I have little time to myself in which I can do what I want (hello adulting-you suck), so progress seems painfully slow. I have been using much of my time this week to build this blog and attempt a social media presence in hopes that by the time I’ve written my first novel (shit, did I just jinx it?) I will have a presence.
I catch moments here and there to read and listen to interviews or perspectives on writing and craft and I’ve come to realize something. No one knows what the hell they are doing. Some authors are adamant that the only way to write is to be a pantser, others claim that plotting is the way to go. I’ve even read that they are both forms of the same process, one is just longer with more rewrites and the other is more organized and systematic.
I’ve also learned that character is the only thing that drives the story. Plot is also the only thing that drives a story. Additionally, in order to write a good story, you need to have a really firm understanding of character arc and story structure. It’s also totally irrelevant if you know anything about those things.
Everyone has an opinion of how it should be done, but an emerging and unexpected attraction of writing is that there really is no right way to do it. This is exactly why I loved English and loathed Math. In English, as long as you can prove my logic or pain a convincing picture, you’re right! In Math there is no room for error.
And I need lots of room for error.
Please share what your rules to write by are. Is there a technique or strategy that you follow?
Aspiring Author 