Pantsers - what do you actually know about your story when you start writing?

[Emilymcplugger]

Sometimes when I'm struggling with part of the story - I write the end, or how I currently see the end at least.

Often that shakes something loose. Sometimes it even makes me rewrite or reorder other bits of the existing story that the ending has made awkward.

(I love that word, awkward. It's so awkward.)

It's the two 'W"s that make it so weird.

To be fair you don't even have to write the end of the story. On the multi-part stories I have written so far I would some times bounce between chapters and even later bits of the same chapter (If I already know it and need to get it down) as I find this at least keeps the story moving.

I especially find it useful if it's a plot point or a bit of intrigue as this is a very good way of being productive without the reproductive parts. As an example whilst I am fleshing out the sex in other areas I am also writing the tragic part of a man's head being crushed by a block of stone because I don't have to put much thought into that and it keeps me active on getting my word count up.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

Sometimes I don't really know where a story is going to go. The last story I wrote for the Halloween contest, "The Old House on Drury Lane," was only a snippet of idea based on something I heard on the news. It caught my attention because it was about friends and even complete strangers buying homes together, just so they could afford to get into the housing market.

Once I started, I began to imagine what the couple buying the house together would be like, and of course what drew them to the house in the first place, to make to them want to take a chance and buy together. It was a lot of fun to write, especially since there were also a few otherworldly characters, with it being for Halloween.

I usually like to add a twist or two to my stories. If I get stuck, I'll step away and go do something else, and often an idea will pop into my head that feels like the twist I was hoping to add.

Most of characters really do write themselves, which I think is kind of fun, especially since they're all a little different.

 

[FluffMeatsStory]

For me, I tend to plan a set of elements, but put them together pants style.
In a recent submission, I had a scene to end the chapter with, but had to add two other scenes to make that scene fit the storyline.
I have often looked up stuff, spending hours, to get minutia, to make the story more real. For example, place names, myth details, and such. I also like to have my random names be ethnic, but reasonable for the situation, like using Chinese names for characters that live in China. As to myths, I try to follow the mainstream version, but divert where there is no consensus. This lets me build on an existing storyline from history.