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Writing out a Story/Character Arc - do you do one or just let it flow?

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Unknown User
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I'm in a spot of bother with a story, I had it all laid out in my head. As soon as I've committed it to writing, it's a mess. It's plodding, no pace and just too wordy. Horrors of horrors, even the sexy stuff is a little dull.

I'm minded to do a story arc, just bullet-points but something to keep the story going in the direction I want to.

Could anyone provide any insights on how they keep stories going without getting bogged down?

Many thanks in advance.........
Dancing_Doll
Alpha Blonde
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I do a short summary of the story before I ever start - all bullet-points as you've said. For me, it's important to have a sketch so that I'm mindful of where I'm going, what characters are involved and roughly how many words I want to dedicate to each scene so that it's paced properly.

I highly recommend mapping it out ahead of time - particularly if it's a story that involves more than one scene. This also allows you to layer a story with texture and sub-plots or themes and show the natural progression of the characters if the action in the story causes them to change over time or discover new things about themselves etc.

Not to mention that when you have the skeleton of the story set up, all you have to do from there is flesh it out. It's easier to keep writing and not break momentum or end up with writer's block because you're not sure what needs to happen next.
Milik_the_Red
Internet Philosopher
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Quote by Dancing_Doll
I do a short summary of the story before I ever start - all bullet-points as you've said. For me, it's important to have a sketch so that I'm mindful of where I'm going, what characters are involved and roughly how many words I want to dedicate to each scene so that it's paced properly.

I highly recommend mapping it out ahead of time - particularly if it's a story that involves more than one scene. This also allows you to layer a story with texture and sub-plots or themes and show the natural progression of the characters if the action in the story causes them to change over time or discover new things about themselves etc.

Not to mention that when you have the skeleton of the story set up, all you have to do from there is flesh it out. It's easier to keep writing and not break momentum or end up with writer's block because you're not sure what needs to happen next.


This is sound advice. I generally have a direction in mind when I start and sometimes I'll run through the entire idea with simple, basic sentences that run through the story. Then I can go back and fill in the actual detail.

I have noticed a tendency to wander of subject. Don't let that happen. Cut away parts that don't have relevance to your story. Things that need to be known can be added, but don't try to do it all at once. Work as much information into the dialog as you can.

Go back and see where it lags. If you feel like skipping ahead, it's certain your readers will. Keep the story moving evenly. By using segues, you can create a work that doesn't have any break points. You don't want the reader to put it down for later because they probably won't return.
Unknown User
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Quote by Dancing_Doll
I do a short summary of the story before I ever start - all bullet-points as you've said. For me, it's important to have a sketch so that I'm mindful of where I'm going, what characters are involved and roughly how many words I want to dedicate to each scene so that it's paced properly.

I highly recommend mapping it out ahead of time - particularly if it's a story that involves more than one scene. This also allows you to layer a story with texture and sub-plots or themes and show the natural progression of the characters if the action in the story causes them to change over time or discover new things about themselves etc.

Not to mention that when you have the skeleton of the story set up, all you have to do from there is flesh it out. It's easier to keep writing and not break momentum or end up with writer's block because you're not sure what needs to happen next.


Thank you for the hints and tips, I've done some of that and found that I was brushing over a key scene which when I explored it properly sets it all up nicely. I'll definitely take the rest of your advice, your output is testament to that ! smile
Guest
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I was blessed by nature with a very powerful and retentive memory. I work all my stories out in my head, sometimes over quite long periods of time - I still have large sections of text in my memory, for example, for stories which are sequels to the earliest stories I posted on Lush over 6 months ago. Having got the basic plot, I then write large sections of text in my head - generally the first few paragraphs of the story where I establish the plot and the characters - and then play around with them until I am happy. I then start committing them to the word processor, before writing the rest of the story. Once I have the whole story on the printed page, as it were, I then go through refining, and often cutting some of the prose, as well as trying to make the dialogue believable, and making sure that each of the characters has a distinctive voice. I should also say, that as I am writing, it is as if a voice is actually speaking the story to me as I write.

I should say to conclude, that the gift of being able to commit considerable amounts of information to memory, and then bring it out in writing or conversation as I need it, is one that I have refined and developed over 40 years of giving lectures and talks, largely without notes, sometimes to quite large audiences. It is as if I have a road map in my head, along with sign posts, and a clear idea of my destination and how long I should take to get there. As I go along the road, I can divert into a house to find the things I need, or open boxes containing information, and I can do this is real time - generally in my head I am about 1-2 minutes ahead of what I am saying. This is a gift that I discovered in by late teens, for which I can claim no credit, all I have done is to refine it over the years.

Quote by Milik_Redman


This is sound advice. I generally have a direction in mind when I start and sometimes I'll run through the entire idea with simple, basic sentences that run through the story. Then I can go back and fill in the actual detail.

I have noticed a tendency to wander of subject. Don't let that happen. Cut away parts that don't have relevance to your story. Things that need to be known can be added, but don't try to do it all at once. Work as much information into the dialog as you can.

Go back and see where it lags. If you feel like skipping ahead, it's certain your readers will. Keep the story moving evenly. By using segues, you can create a work that doesn't have any break points. You don't want the reader to put it down for later because they probably won't return.
overmykneenow
Active Ink Slinger
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If your text is ploddy - speed it up. Cut to the chase, play around with timelines, switch scenes, keep the reader on their toes. An added bonus is that speeding it up gives you the option of slowing it down when you really need to. If you think your text is too verbose you could start by trimming off the adjectives, I often find they're the culprits for stodgy writing. A tip I use for this is to read through replacing any adjective with the word "nice" - you'll soon see if you're using too many of them.

I pace out stories before I write so I know where I want to be in a story at, say, halfway or three quarters in. You don't have to stick rigidly to these milestones and when you come to the second or third draft you won't need them any more.

Another reason why I pace out stories is that I rarely write a story from the first scene all the way through to the final scene. Sometimes I can start with the end and work my way back other times I'll chop and change all over the place - this might work for you or it might not.
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