Is There A Right Way To Write?

Not all writers approach a new writing project in the same way. When writing fiction or creative nonfiction, we can separate writers into two main groups. 

Those who outline and know exactly what their story will be. They are guided by the outline and seldom stray from it.

The other group, commonly known as 'pantsters' are writers who have an idea and perhaps a few thoughts about where the story will go but they plunge right in writing and let the story lead them. They write 'by the seat of their pants' which is a pretty strange phrase in itself. Pansters is, of course, the shortened version.

Which is the better way to write? There is no right or wrong here. You write in whatever way makes you comfortable, whatever method works for you. Do the outliners never stray from the plan? I'm sure some do occasionally. It would seem especially prudent to do so if the story is not working out very well. No method is set in cement. The writer is free to change anything and everything.

What about those pansters? That includes me, by the way. I have an idea, write an opening sentence and let it carry me onward. There are times that my original intention changes drastically. Other times, I have no idea where I'm headed. I let the story carry me through. 

Case in point:  I have written a middle-grade novel about a boy who lives in the late 19th century. He comes from a family of coal miners but he has no interest in becoming a miner. He excels at school, loves learning, but family circumstances push him away from school and into the mines when he is not quite 12 years old. He has two best friends, a stern grandmother, a weak father and a brother who are both miners. He also knows a boy in the mine who makes his life miserable. I knew that I wanted Will to get out of that mine and back to school. When I started writing, I had no idea how that would happen. 

I jumped right in and before long, the characters led me on to the next chapter. I didn't know that a gypsy woman would figure prominently in the story until Will sees her. I had no idea that Will's great-uncle from England would show up in their small Iowa town. I hadn't planned on an accident in the mine nor the result. Will and his best friend, Emily, showed me the way. Some would think that a made-up situation. I assure you it that is not made up. Characters leading the way does happen. There are many writers who would confirm that statement. 

Beatrix Potter's quote rings true. There is something exciting about writing the first words of a story, even for the outliners who know where they are heading. For the pansters, it's delightful to start out on the journey and feel your way, listen to your characters and dive right in. 

How Do You Cook Up Your Stories?

Looks like this woman is cooking dinner, one of the daily chores many of us must do. What are you cooking in your writing life? Do you use recipes like cooks do or are you the kind of writer who starts with an idea and keeps typing until you finish the draft? 

Some writers are so disciplined that they outline (their recipes) everything they write--be it a full novel, a chapter, a short story or an essay. They like the idea that the outline is there to be referred to as they move along in the story. Some might consider it a crutch while the writers who use it know it is a necessity in their writing life. 

How about those writers who have an idea and start writing with no thought whatsoever as to where it will take them? Risky business? Those outline kind of writers would think so. More creative? The writer who lets the story take him/her to unknown places might agree. 

When I started writing my middle school novel, I had nothing more than the thought that I'd like to write something based on my maternal grandfather's life. Grandpa was born in 1884 and when he was a mere nine years old, he was taken out of school and sent to work in the coal mines with the older male members of his family. He never returned to school. 

I had the protagonist and I had the situation in the actual story of my grandfather but I wanted this boy to find a way to get out of the mine and back to school. Because I liked school and valued education all my life, it bothered me a lot that Grandpa never had the opportunity to complete his education. 

To introduce the character, whom I named Will, I started chapter one with a fight in the schoolyard broken up by a teacher. It was great fun to set the scene and bring in a few characters besides Will. I had been a teacher and knew full well about playground fights and teachers stepping in to quell the situation. 

I wanted to make the reader know that Will loved school and was a good student, so I ended the chapter with the teacher telling Will he had won an essay contest and would read his winning essay at the school festival in a couple months. Now what? 

In the second chapter, I had Will walk home from school with his two best friends. He tells them about the contest win and they are all excited. He goes into the house where he lives with his grandmother, father and older brother. Excited to tell Gran the news, he blurts it out as soon as he gets inside the back door. It's then that his grandmother changes his life. He will be going into the mines the next day.

At that point, I had no idea how Will would get back to school but I started each chapter with a glimmer of a thought and the characters seemed to let me know where they wanted to go, what they would say and do. It was Will's story and he pulled me right along with him all the way to the end. Strange as it may sound, Will and his friend, Emily, took up residence in my home. My friendly ghosts in the corner! They stayed until the first draft was completed and I no longer felt their presence.

I could never have written the story using an outline because I could not have made one. I had no idea at the beginning who all the characters would be or what they would do. I had enough understanding of what life in a small coal-mining town was like because my mother had grown up in one and told many a story at our dinner table. 

I also didn't know when I wrote the first chapter that a gypsy would play a big part in the story and many other things that eventually found their way into the tale. 

