Wednesday, August 6, 2014

My Writing Process

by +LynetteEason  @LynetteEason

When Edie asked me to post on her blog, my mind went blank. I was like, “Um…so what do I write about?”

Edie: “Writing?”

Me: “Oh, that. I can probably do that.”

Edie: “Yeah, I figured you might be able to.”

So, here I am, writing about the topic of writing. The problem with THAT is choosing a subtopic. LOL.

So here it goes.

I get asked all the time, “How do you plot your stories? Where do you get your ideas? Why did you choose that theme for that book? Why did your character do such and so?”

Those kinds of questions make me stop and think because my first response is that I have no idea.

But when I stopped to think about it, at this point in my career, I kind of do have an idea.

For the most part, I write by the seat of my pants. I don’t think much about the writing process as a whole because I’m what I’ll call an instinctive writer. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help much when I want to explain why I do things the way I do them because I don’t really know why I do them the way I do them, I just do them. Did you get all that?

But I wanted to address the whole concept of being a seat of the pants writer – also known as a pantser. I started writing because I LOVE to read. But some stories that I read left me shaking my head in disgust and thinking, “I would NOT have written it that way.”  Fast forward to 1999. I had this story in my head and decided to try my hand at the whole writing thing. So one night, I pulled out my old, very old, laptop and got started. I didn’t know a thing about the writing process. All I knew is that I wanted to write a story. So I did.

I started at the beginning and wrote all 80,000 words in about six months. I didn’t know about writers conferences or writing books or head hopping or passive writing. I just told the story. And frankly, the story itself was a pretty good one. It was just the writing that stunk. But I learned something from that experience. I did something a lot of people only dream about. I wrote a book. It had a beginning, a middle and an end. And while that was probably the only good thing about it, it was done. Seat of the pants style.

So, how about you? Are you a seat of the pants writer or an outliner? Or both? What’s your writing style like?

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Lynette

Lynette Eason is the best selling, award winning author of the Women of Justice Series and the Deadly Reunions series. Since 2007, she has written/contracted thirty-six books. Currently, she writes for Revell and Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line. Her books have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists. She has won several awards including the 2013 Carol Award for WHEN A HEART STOPS. Lynette teaches at writing conferences all over the country. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Lynette can be found online at www.lynetteeason.com and www.facebook.com/lynette.eason and @lynetteeason on Twitter.

25 comments:

  1. Hi Lynette,
    Over the years, I've evolved from a strict outliner through a hybrid (when my characters took over the story and wouldn't follow the outline) to a pantser. Or, as Steven James describes his style, organic.
    For someone as OCD as me to write organically is mind-boggling.
    My current project has been all organic and it's been fun discovering the depth of the story each day.

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    1. Hey Henry, well, I commented, but it looks like it went on out to cyberspace somewhere.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing. I love that word. Organic. That's a cool way to describe writing. I love that you're trying something new. I hope it works for you. But that's the fun with writing. The fact that you CAN try something new! :) Blessings!

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  2. Well Lynette, I started like you, good sotp story, terrible writing. Now I make a very basic chapter outline first. I just don't always stick to it...

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    1. HI Jennifer, I do something rather similar. For Love Inspired I have to write a synopsis of the entire book before they'll even consider buying it, so I have no choice when it comes to writing those books. For Revell, I sell on a paragraph. LOL. So needless to say, I have some thinking and brainstorming to do when it comes time to write those books!

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  3. I'm SOP all the way. Plotting, planning, and outlining just don't work for me. Sometimes when I write, I feel like I'm transcribing dictation, especially when the words are flowing. The problem is keeping my inner editor quiet so I can finish. Thanks for a great post.

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    1. Hi Andrea, good to see you here! Thanks for sharing your process. It's so fun to learn how other people write. I know what you mean about the transcribing thing. A lot of times when I'm writing, I'm simply watching the "movie" in my head and writing what I "see". Love the times when the movie isn't on pause too much!!

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  4. Ha! I love it. My first book was pretty much that way until I found some other writers who told me about all that stuff I needed to know. Whew!

