How to Write Fanfiction is a writing resource that contains tips and tricks on crafting fanfiction stories - by the community, for the community. This guide will serve as a helpful point of reference for fanfiction writers both old and new. We ultim...
One of the most difficult things to do in writing is, well, writing! And that is exactly what makes writers so amazing. Regardless of whether it takes one day or one year, a writer will write, just like a reader will read. But one thing is to easily find ideas for what to write, another is how to execute those ideas and have them take form. This is what we will explore today, how does a writer's idea take form?
Here we will ignore the concrete ideas and instead talk about the writing process and define what different writing processes there are. By recognizing what writing process you use, you can actually use this information to learn your own personality better, as well as it can help you improve your writing. Cool, right? So, let's go!
¤ What writing processes are there? ¤
There are no doubt lots and lots of different writing processes and subcategories out there, but today we will introduce you to three main categories that are quite well-known: Pantser, Planner, and Plantser.
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The three categories are created in the mindset of spectrum based upon how much prep work you do before beginning to write. Roughly speaking, planners are those who develop outlines before they begin writing and those who don't are often referred to as pantsers. Those who are a mix of those two tend informally to call themselves planters.
¤ What approach does the planner take? ¤
A planner - sometimes also referred to as a plotter - is someone who in detail plans and outlines their story before they begin writing. A planner can, and sometimes will spend a painstakingly large amount of time in the prewriting stage charting out plotlines, devising characters, and worldbuilding, They value knowing what's going to happen in their story before writing it. They want clarity, and a plan gives them energy and intention, knowing they will save a lot of time when they first do start writing their story.
Most successful writers do plan, at least, to some extent, and if you take any bestselling published author, the likelihood is that they are planners. If you're new to writing, but have gotten a feeling of your style of writing, trying out the planner process can give you a good sense of how pre-writing can prepare you before you dive into the writing process.
Things planners do:
1. Generate ideas. The first step in writing a novel is generating story ideas. Planners like to brainstorm and/or work with prompts, above doing freewriting. They spend long hours on coming up with a variety of ideas and carefully select a strong premise that lends itself to an effective plot.
2. Start with a simple, compelling premise. Once the basic idea is settled, it's time to develop a story premise. Planners like to use the so-called snowflake method. It basically means that one starts with a very simple premise or theme, which then builds up as you plan more and flesh out every other aspect of the narrative and character.
