I read Stephen King's On Writing

[Dredd_Sama]

There is an ocean of knowledge in that book and i would recommend it to everyone who wants to write. But i want to talk about something in particular, from that novel, of course.
He mentions how he handles the plot in his works. He does not think about it even for a bit and starts writing as soon as he comes up with a situation and the characters within it. He almost despises the process of outlining the plot before he writes, believing in the characters to shape it FOR him.
I was wondering if that method is even possible in this genre of web novels. Are there authors here who do not give any thought to the plot and not worry about the ending. Instead, just go with the flow.
I would also like to know what are your processes or methods of writing if you don't mind sharing since if you didn't guess it by now, i m an aspiring author writing my first novel. Could really learn from your experiences.

 

[Corty]

There is an ocean of knowledge in that book and i would recommend it to everyone who wants to write. But i want to talk about something in particular, from that novel, of course.
He mentions how he handles the plot in his works. He does not think about it even for a bit and starts writing as soon as he comes up with a situation and the characters within it. He almost despises the process of outlining the plot before he writes, believing in the characters to shape it FOR him.
I was wondering if that method is even possible in this genre of web novels. Are there authors here who do not give any thought to the plot and not worry about the ending. Instead, just go with the flow.
I would also like to know what are your processes or methods of writing if you don't mind sharing since if you didn't guess it by now, i m an aspiring author writing my first novel. Could really learn from your experiences.

vs

There is an ocean of knowledge in that book, and I would recommend it to everyone who wants to write. But I want to talk about something in particular from that novel, of course.

He mentions how he handles the plot in his works. He does not think about it even for a bit and starts writing as soon as he comes up with a situation and the characters within it. He almost despises the process of outlining the plot before he writes, believing in the characters to shape it FOR him.

I was wondering if that method is even possible in this genre of web novels. Are there authors here who do not give any thought to the plot and do not worry about the ending? Instead, just go with the flow.

I would also like to know what your processes or methods of writing if you don't mind sharing since, if you haven't guessed by now, I'm an aspiring author writing my first novel. Could really learn from your experiences.

My tip:

Proper formatting. What a reader first does is look at the text. If it isn't something that is pleasant to look at they won't start reading it.

 

[Darkcrow.]

You could do that, But you can't just write 1 chapter and upload it than and there. You will need to write an entire arc, And than modify it a little bit. (I don't claim to be an expert in writing, So don't take my advice to heart. It is just a suggestion)

 

[SalivaSpittingWorm]

I read it too. I like how it said that "If you get up in the morning and you think about writing, you think about writing while you eat, you think about writing while you drive, you're a writer." Or something like that. :)

I confess and raise my hand heroically that I am that kind of writer. I only have a few sheets of paper with ideas I've been given and want to use in the future, (well okay so two or three papers) but I don't actually have anything ready when I write. I just sit down and write. I usually have some music playing in my ears appropriate to the mood of the story, and I have a drink and some kind of treat ready at my desk... and that's pretty much all my preparation. Then I just write in the moment. My mood also often reflects what I write. Sometimes the writing goes by itself, sometimes I can't even write a sentence in an hour, in which case I go do something to distract myself and come back to it later. I often find inspiration in art, so browsing deviantart and pinterest often helps.

I've tried a few times to prepare something in advance, but... well... let's just say I'm too lazy to do it. XD

Hm... that's probably it? I can't think of anything else.

Edit: Ah and yes... I totally don't know how my stories will end. XD It'll be a surprise for me too and I'm looking forward to it. :)
I think it's a good pull for me to keep coming back to writing because I also want to know how it's going to end. :)

 

[Jemini]

There is an ocean of knowledge in that book and i would recommend it to everyone who wants to write. But i want to talk about something in particular, from that novel, of course.
He mentions how he handles the plot in his works. He does not think about it even for a bit and starts writing as soon as he comes up with a situation and the characters within it. He almost despises the process of outlining the plot before he writes, believing in the characters to shape it FOR him.
I was wondering if that method is even possible in this genre of web novels. Are there authors here who do not give any thought to the plot and not worry about the ending. Instead, just go with the flow.
I would also like to know what are your processes or methods of writing if you don't mind sharing since if you didn't guess it by now, i m an aspiring author writing my first novel. Could really learn from your experiences.

Nitpick/technicality. Novel = narrative, either fiction or biographical. If it's an informative book, then you just call it a "book."

 

[Lloyd]

I hate Stephen King so I'm not gonna read it.

 

[J_Chemist]

hi. grade a "fuck it" type of writer here.

I know how my story will end and would like to see it reach there at some point. How it gets there and what happens in between, I don't really put much thought into it. I've done well so far. The lack of structure has allowed me to be flexible with my plot points, chapters, and general writing of scenes. While I do set general goals and gradually develop encounters for characters, I don't force myself to write a certain way. If, in the moment, I change my mind about something, I shrug and make the change. It'll buff.

 

[Syringe]

No wrong way to do it. I can definitely see this working wonders for beginners, because honestly, I believe the message here is to just write.

