#pantsing

[writingwithfolklore]

Making the Most out of your First Draft

As someone who used to write every first draft without planning and then use that to figure out characters and outlines, I have a lot of experience in first drafts that are incredibly helpful to forming an actual story, and drafts that don’t add much.

              So here’s how to make the most out of your first draft:

1. Write what doesn’t make sense

One of the most helpful first drafts I ever wrote abandoned plotlines and started new ones as though they had existed all along like several times. It was also the longest draft I had ever written because I had packed so many ideas into it. The reason why this is helpful is because you can test out what a plot point will look like in the middle or even end of your story without having to go back to the same beginning again and again.

It doesn’t need to make sense, just try things out. Disappear characters who don’t work, add a best friend near the end that acts like they’ve been there the entire time, whatever idea you’re interested in you can try out without worrying too much about what makes sense or what you’d need in place to set it up. It's like literally stream of consciousness writing, and you're going to learn so much more about your world, plot, and characters than trying to make it make sense.

2. Write poorly

I spent a lot of that first draft having characters monologue to themselves or each other about their interests and problems and lives which allowed me to explore their backstories and voice even if that’s not something I would do in a final draft. I had the wackiest plot points to see how my characters would react, what would happen to the plot, and if I didn’t like it I would keep going like nothing had happened, I did a lot of yadda-yaddaing over worldbuilding and setting the scenes and making up things on the spot to see if they’d stick, skipping sometimes to the interesting stuff, or adding in a random scene just for fun.

It doesn’t have to be good. Even a little bit. You’re learning about your world and your characters and the story you want to tell, but you aren’t writing it yet. Allow it to be the worst thing you’ve ever written.

3. Make notes on what you like

As you go through and throw spaghetti at the wall (figuratively speaking), make notes on the things that stick. If you write a line of dialogue you really like, or a piece of backstory or even a vibe, make sure to make a note of it somewhere. This will help you narrow down your ideas to what you want to keep when you start writing your story. And if you’re like me and you want to outline or plan your subsequent drafts, these notes will be invaluable to start forming your planning.

Anything else I missed?

#writing #creative writing #writers #writing community #screenwriting #writing inspiration #books #filmmaking #film #writing advice #first draft #making the most out of your first draft #pantsing #pantser #writers on tumblr

[byoldervine]

Writing Tips - What Kind Of Writer Are You?

Not all writing tips work for everyone, you need to learn to give things a try and accept when they aren’t helpful. Ask yourself these questions to see what writing practices might work best for you - and be sure to experiment if you want a better understanding!

1. Does your word count motivate or discourage you?

If seeing your word count motivates you, stick it everywhere! I like to constantly check word counters, add up my chapter word counts, section word counts and total word count, calculate what my word count will be by the time I’m done with my current writing session, etc

But if the word count is intimidating and discouraging to you, like it is to many people, measure your productivity by time spent on your project rather than the word count; dedicate a certain amount of time to the project every day/week/whatever works for you, try writing sprint videos on YouTube, anything that doesn’t mention your word count. It can always be edited later on

2. How much/often can you write before it’s a chore?

It’s well-known that the vast majority of people can’t consistently keep up with NaNoWriMo’s 1667 words per day practice, so how far can you push the metrics before it gets overwhelming? I personally find that writing daily isn’t something I can do without it feeling like I’m forcing myself to do a task rather than engaging in a fun project, but I can commit easy enough to meeting a weekly goal. At the moment I’m on 1000 words per week, but you can also change how many words are needed, you just need to be able to consistently meet said goal without feeling overwhelmed by it, even if it feels too small

3. Where do you fall on the plotter scale?

A true pantser has no plan for their story and goes in head-first with a confidence I envy - a good amount of writers aren’t that. Chances are you’re a plotter of some variety, but how much so? It’s always worth testing the waters with how much or how little you can work with as a set plan. Personally, I like to plot five chapters in advance and then write them before plotting the next five - it gives me the freedom to see where my writing deviates from my anticipated plan and adapt it from there, which has been critical to many big changes in the story

