, fangirl moment.
I think there are plenty of writers who don’t outline. Stephen King is one of them, I believe. Every writer has to find the process that works for them. I’d distrust anyone who said writers “have” to do something a certain way in order to succeed.
Do what works for you and stick with it.
Thanks for the kind words today!
Breaking rules is good, but I tend to think it’s most effective if you know the rule and its “how/why” before you smash it–you can make a much more effective use of broken rules when you do it deliberately. As to the outlining, I used to be a very heavy outliner–Greywalker had a 34-page outline–but I’ve become more of a hybrid as I’ve gone along. Some parts of a novel need outlining so I can stay on track with specific points and get to the ending I want, but over time, my outlines have become more of a general plan than a specific and detailed route map. I suspect that I now do a lot more of the planning in the back of my head instead of the front–which is how I think a lot of “pantsers/gardeners” probably work–letting the conscious, front of the mind do the detail work while the unconscious does the grand planning in the back. Writing is such a weird country that I think it’s best for each writer to figure out what works for them and go with that. It’s also useful to recognize that what works for a particular project or at a particular point in your life and writing may not be what works another time. It’s all right to change. In fact, I think it’s probably a good thing. Like breaking a few rules now and then. 😉
I’m a rule breaker, but in the other direction. I’ve given people the screaming meemies because I over-outline, according to them. See, I don’t just have a sketch of the story, but I chart out each scene, and then outline each scene in relation to others, and then out line them again with angles on character, plot, theme, world building, and stakes. Only then do I feel comfortable writing the scene, and even with all that, the scenes tend to go their own wonky directions, or the outlines get tossed all together.
Also, for world building, I have to do a lot more than others in order to feel comfortable writing any one particular story, or scene, or even snippet. I need to know plants, animals, terrain, resources, water sources, seasons, available food and clothing resources, and a whole list of other things. With that foundation, I can make up a lot of what I need. Without that foundation, all I want to do is throw temper tantrums instead of writing.
So, yah, those so-called rules are definitely there to be smashed into itty bitty pieces and thrown back to the people who think they’re the One True Way (TM, all rights reserved). Try those other ways, then do what works.
I write a tag line, a query, and a synopsis before I write. It’s how I figure out viable projects and sort them in my head. I end up with a rambling mess if I try to pants it.
I love the variation in styles. And, Betsy, my new favorite phrase is “pants it!”
I break rules too, though I make a rule of not being consistent about it. Break whatever rule you think should be broken, and see if your story makes it across the broken rule covered floor, and if it does, hey! Good job! If not, try again, and see how it goes.
Really, the rules are more of a guideline if you make a mess and don’t know how to fix it, but for writing your own stories, I recommend you make your own rules for every scenario you need them in and toss them out when you don’t.
What makes rule breaking so useful is not being a super cool rebel, but instead how much flexibility it gives you, and remember not to lose that flexibility because you call yourself a rule breaker!