#writing methods

[writerswritecompany]

Plotting vs Pantsing: Pros, Cons, & How To Choose Your Writing Method 

Compare plotting vs pantsing in writing and discover which approach best suits your creative process. We break down the key differences between these two popular writing methods, exploring how planning your story (plotting) compares to writing by instinct (pantsing). You’ll learn the strengths and limitations of each approach.

[bad-serafima]

How to use Obsidian Graph View as a writer: Method #1, The Knots Method

I love Obsidian for many reasons, but mainly, as a visual person, I love connecting the dots in the Graph View. I've been thinking for a long time how to use Obsidian for writing fiction as well, apart from just, y'know, writing and storing it there.

So, in Obsidian, there is a Graph View for your files that represents the links between them. This is not based on folders, you actually have to use the [[link]] feature.

So, in Chapter 1, at the bottom of the file, I write [[2]] to link it to Chapter 2. At the bottom of Chapter 2, I make a link for [[3]], and so forth. This creates a chain in the Graph View.

These are literally just your scenes / chapters / whatever units of story you prefer to analyse. Looks like this:

You don't have to write a chunk of chapters before doing the next step, you can do it as you go, but to make it easier I'm showing you this way.

For this vault, you wanna toggle Tags ON in the Filter section of the Graph View's Settings.

We will using #tags to represent things like plot elements, world building, people, and so on.

For example, in this WIP, I write #tags whenever I mention or show something new, or when I repeat it. In a second you will see how this method helps me keep information relevant to the current segment or arc.

Let's say that Chapters 1-8 is the set-up for the story. Chapter 1-2 we see how character 'Gar' meets character 'Lag' in Lag's village. Gar is a warrior, and they're passing the village now and again because Gar has some quests and training to be done nearby.

What is this training? What kind of warrior? Where are they from? Who is Lag? What's their village like and why does it matters? These are elements that we start exploring during the first few chapters.

If every chapter is connected to the same #tag you're obviously overdoing something. Like, we get it, develop other aspects already! At the start, your chapters might look like a braid as you add and then reinforce new ideas down the line.

One thing this helps me with is tracking show versus tell. Like here, I realised I've been talking a lot about warriors, but I haven't shown much action! If I were writing this as I go, I might use this observation to insert more action.

I won't do this for the whole book whenever the is a battle though, because the point by Chapters 8+ will not be to battle just for the sake of SHOWING how the fights or magic system works, but to have those battles mean something. By Chapter 10, for example, I won't use the tag #warrior-show because I'm done showing. Now the point is, for example, that two characters fight! So, it's more like #gar-v-kay to represent conflict between Gar and Kay.

Why that matters is because each complete and self-sufficient Arc or segment, if well done, must eventually curve ant become a knot, like this:

For a second, this looks chaotic, but it's actually good!

THIS IS YOUR FIRST KNOT.

That's a round turn and five half-hitches right there.

This is how you know you're doing well.

This means that your segment or arc is literally tight and stitched together. If it doesn't look like this, that means the reader is waiting too long for any kind of pay-off.

In the above case, Chapters 1-8 represent my first Arc. While there's a lot of world-building and exposition to be given, that alone CANNOT be the point of an arc. So, I have added tags that represent Character Driven elements. Such as Lag and Gar bonding, or showing their individual motivations and goals, and reinforcing them repeatedly. We explore Lag's values like his love for his village, and Gar's dedication to his goal... and the growing feeling they have for each other.

Which is why, the final Chapter of this arc clearly shows those elements coming together:

Chapter 8, highlighted in blue, tells us everything we need to know. Lag and Gar bonded. Each showed their separate motivations in life. Lag loves his village, Gar is from the far away capital. They understand they cannot be together, and we as the reader also understand because we've seen these separate elements weave into each other, until we have that final pay-off and release. Gar will go back, and Lag will stay, but both of them have been changed by the experience. They go their separate ways... for now.

Chapter 9 marks the start of a new segment or arc, and it will have its own tags. You will also notice that some tags are literally loose-threads. It's for me to decide if that's good or bad.

For example, I mentioned a character named Vinji. Then, we met them. I'm cool with that because that's a set-up for later.

I will NOT link these tags later in the story because the tag isn't #vinji, it's MENTIONING them without seeing (telling) and then MEETING (showing) and now they are known. That bit is done.

Here, however, the #warriors-tell is OUTSIDE of the circle (notice how the arc literally curves into a ball, the tags ending up on the inside) meaning I just info-dumped for 3 chapters straight. I think I'm going to edit that and change it later.

When dealing with plot-lines that are long term.... we don't want them on the graph. We want the major plot-lines divided into stages.

So, one overarching major plot-line in this story is Gar x Lag love over the years. I don't just tag #gar-x-lag every time their relationship progresses because again, I would end up in one big hairball. What we want is a series of clusters (or, knots, if you will).

So, every stage of Gar x Lag can be #gar-x-lag-bonding for their first encounter, #gar-x-lag-tension for when they meet again under very bad circumstances and can't talk yet, #gar-x-lag-closer for when they're both making timid steps towards each other, #gar-x-lag-conflict for when, you guessed it, they push each other away... and so forth. Heck, each one is a perfect under-line for each arc.

Next section, or the next knot, has its own build-ups and pay-offs! Keep making those knots as you go, and each part of your story will feel rewarding to the readers and dare I say un-put-down-able.

