I’m venturing into an unfamiliar territory. Fiction. Ack! Talk about anxiety. Fellow fiction writers I welcome your input on this one.
Anyway, I let my husband read passages from it every once in awhile. And while I wait, I try to appear calm, but I’m really scrutinizing every eye movement, every shift in his position.
What I got from him this time scared the bejeezus out of me.
“It’s good. But I’m worried about one thing.”
“What?” I asked. At this point, my mind went to horrible, bad plot, unbelievable characters, amateur storytelling.
What he said was, “I’m worried that you don’t know what’s going to happen next. But I read that the author I’m reading now does the same thing so maybe it’s okay.”
What do you guys think?
Do you know your entire story before you finish it? Or does your story take you on an adventure where you never know what’s going to happen until you write it?
How exciting, Brandi! I hope you enjoy writing fiction and that it takes you on a wonderful journey 🙂
As for your question…I think it’s different for everyone. My very first novel, I had an idea what I wanted my book to be about, but I didn’t have a scene-by-scene breakdown, or even a plot outline, so it was very much about discovering where the characters took me on the page.
Now I tend to prefer to have an outline with plot points. I don’t always follow it exactly, but it’s nice to have so that I don’t wander around aimlessly. If a character does something that surprises me or the story shifts in a new direction, I go with it and readjust the outline if I need to. It’s kind of like navigating a new town; you don’t want to get completely lost, so it’s good to have a map. But you should also let yourself explore a bit along the way. Good luck!
Great advice obviously given by a pro. =) It’s good to know that having a little bit of freedom works well in writing a novel. I have a writer friend who knows every single scene from beginning to end and has them written down on note cards. I wish I was that organized. I had an idea and know the plot, but I don’t really know what’s going to happen next. Thanks Natalia!
I think it really depends on the writer and what works for each person! Sometimes I know where a story is going, but usually not. I’ve read all different things about well-known writers: some of them only write with the end in mind and build outlines before starting a novel, while others don’t want to know where the story is going. I think Steven King talks about this in his book, On Writing. Do what feels right to you– if you want to proceed without knowing your destination, do it. If you feel better knowing where you’re heading, make an outline. Don’t stress, though! 🙂
Thanks Kristin! I felt a lot better after my husband told me his thoughts and I realized I was just anticipating the worst. Thanks for the book recommendation! I might just have to check it out.