What is your strategy? Workflow?

[MidianCastiel]

I'm always curious how authors organize their stories. I've known some to use the snowflake method when writing novels, others use timelines and some just write and go back and elaborate, make notes etc.

Do you go as far as making character and scene profiles?
Where does your inspiration come from?
Do you have a writing routine?
Do you like to have certain things in your workspace such as music, tea, coffee, a cigarette, candy..or oreos even?

I'd love to know!

Midian

 

[lovecraft68]

I write totally on the fly, even for novels the most I use is a couple of thoughts I might write down if I'm at work. The characters, details and outline are all laid out in my mind.

I find outlines constricting, I like to just let the story tell itself, but that's what works for me, someone once described me as "organized chaos" its kind of fitting.

As for routine, I usually sit down to write about the same time every night after work, dinner and a cup of coffee with the wife. Weekends I write a lot very earl(as I am posting at 6 am on a Saturday

I generally have coffee in the morning, green tea after that and sometimes some inspiration from my friend Jack Daniels.

I am addicted to cough drops, any flavor any brand, I always have at least two bags on my desk.

 

[MidianCastiel]

Well it certainly works, I am still getting through your Siblings with benefits, which im really enjoying by the way, lol
It must be cough drops

 

[lovecraft68]

Well it certainly works, I am still getting through your Siblings with benefits, which im really enjoying by the way, lol
It must be cough drops

Glad you're enjoying, but for that series it was a lot of JD as much as menthol....

But as long as that series is I had no outline. People would say "can't wait to see what happens next" I would think "neither can I!"

 

[MidianCastiel]

lol wow, that's really awesome. I geuss its the flow you get into as you go, did you wait for feedback and altered or just pumped it out?
Maybe I should try some JD and cough drops lol

 

[lovecraft68]

lol wow, that's really awesome. I geuss its the flow you get into as you go, did you wait for feedback and altered or just pumped it out?
Maybe I should try some JD and cough drops lol

I think the feedback as I went along encouraged me to keep writing. Knowing there were people waiting for what was next was a good motivator. I didn't listen to any suggestions though(or Megan would have been dead by chapter 10) and just stuck to my muse and my vision.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I'm most familiar with the dregs of society, and quest for a character I call a 'trailer park Reinhard Heydrich.' An amoral, cynical, smartest lad in the room psychopath. I want a character people fear and admire. He wont eat you like, say, Hannibal, but he might hand your debutante daughter over to ISIS.

 

[sr71plt]

When my Muse gives me the kick in the pants (usually as I'm waking up in the morning) on a story, it also usually delivers most of the hooks of the story. I do some research to establish period and setting (as these are prominent in most of my stories) and to provide names for at least the major characters I think at that point are in the story--then I start writing and I try not to stop until I've reached the end--and the joy of writing for me is the journey, seeing myself how it unfolds as I write it. Polishing (and, usually, for me, filling out) comes in the review process. Not more than two reviews to keep it fresh--and then off to the editor. It can be further polished (and added to) when it comes back from the editor.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I see the story unfold in my mind as a series of TV or Movie scenes. The dialog and narrative are there, in my mind by the time I'm ready to put words on "paper".

I do, for more complex stories, use a character sheet. The simplest is just a list of names and what they do and are. The most complex give background on how this character got the way they are, what they do and what drives them.

As new scenes pop into my head, I might jot down what it is about and who is in it if I don't have time to sit down and write it so I don't forget.

I also may and do have multiple stories going at the same time. It may depend on my mood as to which I work on.

Right now my mood has kept me from doing any writing for some time. A few thousand words here a couple of hundred there.

 

[Stockholmblondie]

Since I enjoy co-writing, I rarely plan the whole story. I might have some ideas, but can change them sometimes to fit in with the story. If I write the story myself, I like to keep an open mind, and just go with the flow. The best thing in writing, to me, is when you can surprise yourself.

