How do you get a story from your brain to the paper?
For me, I've always been a discovery writer. Most of my stories start with a name and a single-word concept. A person looks out a window and sees... the world unfolds before me, but one piece at a time. It's amazing how coherent and full it seems in the end without my even trying to work out the details. When I read through later, I see all these nuggets of cool ideas that I can develop more in the edits, but those cool ideas don't come to me if I sit down to plot them. They reveal themselves to me once I write the story.
This method can be slow, and lead to hundreds of pages worth of deleted scenes that don't make it into the final novel. (I keep all those scenes, in case I can use them later, but there are definitely several novels worth of extra.)
As I've grown, though, I have learned to streamline my discovery-writing style, and turn it into a process that helps me get closer to my goals on the first draft, without leaving me with so many deleted scenes. While plotting is involved, I do not consider myself a plotter, because much of the world-building and development is still done via discovery writing.
Here's the method I've used to get from an idea to a first draft for my last three works-in-progress.
Tools: whiteboards, legal pad, and a laptop. I choose the tool based on how my brain is working that day.
Pro Tip: Don't get so hung up on a method that you can't take advantage of how your brain is working that day.
Step 1: Concept Sketch
- concept, cool notion, inspiration
- thoughts about the protagonist
- ideas about the environment
- ideas about the major conflict
- any super-cool nugget that I'm worried I'll forget when I get to the nitty gritty
This may be only a few disjointed paragraphs filling half a page or so. I usually keep this part short, and am done in 20 minutes. I can add to this as more ideas occur to me. This list is the holding place for cool ideas or world building I'm worried I'll forget.
E.g., for my current work in progress, I set out to write a YA novella that did not feature a young super-genius orphan who had to win the guy and save the world.
Notion: Cyber-bugs
Protagonist: Asexual, tech hobbyist (has a cyber-beetle), parents are alive/supportive
Environment: Space station. There are aliens
I honestly do not need much to get started, and as I go through the other steps, I sometimes jump pack to this list and add bits of exposition (like the history of how the humans and aliens got to be on this space station) that will need to be folded in. It's easier to write exposition outside the story, so then I can streamline and feed pieces into the story in bite-sized pieces.
Step 2: Big Picture Outline
Next, I think of the big picture outline. For this, I like to use a white board. I think of a loosely 5-act structure. Where do I want to be when? I write down the numbers 1-5, then I write a sentence fragment (usually less than 10 words) about what that segment of the book is about.
Here's a rough and terrible sample plot:
- Someone gets sick
- More people get sick, realize pandemic
- Sickness only targets enemies of villain. It's a weapon!
- Find allies, seek cure.
- Blow up space station
If I actually wanted to write the story, there'd be references to some of the things I wrote in step 1, but this is just an example. Thinking about it more deeply than this can actually hinder my discovery-writing process.
If I were truly discovery writing, I might just start with the knowledge that Tina is in the hospital with the flu, and parts 3-5 wouldn't even be on my radar yet. So I tend not to worry if things are vague, because I've still thought more about my ending than normal, and it's throwing off my game.
Step 3: Implant Seed Scenes
Once I have those key points in place, I take any seed scenes I've sketched out and drop them into their approximate locations.
Seed scenes are scene fragments and plot bunnies that sit in a file so that I can percolate characters and worlds before I sit down to decide what their story is. They may take place at random points in the story, and are easily jossed when certain features of the world get fleshed out and changed. When I have zero seed scenes, the first draft is pretty awful. (That's okay. That's what editing is for.) When I have 5k words or more of seed scenes, I'm much more relaxed. For some of my novels, I have upwards of 20k in seed scenes already written.
Pro Tip: Keep your seed scenes organized and title them well so that you can find them later. I have a google drive folder.
Step 4: Discovery Sketch
Once things are sort of in place, I plow through a chapter-by-chapter outline, sketching the scene action/dialog, and writing a one sentence descriptor for what else needs to happen if I'm still a little fuzzy.
Scene sketching for me allows me to tap my discovery-writing instincts, while omitting excessive detail and keeping the pace of an outline. Unlike the creation of the seed scenes, these scenes are generated chronologically. (Or as they appear in the book, if the book is not chronological.) I learn more about the characters and relationships, and can exploit that when I start drafting. There are a lot of gaps, and things will definitely evolve, but this helps set up flows and motivations, and ensures I have a solid beginning, middle, and end before I get too hung up on prose.
For my current work in progress (the YA novella), this took about 2 days, and I had a 15k word sketch. For a full-length novella, this might take 3-5 days.
Since scene-sketching is very fun for me, I can devote many hours a day to this and still be super-energized. I actually have to schedule other activities, so I remember to get up and walk around. This is partly why I get so confused when people ask about writer's block. For me, writing is a very difficult thing to *stop* doing.
Step 4: The First Draft
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| Sketch of a space station |
Once the outline is done, I save the file under a new name. Exposition that's in the outline will not be in the prose of the chapter, but it's good to have later as a reference. Also, saving your file under multiple names can help later.
In the new file, I start at Chapter 1 and write all the scenes, getting into prose mode. I might skip forward to leave a note, but not back. I'll use the review/comment feature if I need to make a note about changing something I've already done.
I start drawing maps of locations, and filling in some world building, using my whiteboards so I have the information at a glance as I write. I make sure I keep copies in a notebook. Visual and tactile notes work well for me here.
New chapters get added as things reveal themselves. I constantly have to remind myself "first draft, keep going, just get it out."
I'm now about one week, and I'm at 40k words with two chapters left to go on the first draft. I usually write 80-100k novels, so my brain is very confused about how short it is, but it is in keeping with my goal for this story.
And that's how I get an idea from my brain into a first draft.
