On Switching Tactics- A Realization

Recently, I have been working on a new project. I hear you asking; are any of my other long-term projects finished?

And to that I answer: Shhhhh - a writer does not concern themselves with such trivial details.

SO, I am working on a new project! 😊

 I intend for it to be a full-length novel. Now, I have attempted to write things of such length before. In fact, I am still working on another novel (but honestly, I am taking a break from thinking about it because it was driving me insane).

In my previous experience attempting to write a novel, I have organized my thoughts in a specific way. I have always thought I was the kind of person that needs structure, order, and strict rules for myself to be successful – and while I think that may be true in other aspects of my life, I have now discovered it does not necessarily apply to my writing!

 But before I made this discovery, I was writing within strict parameters. I wrote from beginning to end (or in this case, the current stopping point) and each paragraph is in line with the pace and plot of the previous one. My chapters are labelled, and I even went by word count to ensure all my chapters are a similar length. And I think that was what I needed at the time, or maybe for that story specifically; to stay organized and to try writing a book in quite a strict way. I thought that was what I had to do in order to stick with it.

Again, I don’t regret the process I used to write up to what I have of that WIP. I may change it when I go back to writing it, though.

With my new, current WIP, (which some of you may have seen/guessed from my Instagram post involves sapphic vampires) I have been writing it quite differently than I ever thought I would. I often hear people talk about writing scenes out of order, writing only dialogue for some of their process, or even switching around plot points and messing with the timeline at a whim. I always thought: there’s no way I could do that!

I started this new WIP for a short fiction contest. I wrote a short romantasy piece, changed it when I realized I needed to include certain plot points for the contest, submitted it, and I just never stopped thinking about it. Even when it failed in the contest, the story kept lingering in my mind.

 I started by changing things throughout each paragraph. Some plot points here, a character trait there. Once it was a mostly polished short story, I decided to add more to it. Once I did, my best friend read it and told me they needed more backstory. So, I started writing a “before” section of the story.

With this chaotic back-and-forth of writing, rewriting, adding, and changing, I have been shocked to find that I am enjoying it. I often find myself opening a blank document in that WIP folder and just writing a scene at a random point in the story as it pops into my head. I never thought I would be the kind of writer to thrive with such an unstructured process, but since trying it, I have truly welcomed the change.

So, why am I telling you this?

Well, I thought to myself; how many people are unknowingly restricting themselves and their creative process because they feel trapped in one method?

After learning that I work well with multiple different methods of writing, I started to get more curious about what kind of processes exist, and what works for others. One of my favorite forms of research I have since conducted on the subject is watching YouTube videos about the writing routines of many well-known authors. There are many videos on YouTube made by other writers experimenting with different writing routines. These videos allowed a wider understanding for me of the creative process and the things that may work well for my own routine.

I feel that my idea of routine and structure in writing has also shifted. While I do believe it is important to have some sort of structure in your process, i.e. time management, scheduled breaks or work times, a reward system for yourself as a motivator for completing writing goals, etc., I now also think it is important to be flexible. If you hear of a new routine or method that you haven’t tried or think sounds unlike you, try it anyway! Try to implement it and see how you feel! In my case, I did not purposefully try something new, but when I became aware I was doing it, I let it happen. Let your creativity flow in the way it chooses! And sometimes, maybe it’ll flow a little differently.

Basically, I wanted to share that I stumbled upon a different writing method, and it worked in my favor. So, maybe dismissing a creative process because it just doesn’t fit with who you perceive yourself to be is more harmful than not. Be open minded, try new things, and step out of your comfort zone! You never know what will work for you. 😊