I like this method of writing because I think it gives the writer more freedom. Yes, outlines can be changed but often a writer who uses them feels they need to stay with the outline, at least for the first draft. That said, there is no right way or wrong way in how you write a story. The best way is the one that makes you comfortable. If your friends in your writing group all do it one way and you do it another, don't feel one bit guilty. We're all different and we use various methods to achieve our goals.

Reading and Writing In Second Person

I mention our writing journey quite often and today's poster reflects that journey we're on. There are also small paths that lead to and from the big road. I took note of one of them today when reading an essay that was written using second person--that is you rather than first person (I) or third (he/she).

The you, or second person, is probably the least used. Some feel that it's the adventurous writer who writes a story in second person. He/she wants the reader to feel as though they are living the experience, that they are the one driving the boat, making the decisions and more. The reader becomes the protagonist. 

Writing this way pulls the reader into the action and it feels personal. It's also a little tricky to write a full story this way. Most writing instructors recommend using second person in short stories but not in a full novel. Tedious for both writer and reader.

There are those who feel that reading a story or essay that is filled with you and your is annoying. Count me as one of those people. I find it irritating to read a plethora of you and your. It makes me want to say Stop! I would far rather read a story written in first person. When the writer uses the I and my form, I can transition myself to feeling like the protagonist. I don't need the writer to point out that you, meaning me, is doing whatever it is. Some readers feel that this way of writing is the author's way of manipulating the reader. Now, that is stretching it quite a lot but I suppose that there are some who look at it in that way.

Some readers like reading a story in second person because there is something fresh and new about it. I wonder how they would feel if 90% of what they read used this form. Then, it would be old hat. Some writers like to try the form to stretch their own abilities. If it is different from what they usually write, it could be inspiring to them. 

Sentence structure, when using second person throughout a story, becomes more difficult. There is not much leeway when most of the sentences begin with that one word you. It takes a skillful writer to write sentences with some variety instead of following what feels like a formula. 

Should you ever try writing using second person? I think you should give it a try and see how it goes. My recommendation would be to write the story twice. Write it in first person, then write it again using second person. Set both stories aside for a few days, then read them and see which one appeals to you more than the other. 

I think readers fall into two groups regarding this method of writing a story. Some will think it is just fine, maybe even love the form. Others, like me, will not care for it at all. As writers, there is no way we can please every reader. Do what feels right to you and you're bound to find plenty of readers who love the way you write. 

Beginnings

Beginnings  First steps  Paragraph one  Initial chapter   Seed of an idea  

Number one line   A start

Any one of the above phrases will tell you that today's post is going to be about beginning a new writing project. Earlier this morning, I was reading a freewrite Random Word submission of someone in my online writers group. It involved a lot about what is happening in her personal life right now. As I read, I thought to myself that she must, must, must write a memoir book. She lives in another country, has had a most interesting life that has had more than its share of difficulties. Besides that, she writes like an angel. I wrote to her telling her she needs to give serious thought to writing a memoir book. I'll be her cheerleader from start to finish if she takes me up on the challenge and begins this new project.

Beginning a new writing project is exciting and also a bit daunting. Another member of our online group is a translator working on a memoir book for an Iranian woman. She began with both enthusiasm and apprehension. Just recently, she submitted a chapter by chapter outline for our group to critique. Fascinating material which made us want to read the entire book, chapter by chapter when she subs. Not a great many people will start a huge translating project like this one.

But there are plenty of other types of writing projects waiting for you. If you look at those phrases above, the one that suggests the first requirement is seed of an idea. After all, we must have that before writing anything. We may need to do some research before we begin the actual writing. Some of us will make a detailed outline before beginning the actual writing while others will plunge right in and let the story guide them as they go.

Besides the excitement of starting a brand new writing project, there's also some concern. We know that openings are important, that they must hook the reader in a hurry. More so today than ever before. We're in the do it immediately kind of life because time is our enemy. Or so it seems. What if you write five pages today on this new project, then read them two or three days from now and think they are absolute drivel? Hey, it's gonna happen more often than not.

It doesn't matter. That 'drivel' you've written gave you a beginning. It isn't set in concrete. It can be revised in any way you like. You can make the revisions right away or wait until you get to the end and go back and redo the whole thing. Personally, I like to work chapter by chapter on a large project, so I'd rewrite chapter 1 so I'd know where I'm heading in chapter 2. If it's a short story, you might write the entire piece and then revise. Same with an essay or article.

The important thing is to begin a new project. As soon as you finish and submit to an editor or publisher, start writing something new. It's true that there is magic of beginnings, as the poster above states. It's fresh and new and the road ahead is empty waiting for you to fill it. How can that not be an exciting time?

When you have an idea for a new project, are you eager to begin? Do you have a routine way for beginnings? Or is each project started in a different mode? What do you think about beginnings?