#Writing methods

[vivsinkpot]

Plotting vs Discovery Writing: Should You Plan Your Story or Wing It?

Ah, the age-old writer’s dilemma:

Do you map every scene like a tactician drawing battle plans — or dive in with nothing but vibes and a chaotic sense of adventure?

Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of both approaches — and why the real magic might lie somewhere in between. 🖋️

Plotting (Outlining / Planning)

Pros:

✔️ Clear direction – You know where you’re going. No getting lost in the woods.

✔️ Foreshadowing magic – You can plant clues, callbacks, and payoff arcs with confidence.

✔️ Fewer plot holes – A roadmap helps spot inconsistencies early.

✔️ Less panic during writing – You’ve already solved some of the hardest narrative problems.

Cons:

✖️ It can feel rigid – The story may resist your outline or outgrow it.

✖️ Planning fatigue – You might lose momentum before the writing even begins.

✖️ Less room for surprise – Characters can feel boxed in by pre-decided fates.

✖️ Too much structure can kill discovery – Sometimes the magic is in what you didn’t see coming.

Discovery Writing (Pantsing / Writing as You Go)

Pros:

✔️ Creative freedom – You’re exploring in real time. Characters can surprise you.

✔️ Organic pacing – The story flows from instinct and mood.

✔️ Emotional authenticity – Moments feel raw, fresh, and true to how they unfolded.

✔️ Writing is more exciting – You’re discovering the story as a reader would.

Cons:

✖️ You might write into a corner – Plot knots are harder to untangle without a plan.

✖️ Revision may be intense – You’ll likely need more editing to fix structure, foreshadowing, and pacing.

✖️ Themes may be muddled – Without direction, your story can lose its core.

✖️ Momentum stalls – Getting stuck is common if you don’t know what happens next.

The Hybrid Approach (A Little Bit of Both)

Plot the skeleton. Discover the heart.

Many writers outline broad strokes (major beats, ending, key twists), but leave space to discover the emotional or interpersonal journey as they write.

You might:

Write a chapter, then outline the next.

Plan major events, but improvise how characters get there.

Start as a pantser, then reverse-outline what you’ve done.

There’s no “right” way — just the one that keeps you writing and enjoying your craft.

Final Thought:

Plotting is a compass.

Pantsing is a storm.

Every writer’s ship sails differently — but the goal is the same: reach the end, and love the journey.

[lovemefornever]

calling all fellow writers ; what's your favourite way to kick your writers block?

& I'm not talking about the typical binge through prompts or rereading your favourite works !

something unique and strange and a little silly :D

[yaraaltrospace]

Which is your style: Storytelling Structure/Writing Method

I identify as a Snowflake Methodist on the long run. Glad to know there was a name for my type of writing, tbh

More info about each here

Tag your fellow writer/storymaker/lorebuilder/OC tale developer pals!

I tag for starters: @ultfreakme and @janethepegasus!

[swifty-fox]

you've talked before about being a pantser who comes up with an idea and works on the story as it comes to you, but aren't you ever scared you'l write yourself off course or into a corner you don't know how to get out of? sorry if this is, like, asking too much or something but as an extreme plotter i just find it so interesting to see how other people's writing processes work.

i present u the original story i wrote myself into a hole with.

It happens!!! It hasn't happened with a MOTA fjc yet thankfully but of course it happens. I think the thing that helps me the MOST is having a solid understanding of the ending and how everything is resolved.

With kingdom for a kiss i knew from the get-go there would be an argument outside where john kisses gale, I knew it would end with him going back to wyoming with gale to live happily ever after (mostly happily) so as long as I knew the final direction and goal I was headed towards I could meander around as I pleased. Hence why the word count got so high.

I use playlists and music EXTENSIVELY to direct my plot and emotions.

meet me at the chapel was written entirely to Chapel by Adam Mac (all ten hours of writing)

the james arc in kfak was arguably my most difficult to write and I would not have been able to without listening to these two songs the entire time

my body is a cage by arcade fire and roman candle by elliot smith

(and one more but I cant remember what it is)

I do plot in a vague sense! i know the points i want to touch on in my head and just connect the threads between.

for kfak it was:

john showing up, the stargazing, the creek, the church, james arc, the kiss, ending. Everything else came to me as I wrote

[hallucinateonpaperspines]

Asking this as a British person BUT IS ASHLYN BRITSH?? If so I feel like in traditional 2010’s style the kids would constantly make the bohtle of wahter jokes and the like

Oh, they most definitely would! Probably with a few POH-TTAHs sprinkled in.

