Here's something a little different because it requires your participation. Don't worry - the questions aren't hard at all. :-) I love to read about how other writers work, and I figure that if you're a writer, you might feel the same.
There are twelve random questions about writing below. Ready to play?
What's Your Writing Style?
1. Are you a "pantser" or a "plotter?"
2. Detailed character sketches or "their character will be revealed to me as a I write"?
3. Do you know your characters' goals, motivations, and conflicts before you start writing or is that something else you discover only after you start writing?
4. Books on plotting - useful or harmful?
5. Are you a procrastinator or does the itch to write keep at you until you sit down and work?
6. Do you write in short bursts of creative energy, or can you sit down and write for hours at a time?
7. Are you a morning or afternoon writer?
8. Do you write with music/the noise of children/in a cafe or other public setting, or do you need complete silence to concentrate?
9. Computer or longhand? (or typewriter?)
10. Do you know the ending before you type Chapter One?
11. Does what's selling in the market influence how and what you write?
12. Editing - love it or hate it?
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1. Plotter
ReplyDelete2. Detailed character sketches
3. Bit of both
4. Depends on what you're using it for
5. I'm an itchy procrastinator
6. Bit of both, depends on circumstances and the muse
7. Morning - Mondays usually, then it's all downhill from there
8. Again, depends on how it's going, whether I'm using music/noise in the scene, but usually in quiet
9. Longhand
10. Usually - can't get going until I have a broad overview at least
11. Yes, of course - what's the point in writing for a market that doesn't exist?
12. Love editing.
1. Are you a "pantser" or a "plotter?" – Definitely a plotter.
ReplyDelete2. Detailed character sketches or "their character will be revealed to me as a I write"? – Detailed sketches and then more gets revealed as I write.
3. Do you know your characters' goals, motivations, and conflicts before you start writing or is that something else you discover only after you start writing? – Not as well as I should and this is where I usually run into problems. I’m working on that.
4. Books on plotting - useful or harmful? – Useful if used as a guide. Harmful if used as an avoidance to doing the actual writing.
5. Are you a procrastinator or does the itch to write keep at you until you sit down and work? - I’m an itcher.
6. Do you write in short bursts of creative energy, or can you sit down and write for hours at a time? – I sit down for 2 hours every morning, Mon-Fri (and some weekends) and write whether I feel creative or not. My brain is trained to know this is writing time and get down to work.
7. Are you a morning or afternoon writer? – Morning. By afternoon my brain is going in too many directions to concentrate properly on the writing.
8. Do you write with music/the noise of children/in a cafe or other public setting, or do you need complete silence to concentrate? – I need silence to concentrate, but I live alone so that’s not a problem.
9. Computer or longhand? (or typewriter?) – Generally computer, although if I feel like the words aren’t coming, I’ll switch to the couch and a notepad and work longhand for a while, or on the alphie.
10. Do you know the ending before you type Chapter One? – Sometimes. A general idea anyway. Although I never write the ending in the first draft. After the first draft things usually change and I don’t want to feel married to the ending if I need to change things.
11. Does what's selling in the market influence how and what you write? – No.
12. Editing - love it or hate it? – Depends on the day, but I usually get a buzz from it on the good days.
. Are you a "pantser" or a "plotter?"
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm not a plotter! Though I've vowed to work differently for the next book - we'll see how that goes!
2. Detailed character sketches or "their character will be revealed to me as a I write"?
revealed as I write, for sure
3. Do you know your characters' goals, motivations, and conflicts before you start writing or is that something else you discover only after you start writing?
I know one central thing that makes them who they are - then I get to know the rest of them as the book unfolds.
4. Books on plotting - useful or harmful?
Definately useful, so long as I remember that it's all just suggestions and all advice is eventually contradicted if you read enough off them. But I usually find something I can take away that helps me with my plot.
5. Are you a procrastinator or does the itch to write keep at you until you sit down and work?
I don't know that I'm a procrastinator, so much as a "life gets in the way" inator. ;)
6. Do you write in short bursts of creative energy, or can you sit down and write for hours at a time?
I have toddlers - short bursts!
7. Are you a morning or afternoon writer?
Whenever I can! But I typically find time late at night after everyone has gone to bed.
8. Do you write with music/the noise of children/in a cafe or other public setting, or do you need complete silence to concentrate?
I honestly just work whenever I can in whatever environment, but a little noise does keep me from getting too distracted.
9. Computer or longhand? (or typewriter?)
Oh, computer! Though I have been known to write lh in line waiting to get my daughter from school.
10. Do you know the ending before you type Chapter One?
No!
11. Does what's selling in the market influence how and what you write?
To an extent - I want to be competative with what's out there and know what's already been done. But Im not chasing trends.
12. Editing - love it or hate it?
I love copyediting!
1. Plotter
ReplyDelete2. Characters will reveal themselves as I write (cause I tried it the other way and my characters were like "What you talking about Willis?")
3. a little of both because I'm a plotter but then my characters get all uppity on me.
4. Don't use.
5. I am both. Sometimes I scratch the itch and other times I procrastinate.
6. I am both. Depends on how itchy I am.
7. evening writer
8. What is silence?
9. What is longhand?
10. Yes
11. No
12. Love it
That was fun.
What's your style, Melissa?