 

[HeyAll]

I start writing when I have an idea I really love.

And if I don't have an idea or an inspiration, I just keep thinking until something clicks and I go, "wow, that's pretty interesting."

I don't need notes or anything like that. Most of my stories are fairly simple, and I also make-up plot points as I go along.

I just think of a brief synopsis for each character, ie is this person smart, shy, strong, ect...
That really helps shapes the dialogue and character actions.

Then I think, "What happens next? What's logically the next scene?"

And I go from scene to scene until all paths lead to the finale sex scene.

I just sit don and write on the computer. Nothing else needed. I've even written at my school library with other people in the room.

 

[Mister_Chris]

I go with the flow

Typically, I'll start with the vaguest idea for a story. For example,in my 'Sex Island' series, the idea was a resort that catered to the desires of wealthy swingers. Once the initial premise is established I just sit back, type, and watch the story unfold.

Books on writing novels tell you that you should plot out your story ahead of time, delineating all the major plot points, and then fill in the details; I don't do that, nor do I think I could. As Lovecraft68 says, "...as long as that series is I had no outline. People would say "can't wait to see what happens next" I would think "neither can I!" I'm exactly the same way. The story tells itself, and sometimes I feel as if I'm just along for the ride.

Occasionally, this backfires on me; I can write several pages, and realize that I've written myself into a dead end. But for the most part, it works. And I save the dead enders, for sometimes I can use large chunks of them in completing different stories.

I tend to start writing about 11 PM, and go until 5 or 6 in the morning. Then I turn the ringers on my phone off so the telemarketers don't wake me up, and sleep until early afternoon.

While I'm writing the story, I'll stop after several paragraphs, read what I've written, and often modify it. As the story gets longer, I find myself stopping and reading the entire story from the beginning, and making small changes (swap one word for another, change the wording of a sentence, etc). This is a time consuming way to write a story, but it's the best way that works for me. I probably put something like 20 - 30 hours into a 10,000 word story. This greatly limits my productivity, but I feel it improves the quality of the piece.

Sometimes I'll take a break around 3 AM and play my piano for a while. This seems to rejuvenate my thoughts; I have no idea if it wakes the neighbors. To this point, no one has complained.

Favorite beverage is a 64 ounce bottle of Coke Zero (a variant of Coke, with zero calories and a far more authentic taste than diet coke when compared to real Coke. Sadly, it's not available in many areas of the states.) I'll typically go through a bottle a day, sometimes more. I find that alcohol makes my writing worse, so I stay away from it; but many writers throughout history have found the exact opposite. I tend not to eat while I'm typing, as I don't want food residue winding up on the keyboard.

Currently I'm in a dead spell; I have several basic premises for stories, but each premise could chase off in a number of directions, and I'm not satisfied with any of them. So I wait for that part of my brain charged with such things to sort itself out.

I'm also contemplating writing a piece aimed at getting the greatest readership, in hopes of growing my fan base. I'm thinking that it will be a pretty formulaic story - short, lots of zippy sex, aimed at the most popular market segment. More of an experiment, than anything else.

Hope this helps - MC

 

[soflabbwlvr]

I'm always curious how authors organize their stories. I've known some to use the snowflake method when writing novels, others use timelines and some just write and go back and elaborate, make notes etc.

Do you go as far as making character and scene profiles?
Where does your inspiration come from?
Do you have a writing routine?
Do you like to have certain things in your workspace such as music, tea, coffee, a cigarette, candy..or oreos even?

I'd love to know!

Midian

I start with an outline. It may be as little as three or four sentences, or it may be three pages of detailed story development. The amount of detail is usually a function of how long an idea has been percolating in my brain, which can be anywhere from two days to three years.