#question #quiz #plotting #pantsing #writing #writers #writeblr #bookblr #book #my writing #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #original #writers of tumblr #how to write #on writing #creative writing #writing prompt #writer #write #writers and poets #writblr #female writers #writer things #writerscreed #writing is hard #writing advice #writing life #original writing #writer problems

[machinicspecters]

how to write fiction

put a CHARACTER

in a PLACE

and give them a PROBLEM

this is called a SITUATION

stack situations until you're done

bonus points if situations are connected and there's a feedback loop between the problems

#writing #writing tips #writing advice #novel writing #pantsing

[thebibliosphere]

Do you have any thoughts about the 27 chapter method of writing or are there other ones you might recommend more? I’m extremely disorganized and indecisive when writing which is frustrating because I never actually end up making progress. An existing outline method to at least get all of my thoughts down and decide where the story will go (instead of 27 possibilities and nothing concrete) would be extremely helpful but I don’t want a very obvious cookie cutter type story if that makes sense

The 27-chapter method works well for some people, but I'm not a huge fan. It fucks with my ADHD too much because if I map something out and define it as having 27 chapters, then it's got to have 27 chapters, no more, no less. If I realize during the writing process that the plan isn't going to be executed the way I envisioned it, so help me, god, my brain will derail this entire thought train, and there will be no survivors.

It was a problem I frequently ran into when redrafting the first Hunger Pangs book, and my brain melted trying to assign chapters to things. I told my editors at one point, "I can't do this. Can you find where the chapter breaks should go?" and they very graciously took my walls of text and figured out where the chapter breaks should go because it's just not something my brain is good at doing. In fact, it was preventing me from actually writing.

(I suspect that's why I enjoyed the earlier Pratchett books so much. No chapters = no breaking my focus.)

It sounds to me like you're a natural pantser, not a plotter, but you're also (like me) the type of person who needs a liittttle bit of structure to help you keep flying by the seat of your pants or the momentum drops off, and you get bogged down in the wrong details.

The way I do this is to basically sit myself down and figure out the A to Z of the story, write down a list of things I Absolutely Want to Have Happen that I set into stone, and then kind of start listing things off like bullet points. Like this:

So top of my page is the starting goal, what do I want to have happen? I want my Blorbo to go on an adventure. Why? To... defeat the Evil Blorbo!

That is basically as simplistic as you can get. Some people don't need to get that simple, but sometimes setting it down on paper really helps, especially when you're prone to getting stuck in other details that don't progress the plot.

Next, I list out the core things I want to happen that are set in stone. So things like: -Blorbo's parent dies. -Blorbo meets the ragtag band of adventurers who teach them to survive. -Blorbo gets a sword that is integral to world-building. -Blorbo gets a scar as a sign of both the physical and psychological changes that have affected them. -Evil Blorbo gets their ass kicked.

Those things are set in stone like milestone markers and I will usually try to make them hit certain narrative beats for whatever genre I'm in, though not always. Sometimes a cool sword is just a cool sword.

Next, I move on to figuring out how I get to those points.

This is when I start writing the plot out as a laundry list:

PART ONE

Blorbo wakes up on the farm one day. It is a [descriptor] day. How does Blorbo feel about this?

Blorbo and their dad have a meaningful and deep conversation that will make the reader instantly hate you for killing him off in the next ten pages.

Blorbo meets up with their friends. Character building and perhaps some world-building ensues.

An EVENT of some sort happens, and CHAOS ensues.

PARENTAL FIGURE eats shit and dies.

Blorbo is thrust out into the world.

Blorbo on the road: shit is terrifying, and they really wish this adventure was happening to someone else.

And so on, so forth.

I make a point not to number any of these individual parts, as it helps me to move them around if I need to without feeling like I'm breaking up some set-in-stone order. If you want to try and break your list up into Parts to follow conventional story arcs, you can do that too.

But you can also leave that until the end if you like. As I said, I split my stuff up into chapters and parts during the editing phase.

There's no one right way to do this.

I also try to keep the list vague, as if I personally go into too much detail during the plotting stage, I lose interest in actually exploring the narrative details while writing. Because fuck me I guess.

