Joseph asked me on my blog the other day about my writing style, and if I outline, write as it comes to me, etc...I don't outline. I tend to write as it comes, and am surprised by what my characters do, say, don't do, etc... I like to be surprised by what happens and just cannot get myself to stick to an outline.
My next novel coming next summer, Right Side of the Wrong Bed, absolutely had no outline and I was completely surprised by the ending as I got to it. But it worked.
Jackie Collins talked about it the other day at the West Hollywood Book Fair. She doesn't outline either. She said writing is like life. You can plan and goal set all you want, but you're always surprised at the elements and complications that come up.
I like that idea. Though we often "play God" with our characters we can't always know what's coming ahead.
Previous writing tips I've shared here: New Year's Writing Resolutions; Writing and Working Full Time; Writer Resource Library.
What about you? You outline? Or write as it comes? What about writing by hand, versus writing on computer?
fs
2 comments:
Like you, I like to write as it comes. As an actor and producer, alot of my work is refining writing to fit my personal style. However, I am a poet and have completed my first short film screenplay.
As any good work should, they wrote themselves! Keep making it do what it do!
Thanks for answering Fred!
I'll say that I prefer outlining simply because I have absolutely no discipline otherwise; it helps me maintain focus. It helps maximize those two to three hours I spend writing daily. But I do agree that outlines can sometimes be a bit restrictive, but only be if you let it.
Joseph
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