I write and revise in order. My brain does not consider it optional. Save for going back to quickly make a note, add something in one particular place, or find a specific detail, I do everything in the order it happens in the manuscript (generally chronologically, as far as it goes). For the most part, it helps me keep everything straight, remember when twists are revealed, remember which information comes when, what certain things happen in the mc's emotional arc, etc. I think it's a pretty natural way to approach things. I mean, it is how I read, after all. ;)
It's not always a great approach to writing and revising, though. If I get stuck, I have a really hard time skipping over a scene and coming back to it later. So if I want to take a break from it and work on something else, I usually have to pick something outside of my manuscript. A totally different project. I can also usually work on the query or the synopsis, or outline something new, so it's not all bad, and I get other stuff done that might make my life easier later! But. We all know how frustrating a day or two (or, let's be honest, a week or two sometimes) away from the manuscript can feel. (That is, until you return to it refreshed and realize it was worth it.)
A dear friend and critique partner of mine does NOT write in order. (She'll know who she is when she reads this.) Quite the opposite: she sees scenes in her head and she writes them down, regardless of where they go in relationship to each other. And her brain has an uncanny knack for fitting them all together later. (Seriously. It's impressive. I could never make my brain do that for me.)
(I've tried it, too. The writing out of order thing. All I ended up with was a mess that didn't make sense, and I never did finish that novel. Didn't even get close. This is not a skill I possess.)
I'm guessing a lot of people are somewhere in between. Writing mostly in chronological order but having the freedom to jump around, or working off an outline so that you can write the "fun" scenes first and the connecting stuff later, or skipping over stuff with far less anxiety than it causes me if the need should arise, or starting with the scenes you see vividly, and then working from the beginning...I can think of a bunch of other examples but I'll stop now.
I am really curious, though, as to how everyone else works. How is it for you: order, random, or somewhere in the middle? If you want to go into detail, please do! I would very much love to hear it. :)
Oh, I TOTALLY do things chronologically. I don't know how people are able to do things out of order AT ALL. It's amazing. So I'm with you!
ReplyDeleteOh my god! Blogger introduced threaded comments! I can actually REPLY now! And you are the FIRST PERSON!!!! Yay!
DeleteEven doing tiny things out of order makes me twitchy. I especially don't know how people work on the tiny nuances of emotional arcs when they write or edit out of order! Amazes me, too!
I try and do things chronologically, but my brain always thinks of scenes and ideas that I automatically have to write down, so I can fit them in later.
ReplyDeleteMy brain does that to me, too. I usually write down a quick summary of what I see, including any key words or details, and then I just keep on truckin' until I get to the place where I get to write the scene I saw.
DeleteI mostly write in chronological order, but sometimes a scene or line is just begging to be written down before its time. So I just go with it. I plot ahead, so I often know what's coming next, anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhen revising I do a lot of jumping around, which makes it easier for me to stay "in-love" with the story when things are getting too familiar.
I wish I could jump around when revising. It definitely would help with the problem of getting sick of stories, or scenes. So far it hasn't worked out for me, though. I just end up repeating myself...
DeleteI write scenes out of order all the time, but I generally create outlines first so I know what order the scenes will go. I write what scenes form in my mind first or "important" scenes that I know develop the plot or characters the most. Once I have these "key" scenes (or the scenes I stuck in my head) down, I tend to tried writing in chronological order to fill in the other scenes (sometimes according to my outline but not always). But even then my brain likes to jump around when new inspiration or changes hit me.
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense, if you have an outline. I can see jumping around if you already know where everything goes! I've never made a true outline for a first draft, only storyboards and bulleted lists for revisions.
DeleteWhen I draft, I definitely plow right through from chapter one until the end. But it's not always necessarily exactly chronological, because there are flashbacks and so forth sometimes.
ReplyDeleteWhen revising, I can jump all over the place, depending on need or especially because of notes from CPs.
I kept my use of the word chronological to a minimum, because I write drafts in the order that the STORY happens, whether or not that story is chronological. But I have to write it in order, chapter one to chapter the last.
DeleteGreat post, Alexandra! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those "in between" people. When I write, for the most part it's chronological (or "story order"). But I'll also write random scenes and tie it all together later (very much like your critique partner).
I guess I'm the most chronological when I revise. If I think of something for a scene I'm not working on at the time, I'll usually jot a note to myself and revise it once I reach that scene. But even in revisions, sometimes I'll jump around a bit. :)