Last week, I sat down at my computer without a scene in mind. I looked at the blank page and I began to write. Words poured out of me, and as those words turned into sentences, and those sentences turned into paragraphs, a scene emerged. By the time the writing session ended, I'd reached 1,000 words.
Three years ago, my author journey began with a similar writing session, so it was a thrill to return to my roots. Even though I'm a steadfast believer in the power and effectiveness of careful revision, I'm also a freewriter by nature. It's my favorite way to dive into a story: start writing and see which characters emerge. What are they feeling? Where are they going? It's exhilarating, finding the answers as I type. It's improvisation, and I value improvisation in every art form.
Now that I'm wrapping up revisions on my first novel (I know I've been saying that for months, but I am truly in the final stretch), I'm starting to turn my attention to my next project. I've had the idea for it for over a year, but the drafting process has been slow-going. I've written 5,000 words since I began drafting in October. To put it in perspective, there are around 80,000 words in my completed novel.
When I wrote my first novel, I wasn't bogged down by "shoulds" like outlines. I had to outline eventually, but at the beginning, I just let myself write. Even once I realized that these scenes were turning into a novel, I jumped around in the story. I skipped ahead and wrote the final paragraphs while I still had fifteen unwritten chapters. During the holidays, I imagined my characters in a snowstorm, and I wrote about it without hesitation. The scene didn't make it into future iterations of the novel, but it was still a valuable exercise.
I've seen other writers dub this method "discovery writing," and I LOVE that name. It's true: you discover the world you're creating when you write without a plan and without pressure. You discover how to write. You hone your writing muscles and play with the characters to help them become real, fluid, and familiar.
Of course, it goes without saying that novels need plots. And if they need plots, then they also need outlines. The nuts and bolts of fiction writing are real and important: conflict, tension, motivation, stakes, etc. And, done well, they're just as much fun as dialogue and description.
For this next novel, however, I initially resisted discovery writing. I thought I needed to focus on plotting from the get-go, like a "real" author. But I am real author. I affirmed that in my last blog post. And, for me, the drafting experience is so much more productive and meaningful when I give myself permission to discovery write. As before, the scenes are disjointed right now. Some of them won't make the final draft (which is years in the future, anyway). But I already know these characters so much better. And what's even more important, I'm looking forward to writing.
The plot will come. There will come a time when I can't ignore it any longer. I'm prepared for that moment. When it does come, though, I'll have pages upon pages of scenes waiting to be strung together and make something whole.
So, friends, let this be your reminder to create in the way that makes your soul sing. There is no one "right" way to be an artist. And, above all, don't lose the fun.
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