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What Kind of Writer Are You?
Posted by plotwhisperer • 11/01/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: character development, elements of plot, writers, writing
A logical planner with a firm grasp of the parts or scenes but confused about the overall story itself?
A more random visionary with the bigger picture in mind, but struggle with a way to get there??
Or, are you one of the lucky ones who has a enough of both sides to sail through your writing projects?
(For a more detailed description of the different types, please visit:
plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/
User Comments
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Freestyle
I just get an idea and hammer away at the keyboard. -
Mostly brilliant with shades of excellence. -
I don't know really. I guess it depends on what I am writing about! I am usually both. But sometimes... -
I get bursts of inspiration. Some of my best stuff I just sat down and wrote. In those cases you can read my mood at the time. It is evident. On the other hand, it isn't always like that. I have dozens of stories floating around my head that I'd like to write, similar to the logical planner you described. I know I want this or that to happen and I just let it all fill in as I write the thing. Of course, sometimes those scenes I knew would be in it for sure get dropped, reversed, diced, converted, or otherwise half mentioned and barely touched on, but that's just the way of things. -
I just kinda think on a keyboard...
Then I go back and untangle, sometimes, maybe, but not always...
But, yeah, mostly I just let my fingers do my thinking, and all of a sudden there are about 4 times as many words as I really thought I had any use for. -
Great blog you've got there. Fascinating. Left a comment. -
Based on my latest post (and, well, all the ones that came before it), I'm a writer who writes a lot. -
Thanks jackpayne!!
Okay the rest of you, what about this? Once you have written down the inspiration that comes to you, then what? Do you rewrite it and craft it into the whole or let it flow as stream of consciousness.
How often do you get to the end and feel like you didn't quite capture what you had hoped for?
Or rambled on and on and never quite got anywhere???
Anyone?? -
I wait for inspiration... then I start gathering the photos that I want to go into the post, then I start writing, after I am finished writing what I want to say, I go back over it step by step... removing unneeded words, checking punctuation, spelling, check and verify any facts or links, rearrange sentences or sometimes paragraphs, then work the finished written product around the photos.
It is time consuming, but I am happiest when I am deeply involved with a post.
Then I decide how I want the page that the post will be on to look, because that to me is just as important as the post.
Sometimes I am not as happy with the finished post, because it doesn't quite fit what I had envisioned, so I go back and rework or change a few things as I think of them.
I have to be careful with that because I am such a prefectonist that I get frustrated and can rewrite a whole post if it doesn't feel right. Which I have, but not very often -
I have some of both approaches to writing, but that doesn't mean I exactly sail! When I write stories, I generally know the overall plot points, but I've found that if I try to micro-manage my characters and scenes, then they go limp. So I have to allow for unexpected twists and turns. -
emotional writer, i just write from the heart and it comes out, randomly and with transparency. -
Big picture idea with general plot points, but willing to go-with-the-flow when those delightful surprises that creep in during the writing process happen. -
i really have no idea. i would probably say what comes into my mind at that time and just re-write and edit it before posting it. im dont exactly write what i really really feel because i dont want to be vulnerable to readers but if my inhibitions warrants it, i would love to write my heart out without any hesitations, with carefully chosen words.
hope you can review my blog and let me know kind of a writer i am.
bebekohblogs.blogspot.com -
I did not have expertise like a writer. I just expressing of my touched soul to voice the world. I write it if my heart want to do... and wrote like following the wind flows. According to you, what kind of writer for myself? I like knowing your view for me. -
> Once you have written down the inspiration that comes to you, then what?
Outline, reorder, revise, wrestle with syntax, realize that there is no message or point, start over....Get to same place, cry, make coffee, read someone else's work, say "I can do better than that", start over, fail again, make choice between Martini or scotch, check facebook, read emails, call a friend, fritter, decide to give it another run...Find original point is not that bad, re-outline, like the way it looks, fill in gaps, change "its" to "it's", check spelling, publish, collapse exhausted and get another Martini...
Or something like that.-
@dougist:
Oh... my... gosh! I can identify!
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Average, to be honest... -
I'm a very intuitive, random writer. Generally I wait for inspiration to strike, then follow wherever it leads me. Rarely do I end feeling like I have not captured what I hoped for as I don't usually start out hoping for anything, at least not consciously, I just type the words as they come to me. Of course, I always review what I've written, edit it, and maybe add to it, but I think that is something that has to be done no matter what type of writer you are. Sometimes I do ramble on and never get anywhere. Then I just set it aside and come back to it another time with fresh ideas. -
I like to stare at a blank screen and just go! Once I get the premise or nugget of the story/post/assignment it's on! -
Arcticulates, I just left a message for you raving about your blog AND that wonderful photo of the lynx! If I could figure out how to review your blog, I'd give it the highest marks!