Honestly, Ashlyn's nationality isn't something I've given much thought to. Originally, in the very very early and unpublished version of this story, she was a self-insert (Oh the cringy shame! but I was in middle school... so valid excuse?) Then I re-discovered my old writing when I was looking for inspiration and decided to fix it up, create a proper plot, and post it. Part of that transition was remaking Ashlyn into a Y/N type character, where I kept the name only because I find Y/N very jarring, instead of purely a mask for my own individual voice.

She is no longer a mini-me, my child is complete with her own virtues and vices that have nothing to do with my previous 11-year-old brain but there are definitely some traces of my voice still left in her. Mostly in her creative swearing.

As the fic has developed, she's definitely grown into her own fully actualized character, and I am *this close* to removing the reader insert tag altogether. The only thing stopping me is that, other than her very striking personality, Ashlyn Moore is still pretty vague.

This makes sense because the story focuses on her transition and the after-effects of dimension hopping, but that means that other details are lost because they aren't as narratively important.

I think I'll continue to leave most of her background up to the reader's interpretation. But, considering the fact you lovable internet stalkers have sussed out that I'm British, her sharing some elements of that would fit with the origins of her character.

But yeah, I feel like Vince would have made a water bottle comment when they first met.

And then Ashlyn would have chucked the bottle at him.

[jadiealissia]

Remember to reblog so we can get more results!

[petiolata]

Only got 1.5k written today, but I'm happy with that. Because I didn't expect to get any writing done at all today, with how busy Sundays usually are. Plus with feeling like a zombie this morning and all.

But I persevered. Maybe I will get this and the previous part edited today, maybe and probably not. But I will try.

It's funny but one of the best ways for me to get writing is to get on my treadmill. Then as I'm walking I start thinking about my story and began mentally fleshing out the next part. Then I start wanting to write it. And since I write using a headset, I can just do that as I continue my walking.

This novel is slowly inching along.

I was interested in something the other day, and looked at a 400K fic that someone had written. Going by the initial posted date and completion dates, they would have only had to write about 9K words a month to have created that. (No doubt it wasn't evenly and neatly divided and distributed like that, since few writers have that rigid a writing schedule. People can write 60k one month and then nothing for months on end.) But anyway that only comes out to needing to write about 2k a week. That's just one writing session a week for a lot of people.

What I mean to say with all this is that you can create quite a lot, even if you only write in small amounts, as long as you is steadily chip away at it. Myself, I really do tend to do better when I create and stick to a daily writing habit. But that's just me. Everyone will have different methods and approaches that work for them best.

[berenwrites]

How do you write?

Hello lovely writers of Tumblr - how are you today? I have a question.

How do you go about writing? (poll at the bottom)

I am not a planner - I write what comes into my head as it does, which also means I write totally out of order and fill-in/make-it-make-sense, once I go back. When I go back through to figure out what else I need to write in I'm lucky if I get a one line note down - sometimes it just says FILLIN.

Sometimes I get to a point where I have to create a timeline just to sort out what's going on in my head properly.

But my twin writes completely in order and plans so much before hand. Her scene notes often have so much detail!

[loryn-art]

Oh no here she comes again with the fanfict she will never write=

Okay, I'm in the middle of a mess, trying to organize my first draft. I managed to write a short summary and a full synopsis, using the Snowflake method, and for now, I'd say it actually works.

Read more bellow if you dare.

I wanted to share with you my first Character sheets tests, (because I'm stupidly proud of it) but also, if you're in the same situation and looking for a model; here is mine. It's a mix of different results I found through many Youtube channels and google, and some of my own ideas.

The Snowflake method helps you to prepare your story step by step, starting from a simple sentence resuming your plot to a full detailed synopsis. Plus, creating your characters profiles. You can find many videos about it on Youtube, (I really had fun making this, but it might to not suit you as all writers have different way to work.) There is a full part on how to write your character description, but this is where I took some liberties;

I found all of the pictures on Pinterest, except for Lucas' face. I used the Artbreeder app, and with the few free credits I had, I somehow managed to mix two images to have a close result, then edited it on Procreate.