ReplyDeleteOk, here's mine:
ReplyDelete1. I have by necessity become a plotter. The excruciating pain of going back and changing too much in the last two novels has led to this decision!
2. Detailed character sketches.
3. Yes - I have to know these before I start, otherwise I can't get everything to "gel" like I want it to.
4. Useful, but should be integrated with your own style. No one plotting method works for everyone.
5. Depends on what I'm working on - I can procrastinate, but when I set myself a deadline to get my novel edited, I really stuck to it and worked hard to meet it.
6. I can sit down and write all day long - with lots of breaks.
7. Actually, I'm an evening writer. Can't do mornings and afternoons are really hard for me to get motivated - unless it's a weekend.
8. I like music, and I've written with lots of distractions around me out of necessity. Can't write in a public place, though - I'm too much of a people watcher.
9. Computer!!!
10. Usually - general idea.
11. No - I write what I want to write with my novels. With other pieces, like articles that an anthology is looking for, I can come up with a piece.
12. LOVE to edit!
1. I used to be a pantser; now I'm more of a plotter.
ReplyDelete2. I know my characters intimately -- but I can't write "character sketches" or I lose them. You can ask me the weirdest detail, though, and I can answer. I have to keep it all in my heart.
3. I know most of it, but more are revealed as I go along -- sometimes surprising the characters as much as it surprises me.
4. I think the books are a combination. They're like any medication, best used in moderation.
5. Must.write.now.
6. Both, depending upon the projects and the time frame. However, I make myself do something on a project every day.
7. Morning. But if I'm on deadline, I keep on going until I'm done.
8. I prefer silence, but the truth is, I can write anywhere if I have to.
9. Depends on the project. I'm going back to first drafts in longhand, though. Needs less revision.
10. I used to never know it; now I usually do, but I don't always know what's coming in the middle.
11. Interesting question. I often write whatever I want and worry about sales later; however, if I see guidelines or a call for submission that intrigues me, I'll write to that.
12. Both. Love it more than I hate it, though, because of the final result.
1. I'm a former "pantser" but I'm now a "plotter"
ReplyDelete2. Detailed character sketches followed by more revelations as a I write.
3. Yes, I know my characters' goals, motivations, and conflicts before I start but I also make other discoveries once I've started writing
4. Books on plotting - useful or harmful? Useful if handled with care.
5. I'm a former full-time procrastinator who can now sit down and work before I give in to it.
6. I write in short bursts of creative energy.
7. I can write at any time of the day or night - so long as I'm not too fatigued.
8. I can write in most situations - so long as I'm not expected to talk to anybody!
9. I write on my laptop.
10. Yes, I know the ending before I type Chapter One.
11. If I'm writing with the hope of publication I let the market influence how and what I write.
Thanks Melissa, I enjoyed thinking about these questions.
Love,
Sue
x
1. I'd always said pantzer, but last weekend I plotted out a 22 chapter novel. Go figure.
ReplyDelete2. Sketches.
3. Yes, I do a full GMC chart for each character.
4. Yes, although I only recently read my first one, lol.
5 & 6. I'm both a procrastinator and one who stays put for hours. Maybe I put it off for so long I'm making up for lost time?
7. Afternoon/evening, b/c I work 7-4. I could probably be an a.m. writer.
8. I love to write to music or have the tv on. Sometimes I get started without and realize later how quiet it is.
9. Computer. My longhand can't keep up with my brain.
10. Yes.
11. Not always. I want to know that but not have it be the focus of what I'm writing.
12. Hate it.
This is great! Something to further frighten myself with ;)
ReplyDelete1. Are you a "pantser" or a "plotter?" – I'm a "plantser"
2. Detailed character sketches or "their character will be revealed to me as a I write"? – Detailed sketches at first while I prewrite and then they become more real as I write
3. Do you know your characters' goals, motivations, and conflicts before you start writing or is that something else you discover only after you start writing? – I have a pretty good idea, but as I work my way through the story, more becomes clear to me and I end up going back to the beginning to tweak and revise appropriately
4. Books on plotting - useful or harmful? – Just about any book is useful, but I do have a tendency to get obsessed with learning craft to the detriment of progressing with my work
5. Are you a procrastinator or does the itch to write keep at you until you sit down and work? - It's both. I am very undisciplined about when I write. I tend to get long stretches done on weekends and sit down and hammer out bits and pieces late in the evenings
6. Do you write in short bursts of creative energy, or can you sit down and write for hours at a time? – I do both, but not with any kind of discipline at all. I'm working on that
7. Are you a morning or afternoon writer? – Mornings on weekends seem to be the most productive, but I don't always get to do it, so I tend to write whenever I can. Often this is after midnight.
8. Do you write with music/the noise of children/in a cafe or other public setting, or do you need complete silence to concentrate? – Silence is pretty much a prerequisite.
9. Computer or longhand? (or typewriter?) – I like to dash off first drafts of scenes in longhand when I can and then transcribe them to the computer; however, if I'm working and I'm inspired and on a roll, I'll work directly on the computer
10. Do you know the ending before you type Chapter One? – Not really. I have an idea of how I want the character's life to be changed by the end, but I don't know the details
11. Does what's selling in the market influence how and what you write? – No and God help me.
12. Editing - love it or hate it? – I love it.
These were such interesting answers - I loved reading them. Thanks for playing! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to cheat and do this on my blog... maybe Monday. k?
ReplyDelete