Off to visit blogs of more of you commenters. Fascinating to learn more about other writers' process....-
@plotwhisper
Thank-you for the compliments to my blog they are sooooo appreciated!
Here are a few tips about Blog Catalog that may help you.
If you click on the reply under each person's post to the thread, it will apply your answer or comment to them right under theirs. I had comments all over the place till I figured that out.
Another helpful tip for reviewing blog on Blog Catalog, on the blog's of that person's profile page there is a review box all the way down on the bottom, where you can rate and write reviews if you would like.
Thanks again for the awesome words about my blog!
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When I'm writing something short (like a blog post) or something targeted (like an article for publication or marketing copy), I guess I fall into the combination area--I know the point I want to make and just kind of flow naturally toward that point. For something longer, though, I think I fall into a fourth category (sounds like a few other people here do, too), more like the one described by Stephen King. I don't usually "know where I'm going" when I start writing fiction--I start with a scene that's popped into my head fully formed and then follow my characters where they may lead. I'm often surprised by where they end up. -
I don't construct my posts,and I sure as heck don't go back and edit them,not usually anyways...I just type what comes to me,and hopefully it's pretty decent most of the times
example: My latest post about terrorism varunsvagaries.blogspot.com/2008/11/just-another-day.html -
plotwhisperer, editing places my various works into different categories. Some stories I am willing to cut out whole sections I spent hours on and redo them. Others, I might just change out a word here and there. Others still I might not touch at all. Picking a category is more of an art than a science since I do it mostly subconsciously. A large part of it depends on how long it has been since I wrote the story, how satisfied I am with the result, and what my plans for it are. I have also been known to delete everything mid-writing and start over from scratch multiple times before I am satisfied. This usually stems from a false start providing a realization of a better way to tell the story.
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varundamark, sounds like you're one of the lucky ones -- a natural born writers. Some of us, or at least me, needs lots of rewriting and rewriting and then more rewriting. Would be nice to be more spontaneous. Perhaps the more I blog, the more I'll get there, at least with blogging. Can't imagine writing a novel that way, but then again...... hmmmmm
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I have started a lot of posts that are now stored forever in my blog unfinished and waiting til who knows when, to be published. There seems to be a pattern to this occurrence. Of four blogs I would start, only one will progress towards completion. My latest post about the eagle -
( www.hangingonahyphen.blogspot.com )
- came only after three other stories that I started without ever completing. Sometimes, I dread taking a peek at them because I would be forced to torture myself and excruciatingly squeeze my brain for inspiration just to finish them.
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I don't write fiction. Most of the time I am a logical, well researched writer. I stew and fret over every word. Sometimes I actually make myself sick over it. Kind of a love-hate relationship. :-)
For example, a recent post on my personal blog is about 540 words. I spent several hours writing this piece. On our other site I wrote a post about replacing a shower hose on our boat. It is over 600 words and I simply thought about it from beginning to end. It only took a few minutes to write. Some of it is poorly constructed but I don't care.
But mostly I anguish over every word.-
Yes. I know how it feels. Remember, I am not a native English speaker. Very seldom do I get to speak the language. I have no formal training in writing. I don't even have a college degree so imagine my agony for every word. There are times I am tempted to walk away. I don't even know how long I can sustain my blog, but I guess for as long as I am still enjoying it...
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@SailboaterRob:
I understand about the anguish over every word. I just want to sound right and be right for someone else that reads it. I suppose the is the perfectionist part in us... eh!
@hangingonahyphen:
I hope you don't stop writing! I love your blog. I would have never known you are not English speaking, because you write better then some people who are!
Even if you have to take a break for a while, something will inspire you to come back because you are a natural born writer.
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I'm more of a writer who sees the whole picture, I start out with ideas of what I want to write but it's a struggle to actually write it out in a concise way. I struggle with explaining exactly what I want to say. -
I would love to write a book but my problem is I like to get staight to the point. This makes my writings short, concise, and succinct. -
I write -
I try not to be an ignorant writer but most of the times I fail to acknowledge all the facts. -
Anguish over every word is a magnificent quality in a writer. I am so happy to see it acknowledged. The sign of a true writer.
Wondering however, does the anguish come from an inner need for perfection for yourself or does anguish originate from an inner need to communicate precisely to your reader?
Goes to another discussion -- do you write for yourself or your reader?
