Prewriting for Unorganized Peeps

One of my many oh-so-tidy bookshelves

I could never be a librarian. I love books, I dare say I'm obsessed with them, but as far as adhering to a classification system that makes my books easy to find... not happening. I know some of you are looking at the picture of one of my book shelves and your eye is beginning to twitch. Nothing is in alphabetical order, though series are grouped together. There is no strict single genre represented here. Some of the books aren't even on the shelf but set on top of others (part of that is simply that I'm once again running out of space and need more bookcases). A librarian would be scowling at me if not throwing things at me for this.

My mom nick-named me Messy Nessy for a reason.

To me, this shelf makes perfect sense. This is a collection of books that all contribute to a vibe/theme in their own way. Of course, I'm aware that only makes complete sense to me. This is the best way to explain my prewriting practices. It's a collection of thoughts, images, and 'what if?' ideas all placed on a shelf together for me to weave into a story.

I've taken a good chunk of creative writing classes and there is a definite preference for outlines and prewriting that clearly show where the story is going. I'm sure knowing exactly the path your taking as you write can be comforting, I'm not knocking that, but I prefer to explore a new area without a strict route and destination planned on the map. I get bored knowing everything that is coming and that comes through in the writing, if I don't abandon the project altogether.

So, here's a breakdown of my 'pantser' method for all you messy writers.

1) Random inspiration/information gathering - This is everyday bits I find interesting that I'm always gathering. They may not correlate to any particular project I'm working on. I save images that catch my fancy and odd bits of information that strike me as a seed of a story. These are saved in random computer files, scribbled in catch all notebooks, and even saved as notes in my phone. I just took pics last week of several artworks I saw in a museum that may end up in a story in some form (a few portraits were screaming to become characters). Some of this may end up being useful, some may not. At this point, it's all just bits I find fascinating.

2) Finding a picture in the static - At some point, enough of these bits will gather and ones that mesh well together will sort of stick together and float to the surface. This often happens to me as I'm writing something else, like my brain is getting breaks from the WIP by setting up the next project. The feel of this song matches well with the journey idea I have for this character idea which would all jive well with these interesting historical facts that result in a loose world sketch. Ta-da - a story concept is born!

3) Fine tuning the idea - Now I have a rough concept, so I go into a more specific span of researching. This isn't my loose random gathering, now I know the vibe of what I'm searching for and dig through my own notes, online, talk to people, ect. for information that will help fill out the idea. This is typically when I create a folder and notebook dedicated just for this story idea. I now have a space just for the ideas that pertain to this story.

4) Assembling pieces - At some point, I will start to put all these bits together into more of a story. Not everything in my research will make it into the story, but the key elements will stand out by this point. Characters will be decided on, the world will be clear in my head, and the beginning and general direction of the story will come into focus. This is not an outline. Honestly, most of these elements will still need more definition, but this is as organized as I get before writing.

5) Butt in chair - Now, I start writing. Here's where the magic happens. My plan for the story is always somewhat open and flexible as characters come alive as I write, the journey of the plot will unfold, and the world will evolve along the way. Sometimes what happens ends up surprising me (I love when that happens). I usually end up doing a little sort of planning as I go along, like I'm thinking about what will happen in the next chapter or two, as I write. This first draft is where I find the story, so I can revise it into a polished work later.

That's pretty much how I roll. Of course, a lot of this is happening on one project while overlapping with another. I may be doing revisions on one work while assembling pieces on another story. Though I only write one at a time, as I would lose focus otherwise.

I hope this help anyone worried their prewriting process isn't as straightforward as the structured 'plotter' approach. You can still write wonderful stories, you just need to find the way that works best for you personally.

 Now, I'm off to consider these crazy bookcases. I should probably try to at least find a home for the books sitting on top of other books.