Don't worry if the above is too vague for you. Nothing is stopping you from going back to those bullet points and expanding on them later if that works better for your creative needs.

The main goal right now is just getting from A to Z and listing out the steps so that you have a roadmap to find your way before you get distracted. It really is just sometimes helpful to say "Character does X" so you can move on and keep plotting until you have the vaguest of outlines which you can then expand on further if you want to.

After I've bullet-pointed my way from start to finish, I'll maybe go back and identify some areas in the story where I should be hitting certain genre beats, but otherwise, I'll just start writing and see what fits where.

Some people are likely screaming at how simplistic and undetailed that is, but again, everyone's creative process is different, and it's really just about playing around until you find that one that works for you.

I've tried just about every "how to write" guide out there, and in the end what works for me is a bastardized amalgamation of all of them.

I can't be a true panster, but nor can I be a detailed plotter.

I absolutely cannot think of things in strict chapter outlines or I will get overwhelmed. But breaking them up into parts is fine.

I also have to remind myself that sometimes when you are writing, a better solution will present itself and this does not mean the whole project needs to change/you need to start over.

The destination is still the same, and you will likely still hit many of the same points along the way. It's just now you might be taking a detour, and thankfully, you don't have to redraw the whole map. You can just follow the signs marked "diversion," which thankfully, you can also control because all of this is within you control.

Even when it doesn't feel like it.

I hope some of that is helpful. I'm still trying to work out how to explain how I do things in a clear manner. So I apologize if this isn't helpful 😅

#writing #plotting #pantsing #herding your adhd into writing a plot outline #like herding cats #long post

[spacevixenmusic]

Source: Migi & Dali [2023]

#migi and dali #migi to dali #eiji ichijou #pantsed #pantsing #striped underwear #butts #right in front of the parents too wow

[tightyhighandtight]

#tightywhities #tighty whities #tws #khaki #khakis #pantsed #pantsing #changing #brieflines #gif

[poeticghostlywillow]

Guilty!

#writing commentary #writers and writing #writers on writing #writing #plotter #pantser #nanowrimo #november #writers on tumblr #writers #writerscorner #Writers and Poets #writer #Online Author #Author #plotting #pantsing #national novel writing month #nearly #here

[boxerbriefs4me]

Are we feeling super today? You know I am, especially with these briefs. I’m tryin y’all!

#embarrasment #pantsed #sagging #try not to laugh #briefs #pantsing

[jockembarrassed]

My underwear literally says 'Tighty-Whities'

What did I expect? #Pantsed

#tightywhities #briefs #pantsed #pantsing #men’s underwear #men’s briefs #tighty whitie tuesday

[the960writers]

THE SIMPLEST WAY TO OUTLINE YOUR NOVEL (pantser-friendly!)

Abbie Emmons

Want to outline a novel without feeling overwhelmed? Maybe you’re a discovery writer or you just HATE PLOTTING and you want a simple, straightforward method of outlining that helps guide your story to success without taking all the joy out of the journey. If you can relate, today's video is for you!

A lot of writers ask me: “Abbie, What is your very first step to writing a new story?” “Do you create your characters first or do you outline your plot first?” “Do you fill out all your character profiles and scene cards before you begin?” “How long does my outline need to be?”

These are all great questions, and since my outlining process has evolved SO MUCH over the past few years, I thought now would be a perfect time to show you a behind-the-scenes look at my Preptober process. In this video, I'm going to share with you the very first steps I take when I set out to write a new story. These are the methods that I am currently using and would recommend to any writer who feels lost and overwhelmed when it comes time to outline.

#plotting #outlining #planning #how to write your novel #the process #Youtube #pantsing #discovery writing

[raizino740]

Goggles is on his way to pants you 🥽🦑

#nintendo #splatoon #splatoon 3 #nintendo switch #inkling #octoling #splatoon manga #splatoon funny #splatoonedit #splatoon clips #splatoon wii u #splatoon 2 #coroika goggles #coroika #pantsing #pranks

[thana-topsy]

When writing, do you plan your stories and chapters in a doc, or do you plan everything in your head and write from there?