There is no spoilers in those descriptions, you can read them safely. (If you're ever interested in my story ^^)

The steps :

Some infos about your characters, size, eyes color, hair color, peculiar details of their bodies, fears, ect...

A short summary of their story and current status.

Their concrete goal, or what they want to do.

Their abstract goal, or why they want to do it. (those part can be tricky to discern, so I just asked myself what are they doing in the story, and then why.)

What is preventing them to reach this goal, external or mental obstacles, burdens and conflicts with themselves or with another element/character, past traumas ect...

How your characters are going to evolve to reach they goal, what kind of person they will become and what they have to do to get there. What they are going to learn through the story.

The status, alive or deceased at the end of the story. Add a short description in the second case. (I voluntary erased my answer here to avoid spoilers ! )

A page about whatever makes you think about your character. Think about details you haven't written in the description, but also ambiances, or even memories.

Remember that I'm a beginner/casual writer, maybe this isn't the best way to create your characters but I found this very fun to do and constructive. It helped me to think a lot about their personalities and choices, impacting the plot.

Feel free to give it a try, and share your results, changes, or even advice !

Thanks for reading ! And good luck for your projects !

[okamirayne]

Hey Rayne! Just wanted to drop in with an ask about writing. I'm curious if you have any unusual or uncommon advice about the writing process. I guess I'm looking for some suggestions that go beyond 'read lots' and 'just write', you know? Any experiences or methods you'd be happy to share would be great! No pressure though! I'm just curious. ^.^

Hey there, Anon!

Thanks for your ASK -- and for your patience with my delayed reply.

I'm curious if you have any unusual or uncommon advice about the writing process. I guess I'm looking for some suggestions that go beyond 'read lots' and 'just write', you know?

Wow. Ok. Before I throw some ideas out there, I gotta state the small caveat that: when it comes to writing advice, any experiences or methods I suggest are to be tried, tested, and either kept or thrown out according to how useful you find it. I don't think there's a one-size fits all -- which is kind of what the "read lots" and "just write" no-brainers possibly attempt to be? It's a very safe suggestion, right? Just read and write...there's no mention of ritual libations (using questionable and highly-flammable liquids) or moonlit sacrificial offerings to the ink-demon, Scribonian, that lurks at the bottomless well of Lost Writer's Tears...

Not that I do that... *sidesways look*

Seriously though. Experiences and methods that have helped me as a writer which aren't standard suggestions are:

fanfic writing (for developmental purposes and feedback)

And, believe it or not, RP. Roleplaying.

Ok...so when I say "roleplaying", I'm not talking about whip-me-whip-me games in Christian Grey's Red Room of pain (I mean, if you're into that and it inspires the inner eros and passionate writer in you, go for it -- whatever works, yeah?)

I'm talking about old-school RPing, which used to be done on link-based forums (with threads and replies) on some quiet little back-alley website, usually crafted by a dedicated fan; these 'threads' migrated occasionally onto chat platforms like AIM (Christ, I feel old).

Now, back when I was flexing my muse muscles with other writers who wanted to try out their OCs or just have fun with canon characters, it was often AIM where the 'stories' played out...and LiveJournal was the social media hangout.

It was a blast!

A regular OMG event back then. Especially when your co-writers would come up with a killer response...

I've never experienced anything quite like that when it came to exploring my characters...I mean, you're writing that shit in REAL TIME. You're responding AS your character, AS things unfold, with very little time to think/plot/plan in certain instances...I guess it's kind of like method acting...it forces you to be extremely present and very much in the character's skin.

Aah, I miss those days, as it's a helluva rush being able to transport yourself into a world that is unfolding as the other writer(s) respond. You have no idea what's going to happen, as you're not in control of the other writer's responses. And when you're writing action scenes or romance scenes, it's nail-biting. I used to love throwing twists in there, just for shit and giggles. It's also a co-creating experience and if the other writer/s are on your wavelength, it can be a fabulous method and experience of creative engagement when it comes to developing and exploring your characters -- or, if it's for a ficlet / fanfic purposes, it's cool for writing a joint fanfic with another writer.

