What is the best method to write a story?

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How much planning do you put into writing?

Poll ended at 3 years ago

I start writing and see where it goes.
4
22%
I plan the basic idea of the story and the rest develops as i work through it.
11
61%
I plan most of the story before writing but there are periods where i can let my imagination run wild.
2
11%
I plan everything, all i have to do is type it up.
1
6%
Other - please comment
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 18

Bigballgag1
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What is the best method to write a story?

Post by Bigballgag1 »

Just wondering out of interest how much it varies in how people choose to write stories for the site. Currently if i get time to write, i dont really plan anything in great detail, Ii just start writing and see where it takes the story. However id imagine there ae people the opposite that have everything planned out so that its just a typing up exercise as well as variations in between.

Look forward to seeing any answers :)
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Xtc
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Post by Xtc »

I often take the same walk into the village.
As I walk, I start to "write". Different places along the walk "save" episodes for me. They provide prompts as I walk. Sometimes an entire story can be in place after several walks before a key is struck. https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=853 is one such story.
They all say boxer shorts are cool,
but little Speedos always rule.
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slackywacky
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Post by slackywacky »

I have an idea on what I want to happen in the chapter, but that's about it. How I get there and what happens to the characters in my story normally comes to fruit when I start typing. I will reread what I have written and might add some details, but hardly ever do I delete large parts, my stories are mostly ready for consumption when I am done writing.

It does not take long to write either. I started around 10:30 on the last chapter for 'Hitchhiker' and posted it before 1 PM. It was 5.5 pages in 2.5 hours (using Word and Calibri 11 font) and that included research. This last story is factual based, the locations all exist, although the story itself is fictional, so it takes a little more research than my other stories that are located 'somewhere'.

Everybody writes differently. We differ in style, content, detail, character development, grammar, textual spacing and so on. Some stories are easier to read than others, even if they are written in the same style. Not everybody can write, even if they might have great ideas for stories.

Sometimes just reading a story will make you wonder why it was posted in 'true stories', as the story is clearly impossible in real life. But that does not make it a bad story, for some people that is just fine, for others not. That is life, everybody can write a great story, it all depends on the reader if he/she likes it.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment.
Slackywacky, also @DeviantArt

My active stories: Updated story catalog: All my stories
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Gagfan
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Post by Gagfan »

My general writing method is pretty much the following:

1) Come up with an idea, or get a reader suggestion. I have a list of story ideas going, sometimes I immediately have a good idea of what to do with it and proceed, sometimes the idea sits for awhile

2) Type a rough draft. I usually dont deeply plot out my ideas chapter by chapter, once I have a pretty good idea I begin to write. SOmetimes the story comes together pretty fast, in a mere matter of hours. Sometimes its a very piecemeal process where I will write a bit then let it sit until a good additional idea comes up. Sometimes I have multiple incomplete rough drafts sitting around at various levels of completion

3) Let it sit for a bit and occasionally give it an additional read. Sometimes I dont really change anything other than typos, sometimes as I give it a read I make structural changes to improve it.

My three steps are pretty fluid though, for some ideas the story comes together fast, the only limitation is the speed with which I can type it. Other stories are a steady process, I write a bit and let it sit, then write some more. Some rough drafts are very rough and get a lot of editing, others I am pretty happy with immediately

Overall though I feel regardless of what method you use, the key is do not force it. If you need to take a step back and give things time to come together, do it. Trying to knuckle down and force your way through is far more likely to lead to a story you arent happy with IMO
For my stories I haven't gotten around to posting here: https://gagfan.wordpress.com/
drawscore
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Post by drawscore »

I develop a basic idea, and go from there. Some detail is necessary to the story, but you don't want the details to distract from the story.

I look to photos, drawings, and vidcaps for inspiration. There's a ton of them out there. If the subject is wearing something not normally worn, a brief explanation of why, is usually in order. (He's in a scout uniform because he's getting initiated into scouts; Indians took his clothes, and made him wear buckskins; although it was early, the twins were in for the night, and had changed into their pajamas, etc.)

Drawscore
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Xtc
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Post by Xtc »

Pleas avoid starts such as:
In came the attractive 40-odd year old brunette, Ava Dinage who was tall for a woman and was wearing her normal working clothes of high heels, a pencil skirt and a smart, white blouse.
John Fredericks, her slightly balding but still ruggedly handsome paramour was waiting for her wearing his favourite old jeans and a sweatshirt more suited to a younger man and a truly anomalous bandanna on his bespectacled head.

Let such details, if they are important, rise from the narrative.
They all say boxer shorts are cool,
but little Speedos always rule.
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OldTUGger
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Post by OldTUGger »

My approach is to pick an overall theme for the story, and to have an idea for the first scene.

Once I begin, I often spend quite a bit of time on the first few paragraphs -- setting the scene, setting the story's tone, establishing its characters -- and then I just let the narrative develop organically.

Most of my writing experience has been in nonfiction. The aforementioned approach works well for me in that genre, so I use it for fiction, too.

It works for me. Your mileage may vary.
Links to all of my stories can be found here in the Story Catalog: https://www.tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=6023
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