Writing ahead?

[MelanieShaman]

I've been away for two years, not really writing (doing some board game design), but I was inspired to return (doing a complete rewrite of two of my series'). While I started, I was away for the weekend (Ren Faire) and started writing a part of the store I hadn't written previously. That will actually take place, likely quite a while into the future of the current narrative.

Does anyone else write "in the future"?

 

[MillieDynamite]

My dad does, I have but try to keep from doing that. I'm not organized enough to write stories eons apart.

 

[KeithD]

I don't remember having done so, no. I do sometime write prequels, but I think that's always been a decision to do after the "later" of the story was already written and published.

 

[RejectReality]

To a certain extent.

I have the family tree of my Magic of the Wood series lined up for a full generation beyond where I've written. The next one is the tale of the last of the first generation of kids. I know how many kids he and all his siblings/cousins are going to have, when they were born, where they're going to end up living, etc.

I like to sprinkle them in with brief cameos during non-sexual parts of the story, so I need to have at least a bare-bones bio of who they are. Waving to three young cousins as you ride by the house on horseback during a date. ( Once removed, actually. Nineteen year gap between his dad and his aunt. ) Things like that. It typically draws out a little of the personalities that will have a bearing on when they turn 18 and get their own stories.

As to posting something from the future... Not yet. I've gone backwards and written history for posted or in-progress stories, but I've never jumped ahead as of yet.

 

[MelanieShaman]

Yes. I got into Scrivener for the ability to write specific scenes without knowing exactly where they go yet.

Also...board game design? *interest piqued*

I am designing two dungeon crawler board games at the same time (one sci-fi and one fantasy-themed). It's an incredible amount of testing and retesting.

Isn't scrivener really expensive? I looked at it a few years ago, but I don't recall.

 

[MelanieShaman]

It's normally like $50. I got it during a sale they had a few years ago for around $20 or $30.


Was a birthday gift from my husband.

And dungeon crawlers?? *very interested* If you get them past the design stage, please feel free to PM me details so I can support. I love board games and dungeon crawlers are my favorite! (Especially if they can be played by two people. My husband and I game together.)

Thank you very much, I will do that.

Is that a year or forever? (I guess I could look it up myself) LMAO

 

[LupusDei]

There was a moment when I wrote a short transition into a scene written out of order, thinking I would have to change that once I would write the preceding part, shaking my head that it's not likely how it should be, but when I wrote up to there later, I was amazed myself how it flowed right in and was exactly right in context I didn't know previously. Or did, but only haven't written it yet?

 

[LAHomedog]

I have. I frequently do a cold opening that describes a future act and then have to bring the story up to that time and incorporate the already described future part.

If you are just jumping your story forward, bump it forward. Add a chapter title like "Three Years Later."

If you are jumping to the future and then bringing your story forward to it, I find it is helpful to outline out some plot points as a rode map, and sometimes during the narrative drop more segments of the future in to weave everything together.

Here's a story I wrote with Eva_Adams that starts in the near future and them goes back and tells the story in real time eventually catching up to the future acts.

https://www.literotica.com/s/on-location-pt-01

 

[TadOverdon]

I do it routinely. I won't write the final chapter until last, but sometimes I'll jot down the last sentence.