Now, I have no idea if any such chat platforms exist for that kind of back-and-forth RPing...after AIM died and LiveJournal became a ghost town, I didn't come across anything quite like that -- that's not to say it doesn't exist somewhere else.

But, if you know a bunch of writers who are happy to start up an RP with you, there's an idea: writing in 'real-time' is the most intense and awesome way to do it, but not necessary - sometimes it might not even be practical if you live in different time zones. Either way, RPing, like fanfic writing, is a cool way to explore characters -- for me, it was super-awesome, as I'm insanely character-centric in my creative process...that's not the same for everyone. So do what works for you and your process.

I'm not sure if those two suggestions are helpful?? I mean, you could always try the ritual sacrifice and blind-drunk writing route, if all else fails. I joke, I seriously joke.

My grim humour aside, whatever tickles you, DO THAT THING. So long as you're not harming yourself or others -- I mean that quite seriously, as writers can get into godawful, stupid habits when it comes to their practice. My RPing days regularly ended up with me and insomnia doing the dirty tango at Stupid O'Clock due to syncing up time zones with other writers -- it became a bad 'I'm-invincible-(the fuck you are)" habit I took into my later writing practice that did some hardline damage that I still struggle with. So yeah, if that singularly self-inflicted part of my burnout has taught me anything, it's that self-care has gotta come first, even if you have to pause your writing in the middle of an intensely fabulous scene. Makes for good stuff to come back to the next time. Does that count as advice?? Serve as a cautionary tale?? Both??

Ok, Anon, I've waffled on. I hope there's something of use here in my ramblings. I wish you every success and joy in exploring whatever ideas and methods tickle your inner writer. Feel free to let me know what's worked for you as you embark!

All the best, sweetie. Thanks for this interesting ASK! x

[quaykey]

My Thoughts on Gardener vs. Architect

I figured it might be worth sharing the approach I take to writing because maybe some people out there might be people out there who find it interesting.

If you're unfamiliar with what the 'Gardner vs. Architect' idea is about, give this a read - it'll explain better than I can:

Gardener vs Architect, Which Type Suits You Best – LivingWriter Writing Blog

My approach is a hybrid between the two. I'm gardner who relies on an architect mentality to achieve a cohesive, creative whole. So how does that look?

At the start of a project, I start to list work out the ideas and themes I have in mind for this story. I'll use a document, a digital whiteboard, whatever feels right. This is supposed to be an idea dump - things I think would be interesting to read. The key here is that there's no structure.

From those pieces, I start to form structure. Perhaps a theme on "loss" could develop into a small arc; character A has to go through a tragic loss. How does the loss happen? What motions do they go through? I chart this idea out into something more structured. This is where the Gardner becomes the Architect.

I repeat this process until I have a bunch of stuff I could string together into a somewhat coherent whole. The purpose of what I'm doing right now is the get the overall storyline.

When I get stuck, I turn to a post-it note style of planning:

This is a barebones framework for a character arc. It could be the main story arc, or it could be a side arc. Regardless, it's not quite enough to write a whole arc with.

I'll seperate the story beats like so, and in the middle put blank post-it notes:

Now it's my job to fill in how we get from post-it note 1 to note 3. Again, this doesn't have to be detailed. It could be simple ideas, or specific scenes you had in your braindstorm that could fit in.

And volia, from nowhere, the bones of a story are starting to form.

I could continue this, or I might start to write the opening scene I have in mind.

While I'm writing that opening scene at the funeral, I might gardener myself some ideas which relate to the beat about "similar circumstances of death."

When she looked at her friends wrist, she noticed that a tatto she had was missing.

Now I have a new thread to add to my structure; the killer removes tattoos.

And during a later story beat, I might want to explain why that is. I'll add a small post-it note to remind myself to close that thread when I get to that section of the story.

Now this is no literary work of genius, but for an example it highlights how in a few minutes you can have the structure (architect) of something to allow you to behave like a gardner and explore your ideas freely and expressively.

As I write, I expand my outline. As my outline grows, I might have ideas that I need to go back and add into already completed chapters.