Curious...
morgantj, nothing wrong with short, concise and succinct in book form!
dosox, you're doing what lots of want-to-be writers don't -- write -
I'm not a writer, I'm a communicater.
I communicate heartfelt thoughts, experiences, stories about everyday life for ordinary people.
Somedays my thoughts are deep, somedays very light.
Some posts are for me, other days posts are more for the reader.
I ask many questions. -
ummmmm... ...ummmm, uhhhh. ...eclectic!
..right now though, sleepy. -
sappy ! -
leonore -- I love sappy!
SherriMurphy -- communication speaks to me because it means you're in communion with your reader. Like that.
sinousscribe -- off to your site to see ...eclectic..... -
I have to admit that I'm one of those who knows where I want my story to go, but I'm never sure how to get from the beginning to the end. I usually let my characters write the stories themselves, and I just get to go along for the ride. -
You sure pulled out an old thread Sapheyerblu.
I am a writer who knows what the end of the story is but sometimes can't find the way to create it.
NathanKP
inkweaver-review.blogspot.com
imagination-manifesto.blogspot.com -
I'm a moody writer and not all the techniques and how-tos and writing discipline in the world can do anything about it. -
pop psychology wanna be... -
Cool that the discussion continues.......
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Geeky technical jargon.
The process usually involves writing, then editing my ideas so that they have some similance of coherency.
Yeah... -
Hi Plot Whisperer, great discussion topic. I am, like most writers, a bit of both. Though I do remember working with a writer once - only once - who had to have it all mapped out in advance and couldn't proceed with the next sentence until the one she was working on was absolutely as she wanted it. Her way of working was so different to mine (get it all down in a SFD - shitty first draft - and sort later!!) and i found it fascinating.
As well as the tendency of individual writers themselves, I believe each piece of writing goes through distinct stages and it's best - in the main - if we can keep them separate. This blog post elaborates.
www.ornaross.com/inspired-writing/writing-tips/2008/11/the-8-stages-of-the-...
I also wanted to commend you on your great work on behalf of writers -- a very valuable and generous contribution.
all best wishes
Orna -
Poetic and Jazzy! I touch at the varying emotions and life experiences! -
when I blog, there is very rarely any actual process or "writing" taking place. My blog is solely updates, view points & how to guides, so I would dub that freestyle.
When I actually write, the entire piece plays in my head like a movie. I have little trouble getting from point A to point B because of that. I envision the big picture and pick up on the details, as I see them in that vision. Some people here have seen things I've written and were just like "it's like two different people". My only flaw with writing is that I have an unusual vocabulary so when I use words such as acedia people have told me that they had to look them up. -
woohoo duplicates
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Depends on what exactly I'm writing. When blogging, I think of myself as something of an improv writer. Whether I'm slapping a rough short story/writing exercise out as I do now and then, or writing some sort of commentary, I go in with a basic vision of what I'd like to write, then I simply sit down and write it, figuring things out as I go along. So my blogging style is fairly rough and improvised, but I'd like to think it's a little more personal in that capacity, too, at least.
As for my novel work, it's about taking some very rough ideas and developing them into a grander vision over time. I'm trying to finish my first novel within the next month at long last, and it's been a long, challenging journey. It all started as a series of jumbled, loosely connected character and plot ideas, mostly a bunch of concepts that came together in bursts of inspiration, tied together with bits of string and duct tape. Eventually, I fleshed these ideas out enough and connected them well enough to have a basic skeleton of the story together, from beginning to end. Once that was done, I sat down and focused on writing everything in a linear fashion from beginning to end - and I'm just getting to the end of that, years later, with only 3 chapters and an epilogue to finish - while going back after every few chapters and revising. My revision process itself mostly amounts to watching for mistakes and typos, plot inconsistencies and contradictions, and reading everything aloud to determine whether or not everything "feels right." It's a very meticulous and instinct-rooted process for me, and after I finish these last few chapters and epilogue and do a first set of revisions, I plan on going back and doing one last set of revisions on each chapter before I finally set the book aside and focus on looking for an agent, and then a publisher. It's important to know when to stop revising, and to deem a work complete, after all - and it's far too easy to just keep revising the same thing forever and never find satisfaction. -
a writer who doesn't know on what to write about...
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Hi OrnaRoss, thank you so much for your kind words!! What a sweet surprise....
Endlesslyshesaid, you're one of the lucky ones who can see and hold the bigger picture in mind.
Ponkotsu, I hope by now you've finished and congratulations are in order!!!
idealpinkrose, so poetic... -
Aggressive, yet logical.
