Formatting, length and all of that good architectural bits

[narkoleptik]

Sorry if this post comes out not very well defined- multi tasking just isn't possiblel to me anymore, haha.  But anyway:

How does one plan out their stories?

I've come across a lot which are like- 'this is gonna be 20 chapters long' or whatever, but does that actually work?  I know people work in different ways when it comes down to planning, with

Comments

[zorrille]

It's totally true about the habit thing. And with me, neuroticness too. Verdana size ten with a space between each paragraph and a small caps title, ten pages = the sex

[narkoleptik]

What do you mean that you write before posting? Isn't that what everyone does? what does this mean????

haha, sorry, it's early over here, but anyway. Yes! I'm into tiny details like that too, except I go out of my way to NOT name something in my story that would date it in any way- it's almost ridiculous by how vague I make people, like, if they're mentioning that they wanna go see a certain movie, I do this whole, 'That new movie with that guy in it- heard it was awesome,' because it's a plausible statement that I've used myself, but I figure it's not an important detail anyway. It totally takes me out of the story/moment when I'm reading something that makes a nod towards something that, at the time was really cool- yet so... . (examples include any 50 cent songs, a thinly veiled authors compliment towards the movie Batman Begins, etc.) If you're gonna date it, do it with conviction- like you

[zorrille]

Bum. This is why I should never write anything past ten at night. I mean I write a lot of the story before posting it--like I usually have at least ten chapters in hand. Right now I believe I have like 14 or something ridiculous

[narkoleptik]

Haha it's okay- that makes sense. I used to work like that also, and I still kind of do because when I post a chapter, I have another chapter up for revisions or half written, but I like to step away from writing in general for several days after. And then I go back to the posted chapter to see what I've committed to, and then more often than not I end up rewriting the next chapter anyway (I have 3 versions of almost every chapter, which I suppose is my punishment for not planning

[elisefey]

Well, to answer the planning thing: I don't really plan much myself when it comes to a story. It's more like I get this moment/scene stuck in my head and I think, "wow, how did these people come to this place and get themselves in this situation? What would need to happen to create this kind of emotional tension in someone's life?" From there I just start working my way outward, filling in the blanks first of how the characters got there and then what happens to them afterward. Sometimes bits and pieces of the story will be revealed to me out of sequence, or I'll think of certain points I want to hit before I reach the end (kind of like what you were describing)and I'll shuffle those around as makes sense for the emotional impact that I want (and then I end up like you wondering if I've mentioned something before or not). Those important points also end up being how I define my chapters; each chapter is whatever length is going to make the greatest emotional impact or most accurately represent how the characters are feeling.

[narkoleptik]

Haha, that's exactly how I started writing! That and one of those, 'I wonder what would happen if I take this character and threw them in this situation

[digital_atrophy]

It kinda seems like, the older I get, the more planning I do for a story. When I was 13, I'd write first, think later, and end up with awkward plots that backed themselves into corners where I had to use deus ex machina to save it. My later teens would see that I wrote with a bit more planning, but it was still more on the fly than anything planned. It worked extraordinarily well with humor and action, but anything serious and dramatic lead to characters with mixed opinions halfway through a conversation

[zure]

No. If it's unplanned. It hurts.

When I read for enjoyment...I particularly enjoy seeing plot skill, foreshadowing, themes and analogies...all those literary tools. So when I write, I try and use a couple of these techniques so that there are little bits and pieces where you can see how say...the tone - vocabulary - symbols tie in to give the story a particular texture. I kinda over think things too...so it takes me a long time to write.

And I only write for the end. Beginnings are fun, but they can start anywhere...the end has much more to achieve.

[zure]

-lol- i just read the EDIT. Way to make me feel tangential. :P

[narkoleptik]

Haha, sorry, it's just that the title of the post itself is about the actual architecture of the story, and sure, whether it's planned or not has to do with it, but I didn't really want to address THAT as the entire issue- I was more interested in seeing how people constructed their set chapters, or if there was an obvious feeling that fp readers did or didn't like really long chapters and so on and so forth.

I just don't think that there's any 'right' way to write- people work in different ways and I'd just rather not have a discussion about what's 'better' or not.

Anyway, that's cool that you were aware of the way you were posting- even posting it at certain times. Though ironic that you were trying to make fun of fp, yet you kinda fell into it yourself just to really get into it, does that make sense? Haha.

[jujubat]

i go through a process. get the quick and nasty down, go into a little more detail with a couple outlines, and then i write the entire story. i'm really not fond of people who post as they write. to me, it's very obvious that they do it that way, even if they aren't saying anything about it in author's notes. i think when you write the whole thing out first, there is more of a natural flow. only when it's all out and done will i cut it into chapters.

[narkoleptik]

How do you decide to cut it into chapters? Purely by how long you designate each chapter or by the events that occur? Like, is there a decision to make your chapters as even as possible (same amount of 'events' or, one revelation has to occur, etc.)? Do your chapters tend to be the same length?

[jujubat]

by the events that occur, i guess. wherever it feels right to end a chapter. i don't try to have chapters a certain length because i think that distorts the quality of a chapter. you can either carry out something far too long or cut something important way too short.