My inspiration comes from everywhere. "Black Cock Friday" was inspired by the advertisements flooding my mail box prior to Thanksgiving. "The Cunt of Monte Cristo" came from a trip to B & N and a suggestion from a reader. "Trophy Wife" was an adaptation of a proposal from the Story Ideas Forum. Some stories are inspired by people I know, places I've been, or things I've done. I have no shortage of ideas, only time to write them.

I don't really have a writing routine. Most days I take an early lunch, close my office door, and bang out as much as I can in two hours. In a good week I can write five days in a row. Other times, I go weeks without writing at thing.

I tend to have music playing, but at a very low volume--so low I have to strain to hear it. I used to be able to write only with instrumental music--such as jazz or classical--but lately I've learned to overcome vocal music as a distraction.

 

[Hypoxia]

Mostly, I just do it. Sometimes I must list players, ages and major characteristics. Ages are crucial for character timelines, especially in longer-duration or heavily-populated universes. Places are vital too -- most of my pieces are set in real locales I know fairly well, so I have mental maps floating before me. So I may have a VERY rough outline with something like:

1978 Randy+Rachel (18) & Deborah+Nina (36) & Jill (20) & Ruth (12) - L.A.
1984 Randy (24) & Ruth (18) - Fairfax
1986 Randy (26) & Ruth (20) - Wash D.C.
1989 Randy (29) & Ruth (23) - marriage L.A. - Nina (47)
1991 Randy (31) & Ruth (25) - move to D.F.
1995 Randy (35) & Ruth (29) - divorce D.F.​

(from The Book of Ruth)

I've mentioned my two main working techniques:

1) Establish players, places, and maybe a few plot points; then set the characters loose and transcribe their thoughts, words, and deeds. Sometimes the story plays out as a cine event; again, I transcribe it, then edit.

2) Write a basic structure, maybe a bit more formal & plotted than (1). Treat it like a sculptor's armature. Now slap clay onto the frame (i.e. insert verbal images) and shave away the excess, just as if I were building a claymation puppet.

But basically, I do whatever the voices in my head command. I always follow my voices.

 

[MidianCastiel]

These are very good strategies, when I start writing in long blocks of time, around 7 hours or so, I get in the groove, everything is going good. When I go back and read it, I start to question if that was a good way to go then I start over thinking and changing, I am trying not to do that so much because then I have 5 scenarios that are completely different and have trouble deciding which would be best and make more sense.
As for character profiles, they are very detailed from physical attributes, mental, back stories etc. I have a binder full of them waiting to be put into a story. It's like a kennel lol.

 

[49greg]

I start writing when I have an idea I really love.....

That's pretty much my method. The idea may have been written down months, days, or years ago, but it something that made me perk up a and get interested.

Usually I'll think about it for days once I've decided to work on it. Often when I'm walking the mutt, or laying in bed at the end of the day, or early in the morning.

Sometimes I'll scribble a few words that are intended as a guide or outline, but the initial idea I wrote will suffice most of the time. Once I get writing I think of different ways to do things, getting the plot going in different directions. Sometimes I have referred to my characters taking the story in directions I didn't plan, but it's just improvising on the fly.

Sometimes I keep going and finish and post it. Usually I get stalled, or real life gets in the way, I'll type out a note to myself about where I was going. When/if I come back I can heed my own advice, or I might have thought of a new direction. I hate it when it means I have to do a major re-write.

Eventually I finish something and post it.

 

[Hypoxia]

... when I start writing in long blocks of time, around 7 hours or so, I get in the groove, everything is going good. When I go back and read it, I start to question if that was a good way to go then I start over thinking and changing, I am trying not to do that so much because then I have 5 scenarios that are completely different and have trouble deciding which would be best and make more sense.

I hit that point *before* writing those varied outcomes. The story reaches a cusp and I must decide where it's going if the characters don't tell me. I dawdle of my options, put it aside, write something else, then go back and see if I have a compass, a direction.

As for character profiles, they are very detailed from physical attributes, mental, back stories etc. I have a binder full of them waiting to be put into a story. It's like a kennel lol.

