How I never have to face an empty page when I write
First, I write down very roughly what needs to happen in this scene.
For example, take an early scene from my wip. The main character’s mentor has just died in the previous scene. And what’s worse, he’s killed by the magical Library she loves so much. What needs to happen in this next scene?
She brings the terrible news of the mentor’s death and the Library’s betrayal to the mentor’s widow (who gives her a key to the Library, minor detail).
She brings the news to the major, who is responsible of anything concerning the Library and who is indirectly the reason the mentor went into the Library in the first place.
At the end of this scene, the second main character is briefly introduced.
Then I start asking myself as many questions as I can.
What does the Main Girl Character (MGC) feel after her mentor’s death?
What does the MGC do with the key she gets from the widow?
How and when does the widow give her the key?
What is the first thing the MGC does when the mentor dies?
What does the widow do when she sees the MGC and the mentor?
How does the widow react? What does she feel? Did she expect it to happen someday? Does she stay icy calm or does she scream? (pieta)
What does the widow look like?
What is the widow like, as a person?
How does the MGC know she has to go to the major? Is there some kind of police, or is he the mentor’s boss or something?
Does the MGC trust the major?
What is the major like, as a person? Nice? Belittling?
What does the MGC tell the major? What does he want to know?
What kind of new information does the MGC get out of this conversation?
What does the office of the major look like? Where is it?
What kind of a person is the Main Boy Character (MBC)?
What does the MBC say to the MGC?
What was his reaction when he heard the news? How did he feel?
How does the major react? How does he feel?
How far is it from the major to the MGC’s home? How much time does the MGC have to inform the MBC and how much time does the MBC have to react and to comfort the MGC? I just realise the MBC already knows (probably from her parents?) because otherwise he wouldn’t be waiting for her at the major’s office.
How did the MGC’s parents tell the MBC? Why would they tell him? Maybe he called her house or he came by because he knew she went to see the Library but he doesn’t know yet that it killed the mentor?
See, I’m already filling my page so that it doesn’t look that intimidatingly empty.
Next, it’s answers time. I go through all the questions and make up a satisfying answer. Sometimes I get it right straight away, sometimes I have to brainstorm for four pages before hitting the suitable solution.
Since this is still preparation, I don’t have to worry about the quality of my writing style - I’m just thinking on paper. Often, this paradoxally means I write relaxed and I end up using whole bits of my preparation in my first draft.
After I have answered all the questions I want (often some become obsolete by answering other questions), I write out the scene again, in bullets or telegraph style, but with the detail and richness I have found in my answers. That usually takes me one page.
And only THEN I start writing my first draft. I see everything perfectly clear in my head and I even have bits of text I can use from my prep, so writing the first draft is way more chill than just writing it cold.
I do this before every scene, but you can also use this technique only when you get stuck or when you have to write a scene you’re dreading. You would think it’s inefficient and it takes too much time, but this technique keeps my thoughts focussed on my story (I’m a daydreamer) and it keeps the imposter syndrome at bay.
On average, my prep is 1,5 times the length of my written scene, but this process makes my writing so much richer. Not everything I make up in the Q&A phase ends up in my scene, especially questions like “what does the place look like”, “what is the character wearing” or “how long does it take them to walk from A to B”, but I find I can write the scene better if I know the answer, even if the reader doesn’t need to know.
Anyway, this is how I do it. Thanks for listening to my TED talk!
I’m gonna tag a few people who I admire, who I hope are interested. Feel free to ignore me if you aren’t.
