I’ve lamented my writing process more than once. My characters tell me their names. They tell me about their pasts. They refuse to move forward in a book if I do something they don’t want to do. On and on it goes.
Mostly, I don’t mind. At least not any more. I used to really wish I could pick the names of the characters until I had one that let me. I hated it. Maybe I got spoiled, but it was torturous trying to find this heroine’s name without her telling me straight out or hinting at it at least. I hope I never have to choose another one again! It’s just so much easier when I hear “Mika” and can go from there.
The thing about process is that mine always drives me nuts–until I hear someone else’s process and I think, “thank God that’s not me!” LOL. This is one of those cases where the grass is usually not greener after all. At least not for me.
I heard second hand that another writer said that she tells her characters exactly what to do and they do it. There are no surprises. That was definitely a thank-God-that-isn’t-me moment. Hey, the fun of writing is the surprises. If my characters did what I wanted..well, why bother then? The only reasons I write involve 1. finding out what happens. 2. Watching the characters change and grow. 3. Discovering something new while I’m writing the book and having things that didn’t make sense before, but that I dutifully wrote down, suddenly make complete sense. If I didn’t have that, I’d just read other people’s books. It’s much easier that way.
But that’s her process and it works for her. Before I say one more thing, let me stress writers should write whichever way works for them. Period, full stop. I’ve yet to meet anyone who writes exactly like anyone else and you can twist yourself into a pretzel trying.
When I was a teenager, all the books I found at the library were written by plotters. I couldn’t write that way and I tried. I even bought the 3 x 5 cards. After a while, I realized this had sucked all the joy away for me. Sadly, I realized I’d never be an author because I didn’t write like one. I decided to choose joy over conformity and resigned myself to never being a real author. It wasn’t until much, much later that I learned that I’m not the only one who writes the way I do. There are other people who aren’t plotters. The joy was amazing.
But this is also why I always, always tell people to do it their way and don’t worry about anyone else. Because while the author I mentioned whose method leaves me baffled and thinking why bother to write, would probably look at my method and be appalled. But that’s because my way wouldn’t work for her. That’s okay. We don’t have to write alike. Heck, I rarely write two consecutive books the same way!
There are other authors who write a first draft of their book in weeks. That sounded great to me until I found out that it’s only bare bones and they go back and flesh it out later. I can’t do that either. Once I tell a story, I’m done. I can go back and do revisions to it, but those usually aren’t too huge. I could never go back and flesh out a skeleton–I’d be too ready to move on to the next project. Again, different methods. Neither one is right or wrong.
I could go on like this for a while, but the bottom line is my process might be me trying to keep up with my characters who have the control. While I do try to improve the way I do things all the time, I also realize that I like my process better than anyone else’s. Good thing, I guess since I’m stuck with it. 
Sorry if I wasn’t as focused as I should be. I am hugely tired tonight.
You are so right though. I’m not a plotter, but I am one who writes “bare bones” first time around. I call my editing process “working the magick.” The reason it works for me is I write the scene as quick as my hero or heroine can tell it, and when I do that, it comes out telling instead of showing. My characters are happy with that, because later I go back afterward, and start making things pop. Interesting, additional details left out before come seeping through the cracks, making it a fuller, more “lush” manuscript.
Later, I’ll read what I wrote and say “who wrote that? It wasn’t me!” I think it’s my characters saying “See, we told you it would work, look how beautiful we made it together.”
And it’s funny, I’ve read all these books on plotting and organization and none work for me either. I even purchased a program and found myself feeling “stilted” in it.
I hear there are newer ones out there that help those of us who are pantsers, but I’m scared to try, partly because I’d miss my word documents. LOL.
I never know what is going to happen in the next chapter. I tried outlining once. I didn’t follow it at all.
I just write. I know where I want to end up, have an idea about the middle and that’s about it. After explaining my process (or lack thereof) to an author she said I was “one of those organic writers.” To be honest, not exactly sure what that means, it seems to have a few different definitions.
Teresa,
I think it’s great that you can get the bare bones down like that and go back to flesh it out. I’m such an agonizingly slow writer because I have to try and get everything right the first time. Which is impossible, of course, and I know it, but I still think and think.
I have organizing programs, too, like Evernote and Liquid Story Binder and Corel Lightning and Write It Now and the list goes on and on. What do I do with my information? I have a folder in my pictures files for images, a file in my email for notes I sent to myself or to my CPs, a file in my story folder for other information, and a folder in my Firefox bookmarks. Research–story specific–name of book.
It just seems easier for me to do it this way.
Patti
Rene,
That’s what I used to do to a large degree–just sit down and write with a vague idea of some future scenes I want to reach. I had to change my process to make some short deadlines and it turns out I like having a synopsis before I start writing. Who ever would have guessed that?
Certainly not me.
Part of me would still like to go back to that style of writing–just sitting down and letting it flow–but I don’t think I can any more. You’ll have to enjoy it for both of us.
Patti