I find things that make no sense in society, pop culture, etc. and I write bombastic rants about how stupid these things are. Then, everyone reads my rants and realizes how right I am and they crown me King of the Nerds.
Then I wake up. -
Disorganized, long-winded and sarcastic. -
Like what many other bloggers have written here, I'd say my process is starting off first with an idea or thought that I want to share with others. Often I have in my mind's eye portions of the writing or certain phrases or allegories that I try to weave into the final product. But for the majority of the work, I just sit down and let the words follow from my mind to the page, such as it were, after which I do some read-throughs to polish it up and ensure that the piece would be an enjoyable and/or engaging read. -
Depends, really. If it's short (10 pages or so), I have a pretty strong grasp on the overall picture and the smaller sequences to get there. If it's longer, though, I either know where I want to end, but give myself an aneurism trying to get to that stage, or I have all the details, but no idea where it'll end up at -
The words build up in my head (memory and thought), they build up in my heart (emotion and reflection), and they build up in my soul (the undefinable) and then when they've built up enough I just let them splat onto the page. I have no control over it, everything is flow for me and then I take those raw and beautiful words and I refine them so others can experience it with a hopefully similar magnitude. -
fun and informal, keep you interested all the way through, i write off the top of my head in an instant. try reading MY SOUTH AMERICAN STORY, its like a little book. success. -
I agree with ekim941... I just freestyle and let my imagination take the wheel
myownlevel.blogspot.com -
Generally short and to the point. -
I think it's good to know the beginning and the hopeful end. However, I've learned that as you go through the story, quite often the characters take control and carry it to places you didn't expect. I personally don't understand writers who write bits and pieces here, drop in a couple of onions, pan fry it over high heat and expect it to come out anything like coherent. Maybe writing isn't a linear thing for some people, but for me it almost has to be linear.
A good story teller tells the story from beginning to end; he doesn't just throw pieces into the air to see where they land. -
intense. I move with my mind right into the life of the character I have invented -
I write from the heart without much of a plan. When a topic hits me I begin to write and I let whatever flows out be the end product with very little fine tuning. If you read my posts that might be evident but what you read is the real me.
realmenrock.blogspot.com -
often inebriated
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binarybasketball, sometimes getting high helps silence the critic.
sarah123, you're lucky you can get right into the character like that.
vulpine, I think what everyone here is showing so well is that there is not just one way to write. It's a preference and the preference usually comes out of a strength -- skill.
I just think sometimes that the magic comes out of those places where we are not so confident -- to try mastery of the other way, the one less traveled by ourselves, more uncomfortable, more challenging.
But that's just me...
plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/ -
I'm definetly a planner. I have a solid structure of how the story flows first. Then I write and rewrite and rewrite until it flows properly. Then I go back and add fun details. I never write free flow. It does not work for me. -
@plotwhisperer
Silencing the critic? I run a basketball site...
www.binarybasketball.com
Critics and strong opinions are welcome... Though, intelligence is key... We have forced members out that didn't want to learn and didn't know what they were talking about...
We have also experienced record highs in activity, views, and overall blog performance, we are still looking for more forum members though...
But that process is what helped me focus in on the people that should be writing for us. Right now we have 14 contributors I believe. Most don't publish monthly, even less publish weekly, but there are a few that are committed and publish daily.
But back to the question at hand. Planning for most is the fault. If you plan too much, you are taking time away from other things that may be more important like SEO. Personally, Know people that take way too much time on what they should write because they want it to be perfect.
Though, nobody is perfect. If you mess up from something, learn from it. If it you fail at something learn from it. That's what's great about the internet... Sure you will be judged and viewed by what you are producing now, but activity and progress is viewed much more critically...
So, for those that are obviously take way too much time to write an article, stop being self-conscious and say what you feel and/or intend to say and stop thinking about it... Just hit the post button.
I edited this post to add on to what I wanted to say. I believe it gave me 6 minutes to edit and there is a minute left... I've written 2 more paragraphs at least.
Also drunk...
Give in to your inhibition and say what you feel. Then repeat. :-) -
binarybasketball, I appreciate that you were drunk when you wrote this, but I agree with taking too much time planning. If you wait until its perfect you won't do it.
plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/ -
just read My South American Story, I have had many comments on it. Its raw and from the heart. Quality amateur writing.
www.thetravellerreturns.com -
I am an easily distracted writer. I sit down and write and usually finish what I want to say but sometimes I get distracted and in my computer reside many half written stories and poems. Once I wander away from them I lose my train of thought and they sit gathering dust, never to be completed. -
...a ghost writer.
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