There are two kinds of writers, allegedly.
Pantsters and Outliners.
I think you can be a combination of both, but I guygress.
Pantsers just write, without any preparation. Outliners create the entire story outline before laying down one word.
My own writing technique is a lot less prescriptive and a lot more organic.
I get an idea for a story, novel, script, comic book, essay, etc.
Then I write down some ideas, not all.
Usually, if it’s fiction, I like to know the ending.
But not always.
I’ve found that if I know the ending, my writing is tighter. There are less side trips down roads that don’t lead to the ending. But not always.
Sometimes, I just have an idea. A premise. A character. An image.
And I will write to find out how it ends. Just one foot after another.
In the end, the stories to me seem to be different styles. But they both work.
I rather the project dictate how I work, than how I work dictate the project.
In other words, once I know what I want to create, than I use the technique or approach that seems most appropriate to getting to the end.
What’s important is the creating, not the how. The how you can work out when you’re doing.
But that’s just me. There are writers who swear by pantsing, or as Dean Wesley Smith calls it, “Writing into the Dark.”
There are other writers who must know what happens in every chapter, and think through the entire book before they write.
I’ve done both.
The big big trouble with outlining is this: You tend to use your conscious mind to come up with an outline, and the conscious mind is not great at coming up with art. For me, it tends to feel forced and un-natural.
The solution to forced and un-natural outlining: Let the ideas come to you when you’re not outlining. If we distinguish between conscious and subconscious thoughts, it is best to outline using the latter. Many ways to accomplish this, not the time or place to talk about here, but in my experience you can loosely outline in a way that is more natural by harnessing more subconscious thoughts. Takes some practice and it’s easy for conscious thoughts to slip in. Again, topic for another place and time.
I wrote all of this so far, without even knowing what I was going to write about before I started. Make of that what you will.
All throughout October, I’ll be doing what I call OctoberWorld Live. Which is a series of Live Writing Stunts. Where I will take a page in a book, suggestions from the audience, or some other random “trigger” to write a brand new OctoberWorld story in front of a live audience.
If you show up and watch, I’ll give you the story for free.
People have asked, well how do I know you’re not cheating? Or using AI? Or thinking up a story beforehand?
I guess I could do all of those things, but I wouldn’t for the simple fact that those things would all take the sport out of it. What’s the point of saying I’m going to do something and then fake it.
I do say I’m going to do something and fake doing that thing only in one area of life. When performing Magic. I guess I make up stuff inside of a fiction story too. Magic and fiction sort of share that. I guess all art is not typically true per se. But in the rest of my life, including OctoberWorld Live, I will do exactly what I say I will do.
In other words, I only lie to you when I tell you I’m going to lie to you. And I do that in Magic and Fiction.
Everywhere else, I’m annoyingly honest.
So please sign up for more info and dates on OctoberWorld Live. Just because I am going to write a full story live and without preparation, doesn’t mean I’ll actually be able to pull it off. Either way, it will be a site to see.
I’m hoping it will be interesting to those who write, those who are interesting in the behind the scenes and those who want access to the latest OctoberWorld story literally as it’s being written.
Either way, I look forward to seeing some of you there.