I mostly don't invent people; I have biographies galore available. If it's a long series and I need to re-introduce descriptions of characters or places, I may have a couple lines in storage that I pull out and adjust as needed. Yes, it may be a sort of cast roster. But a book of invented players? Naw, I don't do that. Yet.

 

[49greg]

....
As for character profiles, they are very detailed from physical attributes, mental, back stories etc. I have a binder full of them waiting to be put into a story. It's like a kennel lol.

That's a good idea, but I'm strictly an amateur. The characters I've used come as I write, from memories, some pure descriptions of people I've known during my life, most are amalgams of several people. Some are merged with characters in movies, other stories etc and twisted and tweaked to fit the story I'm working on.

As for physical descriptions etc, I've gone from detailed sizing to general descriptions, so as to let the reader know generally what someone looks like (Tall, for a woman, slender with long legs, her face was pretty, with a nose a bit long and lips a shade too wide.) I let the reader imagine the rest. I started doing it that way when I read a story that was too detailed, it gave every size in numerals. I never see a person and try to figure out how many feet and inches they are, so I don't subject my readers to it any more.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

For the most part, I start with an idea for a character, usually a female. ("She's a princess, she's been captured... let's see, about 22 in a culture where that's too young to be a political player... she's devout and quite innocent about sex but not in other ways..."). Then I just start writing her thoughts. As she meets people - and the people she meets are rarely preplanned, I just go with whatever the nascent setting would make likely - things about her and the setting start to emerge. Sometimes a large part of the setting will emerge all at once in my head - I knew a lot about what kind of place Becoming Marie was set in, very early on. Sometimes it's invented bit by bit, as in Captured Princess.

In a sense it's snowflake method, but I don't wait until the snowflake is complete before I post. I'm comfortable writing a chapter and posting it before I know what happens in the next chapter. I find this useful because once posted, that part of the story is fixed. I must write within the world I've started to create and somehow that focuses the creativity. If I didn't post until the end I strongly suspect I'd keep dipping back into early chapters, and maybe the result would be more coherent, but I think it would be less creative.

As for how - alone in a room, email turned off, music generally on (Angelwatch got written by having Gabriel's Red Rain on autorepeat, and it shows). The writing paces itself; I know the story is going well if I feel driven to get back to writing the next day, and usually I write large stretches at a time, usually stopping at a significant reveal, or a sexual climax's aftermath, since these are natural story breaks. I don't take notes. I do go back and reread previous bits as I write, looking for hooks I left, consciously or often unconsciously, that I can attach new threads to.

 

[DreamCloud]

I write totally on the fly, even for novels the most I use is a couple of thoughts I might write down if I'm at work. The characters, details and outline are all laid out in my mind.

That is the only way to write. Makes it difficult to find the end, but what a trip getting there!

 

[SamScribble]

First, I only write when I am in the mood. And I make sure that I am in the mood at around eight o'clock each and every morning.

Second, if there's a fee attached, that's where I start. I am always (well, almost always) happy to pipe when the payer is paying.

Third, when I am writing 'fun fiction' (and that's the category Lit falls into), I start with an idea - a character, a sentence, a conflict that takes my fancy - and follow it until it reaches 'The End'.

This approach has worked quite well for the past 50 years, so I see no reason to change just yet.

 

[BuckyDuckman]

I think asking an experienced writer about their process can lead to unintentionally false answers.

I often feel as if I'm on the fly - that I had an idea for a character or a scenario, and I'm just writing like a madman to describe that inspiration and see where it goes.

Except, I know when my characters are veering off path. But how can I know my characters are veering off path if I don't have an outline or goal in mind?