Oh I absolutely plan it in a doc before hand. Sometimes the outline gets its own doc, sometimes I just do it in the same doc as the first draft of the story, alongside notes, non-linear bits, parts of the story I've cut out, resources, and references.

My outlines are usually just scene sketches and major plot beats, momentary ideas or just things I don't want to forget. The outline itself is usually linear, and they have a tendency to change often and unpredictably depending on what happens during the actual writing process. Sometimes, if they have their own doc, the outlines have fun titles like "FINAL Final Outline (I Hope)". I don't like deleting my original ideas, though, because it's really fun to see how a story evolves and where my thought process has changed.

If I had to categorize myself, though, I'm a plantster. I half plan, half pants my way through a story. I've always said "I need a map to see where I'm going, but usually I end up wandering off the trail along the way."

Thanks for the fun question!

#topsy's asks #topsy writes #writing meta #plantster #pantsing #on writing

[cmoroneybooks]

If you’re a pantser who struggles to finish books because you run out of ideas or constantly get stuck, that’s a sign you should try outlining.

It might not be the answer. 

I want to make it perfectly clear I’m not one of those writers that don’t believe you can pants a novel. You can. This isn’t about people that are successfully pantsing novels, this is about pantsers who never finish their books. 

If you never finish an original book, especially if you never get much past the first 20K words and you always pants those books, pantsing is likely the root of your problem.

I say original because I’ve encountered a lot of writers who successfully pants fanfic that cannot do the same for original work, or cannot do the same when they first transition from exclusively writing fanfiction to writing original work. I had this experience in my teenage years moving from only writing marauders fanfictions to writing my own stories. 

There are a couple of reasons why not planning at all may be causing your issue:

1. You might not understand story structure well enough to make it up as you go along. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, we’re all learning how to be better writers. Get some books on story structure and write yourself an outline. At least cover the inciting incident, the midpoint turn, and how the story ends. I’d recommend something a bit more fleshed out like the 15 beat story structure as a template and just leaving blank a few items if they feel like overplanning. 

Structure books I recommend: 

Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody 

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure by Janice Hardy

Character Arcs by Jordan McCollum

If this is your problem you may find that after a book or two written with the aid of some kind of outline you don’t need that anymore, or you need less and less detail. Don’t be afraid of trying pantsing again in the future. Your writing process should constantly be changing. That’s just you taking on the lessons of each book you write and applying it to the next.  

2. You might need some idea of what you’re writing towards to keep you motivated and interested in the story or to keep you from getting lost. 

If this is the case you’re probably some level of a planner at heart. I’d recommend you try a traditional structure like the 15 beat story structure, for that see my recommendations above, but you might also want to try simply planning the ending of your story. If you know the ending, you know what you’re writing towards. 

#writing advice #writers advice #writeblr #writers of tumblr #writers on tumblr #amwriting #writingcommunity #writers community #writing community #indie writers #writers tips #writing tips #writers tips and tricks #fantasy writers #writers corner #lgbt writers #planning #pantsing #story structure #outlining #outlining your novel #outlining a novel #writing rants

[sumokun]

Oops, it's day 7 of Spooktober 2 and some ghoulish being done pants'd Harold Klump from Tales From The CryptKeeper exposing his tighty whities. Mans is flabbergasted.

#Spooktober 2 #Harold Klump #Tales From The Cryptkeeper #Pantsing #Tighty Whities #Belly

[kimboo-york]

My book all about discovery writing (aka "pantsing") is out now!

At its core, By the Seat of Your Pants is a celebration of storytelling in its most organic form. It demystifies the concept of discovery writing, illustrating how some of the most engaging and captivating narratives are born from spontaneity and intuition, and offers guidance to those looking to explore discovery writing techniques. More than just a craft guide, it’s an affirmation for every writer who has ever felt constrained by the rigid frameworks of traditional writing methods.

#By the Seat of Your Pants #discovery writing #pantsing #pantsers #discovery writing techniques #writing craft #writing skills #creative writing #writing #on writing