Thanks for reading! I'd love to make more methods to tailor for any problem you might have, and I will definitely be putting together more methods for myself. Reblog to share with other writes and follow for more eventually <3

[yaraaltrospace]

Which is your style: Storytelling Structure/Writing Method

I identify as a Snowflake Methodist on the long run. Glad to know there was a name for my type of writing, tbh

More info about each here

Tag your fellow writer/storymaker/lorebuilder/OC tale developer pals!

I tag for starters: @ultfreakme and @janethepegasus!

[prophetic-writer]

Hello there! I've been really obsessed with your blog lately. My question is, in what order do you like to plan on your next work. Do you flesh out the characters first, or outline the plot? (Etc.)

Hello! This is a really good question. I would say that it depends heavily on the story.

For my main WIP at the moment (The White King Prophecy) I definitely fleshed out the characters first because they were the idea that inspired me the most. The plot has changed drastically over the years. It's honestly unrecognizable from when I first started planning it out, but the characters are essentially the same two guys as they originally were. For other works of mine, like the WIP I'm planning to work on next, it's different though. Sometimes I get really caught up in an idea for a specific world or just a specific vibe and that ends up being what I base the entire story on. It's not really a uniform system. I just get inspired by random things and try to run with it.

One of the only things I do like to do is come up with names very early on. I find that characters are much easier to remember and keep consistent once they have names, so I try to get that out of the way as soon as possible.

Thanks for asking!

[swifty-fox]

you've talked before about being a pantser who comes up with an idea and works on the story as it comes to you, but aren't you ever scared you'l write yourself off course or into a corner you don't know how to get out of? sorry if this is, like, asking too much or something but as an extreme plotter i just find it so interesting to see how other people's writing processes work.

i present u the original story i wrote myself into a hole with.

It happens!!! It hasn't happened with a MOTA fjc yet thankfully but of course it happens. I think the thing that helps me the MOST is having a solid understanding of the ending and how everything is resolved.

With kingdom for a kiss i knew from the get-go there would be an argument outside where john kisses gale, I knew it would end with him going back to wyoming with gale to live happily ever after (mostly happily) so as long as I knew the final direction and goal I was headed towards I could meander around as I pleased. Hence why the word count got so high.

I use playlists and music EXTENSIVELY to direct my plot and emotions.

meet me at the chapel was written entirely to Chapel by Adam Mac (all ten hours of writing)

the james arc in kfak was arguably my most difficult to write and I would not have been able to without listening to these two songs the entire time

my body is a cage by arcade fire and roman candle by elliot smith

(and one more but I cant remember what it is)

I do plot in a vague sense! i know the points i want to touch on in my head and just connect the threads between.

for kfak it was:

john showing up, the stargazing, the creek, the church, james arc, the kiss, ending. Everything else came to me as I wrote

[hallucinateonpaperspines]

Asking this as a British person BUT IS ASHLYN BRITSH?? If so I feel like in traditional 2010’s style the kids would constantly make the bohtle of wahter jokes and the like

Oh, they most definitely would! Probably with a few POH-TTAHs sprinkled in.

Honestly, Ashlyn's nationality isn't something I've given much thought to. Originally, in the very very early and unpublished version of this story, she was a self-insert (Oh the cringy shame! but I was in middle school... so valid excuse?) Then I re-discovered my old writing when I was looking for inspiration and decided to fix it up, create a proper plot, and post it. Part of that transition was remaking Ashlyn into a Y/N type character, where I kept the name only because I find Y/N very jarring, instead of purely a mask for my own individual voice.

She is no longer a mini-me, my child is complete with her own virtues and vices that have nothing to do with my previous 11-year-old brain but there are definitely some traces of my voice still left in her. Mostly in her creative swearing.

As the fic has developed, she's definitely grown into her own fully actualized character, and I am *this close* to removing the reader insert tag altogether. The only thing stopping me is that, other than her very striking personality, Ashlyn Moore is still pretty vague.

This makes sense because the story focuses on her transition and the after-effects of dimension hopping, but that means that other details are lost because they aren't as narratively important.

I think I'll continue to leave most of her background up to the reader's interpretation. But, considering the fact you lovable internet stalkers have sussed out that I'm British, her sharing some elements of that would fit with the origins of her character.

But yeah, I feel like Vince would have made a water bottle comment when they first met.

And then Ashlyn would have chucked the bottle at him.

[jadiealissia]

What do you use to write?

laptop

computer

phone

paper (physical notebook etc)

other??? (please say what if so)

Voting ended onMar 25, 2024

Remember to reblog so we can get more results!

[berenwrites]

How do you write?

Hello lovely writers of Tumblr - how are you today? I have a question.

How do you go about writing? (poll at the bottom)

I am not a planner - I write what comes into my head as it does, which also means I write totally out of order and fill-in/make-it-make-sense, once I go back. When I go back through to figure out what else I need to write in I'm lucky if I get a one line note down - sometimes it just says FILLIN.

Sometimes I get to a point where I have to create a timeline just to sort out what's going on in my head properly.

But my twin writes completely in order and plans so much before hand. Her scene notes often have so much detail!

So, how do you write?

From beginning to end, with planning

From beginning to end, no planning

Like a butterfly from random scene to random scene, but with planning

Like a butterfly from random scene to random scene, but with no plan

Some secret other way I will reveal in tags/comments

Voting ended onJul 27, 2023