Writing - Planning or Stream of Consciousness
Well real life and a general fatigue has slowed down my writing a fair bit recently. However, that slow down has proved useful in another way. It's forced me to reappraise whether I am over planning my fics. On some days I have struggled to write portions and yet on other days when inspiration has hit me and I have disregarded my plan, I have been ( Read more... )
Do you just write loose outlines for each chapter or the story as a whole?
I outline my entire story before starting it.
Do you outline character arcs and metaphors or just the narrative content and plot?
Generally I just outline plot and narrative, although I have separate character lists that go into great detail about their ideas, dreams and motives.
How closely do you stick to your plan. Rigidly or until the roadblock you hit means the plan has to go?
My outlines are general guidelines only; I gladly go off the reservation if a better idea presents itself, although I always keep my ending in mind and adjust accordingly.
How long do you hit your head against the wall before modifying the original plan?
See above! Especially since my stories are usually longer (my original fics are usually novels), I'm prepared to take other roads as long as I'm still heading toward my destination.
Do you when you have that splurge thing allow it to take you wherever it is headed, or reign it in when it runs contrary to plan?
Ah, if I had a dime for every time a character took off and did their own thing ... (especially Faith) If they ignore my outline, I usually listen to them. After putting so much time into creating characters, they become very real for me.
Does planning hinder or inspire your inspiration? Inspires; I've never had it hinder my inspiration.
Do you do you do character bios as part of your planning? Yes, always.
Are these bios only for original characters? My original characters get very detailed bios, addressing everything physical, mental, historical, and emotional. Generally, when working in fanfic, I don't do more than a basic sketch to remind myself of who I'm dealing with.
Are the bios redone for each fic? No ... um, not yet. Should they be?
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'Are the bios redone for each fic? No ... um, not yet. Should they be?' No idea. This primarily arose about writing sequels in fanfic. I've found digging back in earlier fics for character details and motivations a bit of a problem especially if they're written a while ago.
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Then there are my Dana and Buffybot, who've changed quite a bit over the course of my stories ... maybe I do need to look into bios a bit more carefully.
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