Comments on: SOLVED: The Outlining vs. Organic Writing Debate

By: Sami

Sami — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 07:58:23 +0000

This comes a bit late, but I’d recommend “The Seven Basic Plots” by Christopher Booker (2005). It is a big book, a bit repetitive at times, but very thorough and most exciting at it’s best. As promised, it really changes the way you think about stories. It will teach you the basic mechanics of storytelling.

By: SOLVED: The Outlining vs. Organic Writing Debate | Claudia Troßmann | Fundgrube

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:30:59 +0000

[...] SOLVED: The Outlining vs. Organic Writing Debate Dieser Beitrag wurde unter Literatur abgelegt und mit Autor, Konzept, Schreiben verschlagwortet. Setze ein Lesezeichen auf den Permalink. ← Web Design Trends: Mascots – Examples, Tips and Tutorials | TJ Dzine Resource Kit To Create, Customize & Find Twitter Backgrounds | W3Avenue → [...]

By: What Is Writing, Really? « Runnin Off at the Mouth….

What Is Writing, Really? « Runnin Off at the Mouth…. — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:19:13 +0000

[...] to the actual effort of writing—and maybe that’s to my detriment. I’m more of a metaphysical, organic fiction writer. I’ve heard from the published and unpublished, agents and publishers. All manner [...]

By: Tips on Plot, Plot Layers, Subplot

Tips on Plot, Plot Layers, Subplot — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:49:07 +0000

[...] or write. Plan first or write and see where it goes? Oh, the perennial question! I’ll dodge it, though, by saying you must follow your own bent. Find your own working methods [...]

By: Claire

Claire — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:46:22 +0000

Really interesting concepts. I’ve always been a “pants-er”, but until last November, I had never finished a novel. In November I did nanowrimo ( a writing competition). For the first time, I didn’t start writing the minute I had an idea. The plot was festering in my mind for weeks and the characters were chomping at the bit to make it to the paper. Even though I didn’t write a formal outline (and couldn’t- I think it would have bored the wits out of me) I had an outline in my mind. I knew exactly where the story would start and where it would end. I knew each character as well as if we’d been on the same team in high school. And I knew the setting as if I’d grown up there myself.
What works for each individual is, well, individual. But, I definitely believe that you have to know your story to write it. Thanks for the insights.

By: Omar

Omar — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:35:05 +0000

I dabble in outlining and organic writing. I think its great to be skilled at both.

By: Missy

Missy — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 06:10:32 +0000

Wow.

First off, I loved this post. It gave me a few ideas and gave me a new perspective on some other stuff. So thanks for that.

But really, I got more out of these comments than I did from the actual post. All of you guys have flooded me with new ideas and concepts, and I’m eager to learn more about them. Also, thanks for all the links posted–I’ll be checking them out soon.

Thanks for writing this, Larry. Thanks for arguing, Fekket.

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 07:40:10 +0000

@FekketCantenel

No comments, but the entry is at http://www.inflatableink.com/2009/08/on-not-knowing-why.html

By: FekketCantenel

FekketCantenel — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:23:23 +0000

@Matt:

“. . . over-reliance on motivation can be reductive, and that we also need to leave room for chaos, or for motivations that remain obscure.”

I think you’ll get a kick out of my upcoming article. Heck, I think you just inspired a section of it.

Could you link to the place where you argued about over-reliance on motivation? I’d like to see that comment thread (if there was one).

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:04:29 +0000

@FekketCantenel

You’re right of course. I over-stated my case. Motivation is not fundamental. In fact I’ve argued in the past (after an essay by Aimee Bender) that over-reliance on motivation can be reductive, and that we also need to leave room for chaos, or for motivations that remain obscure. I’d like downgrade ‘fundamental principle’ to ‘very useful technique’. I think I can probably stand by that :)