Writers, when you decide to write, do you take some days to think first about what you are going to write...?

Question

Or do you just start writing?

Answer 1

I take months and create a step-outline. It's essentially creating the story, the characters, and everything else before I write it.

Some authors just start writing but beware! A lot of writers misunderstand what this means and they think that's all you need to do to write a story. The authors who do this understand how a story is created subconsciously through a lifetime of reading. You might be able to do it, too. The only way to know is to try.

Consider artists who can draw without going to art school. They eventually do go to art school to maximize their craft. Why should it be any different for writers? That's the way it worked before the 1960s when academia kicked storytelling out of the university.

Consciously learning how to write a story can't hurt at all and will only maximize your talent so take the time to learn and outline your story, at least one of your stories, and see how you do. More than likely once you understand what makes a story and how your outline can take it to the heights of meaning, you won't turn back.

One of the many problems with writers who don't outline is that towards the last quarter of the story, it rambles. I can name some best-selling authors who have this problem. But that doesn't mean it's a bad story -- it's just not perfect.

Answer 2

Back years ago when I had time to do real writing, 2 unfinisheded books, 1 unfinish TV plot, it would just hit me and I would start writing. Even today with the small writing I do it just hit me and I start. If I.m some where I can not write I make notes on what ever around and put in my pocket and then in my "to write box" for later. I have learn to be a real writer you need to have a life where it can almost be full time or at least that has been my problem.

Answer 3

When an idea for a story comes to me, I'll sit down and write it in a notebook. Then I'll work on small details about what I want to put in my story. After I have a pretty good idea of exactly what I want to write, I'll start working on the story itself. I usually just write the first draft without worrying about grammer or anything. Once that's finished, I'll go back and rewrite the whole story and correct any grammer or spelling mistakes. It may take a while for me to finish a story, but the end result is always worth the wait.

Answer 4

I used to just start writing with just a basic idea in my head, but all too often would run out of gas and stop. For the project I'm currently working on, I'm doing tons of research, creating complete characters from the ground up, the families and the histories, creating the settings, plots, subplots, names, etc. I find that by doing it this way, it helps to keep the ideas flowing and I have so much material now, it's going to be a series. I don't have as much time to dedicate to my craft as I would like because unfortunately, the real world gets in the way and bills have to be paid, dishes to wash, meals to cook...blah, blah, blah. You probably know what I mean.

Answer 5

Many famous writers say that you should just start writing, but I am not there yet. I have to take a few days to think about what I want to write.

Answer 6

I'm not a pro, but I want to share my experience...That depend on the writing project. The more complicated or less familiar is the subject, the more time I would spend brooding on it. I would only need few minutes to decide what to write on my journal , but it took me days to develop my idea for a story,and even now I can't decide what to write for my under graduate thesis which started months ago.

Answer 7

a WRITER doesn't spend days thinking about what to write....but instead might spend countless hours thinking about why something wasn't written...and that thinking generally takes place right before falling asleep and right after when waking up.
Revising projects and rewriting take up more time than one can imagine....and then combine that with new projects and there just isn't time to spend time thinking about what to write.
Writing to a writer is the same as breathing....no choice in the matter.
The most important thing is to find the TOOLS that you prefer to use.
THE TOOLS can be a pencil....a pen...a computer....a typewriter....a journal book....a yellow legal pad......

FIND THE TOOLS THAT OPERATE WITHIN YOUR MENTAL VIBRATION.

It's really an important aspect of writing.......

FIND YOUR TOOL

Michael Timothy

Answer 8

No. Ususally, if a good idea "bites" me, then I get to writing asap. If I'm confused as to what I'm writing (especially a story, not a paper for school or anything like that), I mull the ideas over for a few days, minutes, hours, any amount of time it takes for me to straighten out my thoughts and then back to writing I go.

Answer 9

With my book i took about 3 or 4 days before putting the pen to paper (or the fingers to keyboard) I was trying to get the story in my head straight, but after i started writing my story took a whole life of its own.

Answer 10

Moments, days, weeks it depends on the story and how clear it is to me when it first pops into my head. No matter what I usually spend a great deal of time editing the story adding things I think should be there and removing things that I see has no value to the story.