    I have to have to have somewhat of a plan. Total pantster writing finds me stalled by the side of the road. So I'm what Rachel Hauck calls PLanster. I get a basic plan. like a roadmap, then I leave plenty of room for the characters to take over the story. And they always do. :)

    Y'all who open a blank document and just start typing leave me slack-jawed and shaking in my boots. No way could I do that. On teh other hand, I couldn't write a 12-page detailed outline, like one writer buddy does. :o)

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    1. Hey Ane! I think I'm pretty much a planter when it comes down to it. I like to plan the story, but don't mind going off in a different direction if the story calls for it. I love for my characters to surprise me! Not too happy when they end up dead and I have to figure out what happened, but all in a day's work, right?

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  5. Yeah for pantsters - or organic writers!

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  6. Lynette, I'm a confirmed seat-of-the-pants writer, although I've come to like Donald Westlake's description of it as "push fiction." Westlake's explanation was that, if he didn't know what was coming next, neither would the reader. Why? I have no idea. I just started that way, and then, as I learned more about the craft--three-act structure, avoidance of a sagging middle, crafting a killer ending, etc.--I incorporated those lessons into the way I write a novel. Do I look down my nose on plotters? Not really. I wish I could do it that way. Might make my writing easier.

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    1. I'll have to look Donald Westlake up. That's really interesting. Thanks so much for sharing. And I'm of the agreement that it doesn't matter if you're a plotter or a pantser or somewhere in between. If you get the story written, that's what matters! Whatever works!

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  7. I'm just beginning ... so I know exactly what you are talking about. But ... I wrote a book, too. Well, I've written one non-fiction, but I just wrote my first fiction this year ... middle grade. I didn't know anything about head bopping either. So I had to go back and try to clean it up some. But I started with knowledge of the beginning and ending ... knew my chapter titles ... locations ... that was easy. And I wrote by the seat of my pants in between! That's the fun part ... just seeing where the wind blows you ... what comes to mind. So much fun. I'm still learning.

    Thanks for sharing your start ... so encouraging!

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    1. Shelli, thanks so much for stopping by! I remember being a beginner quite well. :) I love to hear about people getting started writing. And actually, the fact that you finished a novel means you're one step ahead of being a beginner. :) Congratulations on that!

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  8. I have played around with outlines, no outlines, and partial outlines, but the more I write, the more sure I am that my best writing is done organically, seasoned with a healthy dose of story and genre expectations. :-)

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    1. Lynn, thanks for popping in. I know how bogged down you are with your edits so that's extra special that you would take the time to read and comment!

      Hey y'all! Lynn sold to Love Inspired Suspense a couple of weeks ago! Woohoo! I'm still cheering for her. :) And however you write, Lynn, it obviously works. :)

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  9. My first book took 5 years to write sotp...after I got a 3-book contract I realized I didn't have time to write that way and now I do a plotboard on a big desk calendar with all the major points. I also create character summaries...

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    1. Wow. 5 years! That's amazing. :) I love your books, Patricia. I'd be interested in taking a look at your plot board, not to mention the calendar. I have such trouble keeping up with my timeline!

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    2. The timeline was the most important reason for the calendar. :-)

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    3. Oh, and thanks so much for liking my book! I like yours as well. see you at WPa

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  10. I am without doubt a seat of the pants kind of writer, Lynette. I'm also a tightrope walker writer. When I begin to write I hate to stop, or slow down, for fear of falling. :)

    I like the quote that Richard said by Donald Westlake - "If I don't know what is coming next, neither will the reader."

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    1. Loved that quote! And I know what you mean about when you start you hate to stop. I had to learn to write through all the distractions when my kids were younger. Now that I've got a few years on me, it's much harder for me to focus with distractions.

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  11. I'm surprised to see the many pantsers in the comments! :D Not that that's a bad thing, of course. :) For my first novel, I wrote without an outline. And, honestly, I think that hurt me more than all my many writing flaws did. The middle and end began to drag and make less sense than the first half. So, for my current novel, I chose to outline it. And, though the story changed quite a bit as I wrote, I was able to draw from my outline for some needed inspiration when I got stuck. So, I think I'll incorporate some form of outline from now on in my books.

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    1. Rachelle, very smart to learn from your first writing experience. With each book, I seem to learn something new! And that is a real joy. :) Thanks for sharing!

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  12. Hi Lynette -

    I'm also a SOTP writer. One common misconception is we don't care about how to write a good novel. While I don't plot or outline, I pay attention to show/don't tell, POV, and all that other craft stuff that help us communicate a story.

    I'm always glad to find another kindred spirit in the writing community. It looks like there are quite a few of us from these comments.

    Blessings,
    Susan :)

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