That is not a question asked by conductors of fiction-writing workshops. They prefer a proper system.
But not having an outline or plot is also a system. There are two basic approaches to shooting a movie: the Hitchcock and the Chaplin. The Hitchcock method is to plan everything, including the colour and position of a matchbox on a table, before the actual shooting takes place. The Chaplin method is the spirit of impromptu.
In writing, we have the Wodehouse method, and the Asimov method. Being a fan of both writers, I tried both methods. P. G. Wodehouse first obtained an idea, then wrote the plot. After that he wrote a scenario. He believed in the story working if the scenes worked, and he detailed those scenes in lengthy scenarios. Only after that did he write the first draft. This he wrote at top speed, not going back to make corrections.
Isaac Asimov had a rough idea of where the story had to go, and he took it there, the story forming as he wrote it, without preliminary outlining or plotting.
Gajapati Kulapati, and three short stories, I wrote a la Asimov. To read Confessions of a Ghost Writer click on title. That short story was written on a Saturday afternoon at Tulika after the rest of the Tulikans had gone home. The atmosphere at Tulika was a muse in itself. It was written in one intense hour, the experience illustrating what spiritualists call 'being completely in an activity.'
Dhavani I wrote on the back of envelopes while I sat on the bus-stop pavement waiting for my 41D. I let two buses go, since I didn't want to let my burst of inspiration go. Please click on title or here to read that one.
Read them and you will see that they have simple storylines. That is the drawback I have following this method but the narrative flows naturally. Outlines may act like straitjackets sometimes. Anyway, it worked for Asimov.
Witchsnare, published by Puffin, is a gamebook. A choose-your-own-adventure type, with ten different possible endings. This had to be plotted carefully, for obvious reasons, and I even drew a flowchart before writing.
Ajit the Archer was plotted with care, and the plot was strictly adhered to. It's available on Kindle; you may buy it here.
Now I'm older and wiser, and I have created a personal system that suits my style. It's a mix of both methods.
1. I create a rough plot.
2. I write the first draft.
3. After 3 chapters or so, I rewrite the plot, because now I know my characters better.
4. I write the scenario, and continue writing the first draft.
5. Finally, I polish the whole thing till it shines.
This is how I did my latest, Lemon Salt Soda.
Moral of the story: Better to design a writing system that suits you than follow other people's.
But not having an outline or plot is also a system. There are two basic approaches to shooting a movie: the Hitchcock and the Chaplin. The Hitchcock method is to plan everything, including the colour and position of a matchbox on a table, before the actual shooting takes place. The Chaplin method is the spirit of impromptu.
In writing, we have the Wodehouse method, and the Asimov method. Being a fan of both writers, I tried both methods. P. G. Wodehouse first obtained an idea, then wrote the plot. After that he wrote a scenario. He believed in the story working if the scenes worked, and he detailed those scenes in lengthy scenarios. Only after that did he write the first draft. This he wrote at top speed, not going back to make corrections.
Isaac Asimov had a rough idea of where the story had to go, and he took it there, the story forming as he wrote it, without preliminary outlining or plotting.
Gajapati Kulapati, and three short stories, I wrote a la Asimov. To read Confessions of a Ghost Writer click on title. That short story was written on a Saturday afternoon at Tulika after the rest of the Tulikans had gone home. The atmosphere at Tulika was a muse in itself. It was written in one intense hour, the experience illustrating what spiritualists call 'being completely in an activity.'
Dhavani I wrote on the back of envelopes while I sat on the bus-stop pavement waiting for my 41D. I let two buses go, since I didn't want to let my burst of inspiration go. Please click on title or here to read that one.
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| The flowchart for Witchsnare |
Witchsnare, published by Puffin, is a gamebook. A choose-your-own-adventure type, with ten different possible endings. This had to be plotted carefully, for obvious reasons, and I even drew a flowchart before writing.
Ajit the Archer was plotted with care, and the plot was strictly adhered to. It's available on Kindle; you may buy it here.
Now I'm older and wiser, and I have created a personal system that suits my style. It's a mix of both methods.
1. I create a rough plot.
2. I write the first draft.
3. After 3 chapters or so, I rewrite the plot, because now I know my characters better.
4. I write the scenario, and continue writing the first draft.5. Finally, I polish the whole thing till it shines.
This is how I did my latest, Lemon Salt Soda.
Moral of the story: Better to design a writing system that suits you than follow other people's.
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