Here's the outline for the work I'm currently writing. It started off with only four or five post-it notes, and grew over the course of a week or two while I've been writing the first three chapters:

You'll see I use colours to represent threads/arcs/themes, arrows to show the flow of these arcs, and sub-notes whenever I have things I want to remember for future use.

I hope you found this interesting!

[astramthetaprime]

The Story Tarot

Okay so I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, and in an effort to escape my current life situation this seems like a good night to do this and not think about the impending doom for a couple hours.  So here goes.

In accordance with the Standard Rules for Science-Fiction Writing, when asked ‘where do you get your ideas’, the Standard Answer is ‘a post office box in Poughkeepsie”.  This Standard Answer was used even by Isaac Asimov himself.  I have, on occasion, used it myself.  But now I will share with you what method I actually use.  

This method can be done without needing to use cards, you could do this simply by listing the various items on a numbered list and either using a random number generator online or using dice to determine which items to use.  I have found actual cards to be helpful in that one can lay them out, move them around, and have them all laid out in relation to each other.  It’s more tangible, y’know?  

You will need:  

A deck of blank cards of some type.  Index cards can be used, but you can also find blank playing cards on Amazon.  

A Sharpie.  

A box or other container to keep them in.

A scratchpad and pen.

For Science-Fiction, you will also need this website, Speculative Fiction Tropes

(There’s also other trope lists on the Genre Tropes section of the same website if you’re wanting romance, adventure, etc.)

I started out with these tropes but later removed a lot of them from my deck and replaced them with other things such as “gray goo”, “alien abduction”, “wandering planet” and other more scientifically based things.  You can add elements from other genres -- romance tropes, ancient history tropes, horror tropes, whatever suits your fancy.

Break out your cards and your Sharpie and start writing the tropes one per card.

Once done, gather them up, shuffle several times, and start dealing out cards.  My usual method here is to deal out 5 cards, then spread them out and sit with them to see if anything sparks interest.  If a card or two just doesn’t work for you, deal two more and put the first two back in the deck.  Keep doing this, thinking and dealing out cards, moving them around to relate them one to each other.  You might start with 3 cards or 10, or any number that seems good to you.  What you’re looking for here is ideas, not sticking to a method.  Does anything stand out that you feel needs to be the centerpiece of a plot?  Are any of them something the antagonist might use as a weapon, or as their secret weakness, or as the one thing that scares the protagonist beyond all reason?  

Whatever you find in the cards, write down your final card list and notes on your ideas on your trusty scratchpad.  You can either set it aside in an “ideas” file or use it straightaway, either way you’ve got it salted away for future use.

As stated above, if you don’t have the means to get blank playing cards or blank index cards, you can always just do them as a numbered list and either use dice or a random number generator to choose your prospective idea chunks.  Maybe write them on post-it notes so you can move them around as you would with cards, or just copy them into a text file and move around as and when needed. 

Anyway, that’s the Story Tarot.  It can be as elaborate or as simple as you want.  I’m still using a subset of my original hand-written cards, I narrowed mine down to a deck that’s only slightly more than a standard deck of playing cards.  But I can add new cards at any time since I still have two or three sets of blank cards in reserve.  The deck I have now includes astronomical phenomena, futurist concepts, space technologies, cyberpunk tropes, and character actions.  But you can do a deck with Wild West, Age of Sail, Cthulhu Mythos and Indian Mythology if that’s the stuff that you want to write.  The Tarot is infinitely adaptable and can change with your tastes and interests.  

Have fun!  Let me know if you find this useful!  And thanks for listening!

[garryrogers]

This is a trial application of my methods booklet on Romance Short Stories. True climate-change fiction.

[my-wordbook]

Eucatastrophe

a sudden and favorable resolution of events in a story; a happy ending.

[chaosprinceundivided]

Rulek's writer doesn't do not physically play out his combat scenes to make sense. He certainly does not still have mock fights like a kid. Totally not.

[visckera]

idk man. i just think itd be really cool if sign language classes were mandatory throughout primary school. yeah because it would make communication with deaf kids and autistic/nonverbal kids much easier. and those kids would be accessible to the others so they could make friends and have healthy relationships. yeah. and kids would eat that shit up man. like their own little secret language? they love that.