Because I do, even if I don't admit it, I do. I've written (and read) enough stories to know the general arc. When I start typing, I might not know Sally has a sketchbook full of penis sketches, but I DO know her new roommate is going to drop a box full of dildos in front of her. Writing that Sally has a sketchbook full of penis sketches feels like a discovery, unscripted, as much a surprise for me as it for the reader - except:

I knew Sally and her new roommate were going to wind up having hot Sappho sex before I ever started writing. Maybe I didn't know Sally had a heart-shaped mole on her hip or maybe I did. Maybe seeing a picture of a cute model with a similar mole inspired Sally - but when you read my story, you shouldn't be able to tell which details were a surprise to me and which details were planned.

I have a friend of mine who carves cigar store Indians. He knows, going into his carving, it's going to be a cigar store Indian. He even knows his Indian will reflect a Sioux or Blackfoot or whatever tribe. But he makes lots of discoveries along the way.

I believe we outline and pre-plan a plot as much as we need to, and the rest of the shit? We make that up as we go along.

 

[RoyceConnors]

If a story comes to me, no matter what the source, I start writing and let it write itself. I'll give it a few chapters to play out and decide from there if it's worth continuing, rewriting, or scraping altogether. Sometimes an idea has the substance to go the distance and become a story, while others fade out and either become material for another story, or go in the vault to get mixed with everything else and see if it comes out as something later.

Once started, I'll sit and focus on it and write 5k-10k a day if it's a great idea and less than 2k if it isn't. If it's a struggle to write my usual amount, I shelve it until it plays out better and then see if it writes itself the way it should. I find it comes down to what style to write it in that brings out the story in the best light.

I never do notes or characterization outlines, I just get an idea and let it play out, much like LC and others do and let the story do its thing. Structuring everything first takes a lot of the initial excitement of the story away, so I like to write with the emotional impact the idea gave me, to bring that into the story clearly.

 

[49greg]

I think asking an experienced writer about their process can lead to unintentionally false answers.

I often feel as if I'm on the fly - that I had an idea for a character or a scenario, and I'm just writing like a madman to describe that inspiration and see where it goes.

Except, I know when my characters are veering off path. But how can I know my characters are veering off path if I don't have an outline or goal in mind?

Because I do, even if I don't admit it, I do. I've written (and read) enough stories to know the general arc. When I start typing, I might not know Sally has a sketchbook full of penis sketches, but I DO know her new roommate is going to drop a box full of dildos in front of her. Writing that Sally has a sketchbook full of penis sketches feels like a discovery, unscripted, as much a surprise for me as it for the reader - except:

I knew Sally and her new roommate were going to wind up having hot Sappho sex before I ever started writing. Maybe I didn't know Sally had a heart-shaped mole on her hip or maybe I did. Maybe seeing a picture of a cute model with a similar mole inspired Sally - but when you read my story, you shouldn't be able to tell which details were a surprise to me and which details were planned.

I have a friend of mine who carves cigar store Indians. He knows, going into his carving, it's going to be a cigar store Indian. He even knows his Indian will reflect a Sioux or Blackfoot or whatever tribe. But he makes lots of discoveries along the way.

I believe we outline and pre-plan a plot as much as we need to, and the rest of the shit? We make that up as we go along.

Good point. I liked the bit about " unintentionally false answers. " That's true about a lot of things.

On a slightly related subject, I saw a discovery or science channel type program a while back that suggested our subconscious is really in control and that by the time we make our our conscious decision it was already made for us. Or something like that. I was trying to write a sex scene while I was watching it so I'm not sure how much I retained.

So how much of this comment did the conscious me plan and type and how much did the unconscious me type. Is that what JBJ calls navel watching?

 

[tamgreen]

I never outline, aside from having maybe a few scenes in mind I'd like to work towards. I always start with a character. I find a properly fleshed out character is what really draws in the audience I write for. I get inside that character's head and just start writing, start to finish, then read over, polish, and I'm done.

I don't really have any little writing rituals. I'm pretty much writing all day, very day, in little scattered segments. I mostly write via mobile... my phone is there the moment inspiration strikes.