Planning can be a roadblock for some people. World building can be too intimidating or timely, so just writing away can help someone understand their world before they even build it.

I know some writers that have never planned because they're able to immerse themselves in the story they write.

Although, I think a combo of planning and this would work and it's what I do. I have major goals and minor checkpoints. What happens between is dictated by the characters' wants, needs, motivations and the world around them. Still, no wrong way of doing it. You're winning as long as you're getting words down on paper.

 

[TotallyHuman]

I hate Stephen King so I'm not gonna read it.

you're too based for this world

 

[Lloyd]

you're too based for this world

Thanks

 

[Dredd_Sama]

No wrong way to do it. I can definitely see this working wonders for beginners, because honestly, I believe the message here is to just write.

Planning can be a roadblock for some people. World building can be too intimidating or timely, so just writing away can help someone understand their world before they even build it.

I know some writers that have never planned because they're able to immerse themselves in the story they write.

Although, I think a combo of planning and this would work and it's what I do. I have major goals and minor checkpoints. What happens between is dictated by the characters' wants, needs, motivations and the world around them. Still, no wrong way of doing it. You're winning as long as you're getting words down on paper.

I do the same ... with the minor checkpoints and the ultimate goals. Things change as i am writing as some stuff is revealed by the characters too early that i planned to reveal much later in the story...its really fun that way.
But its hard to imagine writing a webnovel in the way that Stephen King suggested. It can work well for regular sized novels but when you plan to write over a million words... just going with the flow from start to end iss..... ehhh....

Maybe i just don't have the brain capacity for that feat...
I started my novel after i had thought up of a general outline and the main characters i want in my story.

I hate Stephen King so I'm not gonna read it.

How is that physically possible ? He seems like a fun person to be around from the little bit of his work that i read.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

There is an ocean of knowledge in that book and i would recommend it to everyone who wants to write. But i want to talk about something in particular, from that novel, of course.
He mentions how he handles the plot in his works. He does not think about it even for a bit and starts writing as soon as he comes up with a situation and the characters within it. He almost despises the process of outlining the plot before he writes, believing in the characters to shape it FOR him.
I was wondering if that method is even possible in this genre of web novels. Are there authors here who do not give any thought to the plot and not worry about the ending. Instead, just go with the flow.
I would also like to know what are your processes or methods of writing if you don't mind sharing since if you didn't guess it by now, i m an aspiring author writing my first novel. Could really learn from your experiences.

i've been saying that shit for years already. Make the characters, have a scenario, wing it. The only thing you need is to keep proper notes to remember all the shit you came up with

I hate Stephen King so I'm not gonna read it.

would you do it for me?

 

[KrakenRiderEmma]

Some people call the completely unplanned writing style “pantsing,” as in the saying "do it by the seat of your pants" (figure it out as you go along). You can find plenty of discussion, videos, etc online about "pantsing." The opposite is planning, or outlining...

The thing is, there's definitely a spectrum between Stephen King "no outline at all, just characters and situations and GO!" all the way to the other end where some authors have super-detailed outlines down to moment-to-moment plot beats or who says what. There are a lot of people who do an outline, which might be as simple as "major plot points" or a little more detailed, and then everything from there is improvised against that structure.

I think the challenge for web novels is that "pantsing" usually involves a lot of editing afterwards to fix things up. I'm sure some web novels are written with little or no outline, just chapter by chapter -- and you can usually sense the absence of an outline, even if there are logical plot developments, because they spring "forward" out of the recent past rather than feeling orchestrated from the future ("how does this all wrap up in the end") which is usually the case with a thorough outline.

Web comics on the other hand, I'm pretty sure are heavily "pantsed" in most cases. Some of them develop heavy plot arcs and might eventually flip over to pre-planning, but you can also often tell when this happens.

 

[Poleg]

Stephen King may be a ''good'' and productive writer, but he is weird af and I would not want to check his computer.

 

[Succubiome]

I would also like to know what are your processes or methods of writing if you don't mind sharing since if you didn't guess it by now, i m an aspiring author writing my first novel. Could really learn from your experiences.

There isn't like, one single way of writing that works for everyone?

Try doing an outline, try not doing an outline, see which works for you. Just write a lot, however you do it.

 

[wresch]

Can I add another justification for Pantsing? Fun. Since I don't know how a novel will end, I enjoy watching it develop. I enjoy finding out what characters do and how they end up. Yes, sometimes I have to go back and change scenes, and I will change endings if things get too odd, but still, I think what helps me keep writing is curiosity. I wake up in the morning and have fresh ideas for where things might go. I take a walk and find a new way to resolve a situation. Curiosity. Fun. A great way to write.

BTW, I have published non-fiction. Definitely had an outline. Totally different kind of writing.

 

[Novel_Fam]

Honestly, I just go with the flow.
I have my settings and endings fixed but the plot is a whole mess. I’m just publishing my chapters in the hope of seeing where it leads and for my enjoyment and sharing with others. I would always hope for people to enjoy my work as much as I did. I plan in the future to fix up the plotholes as much as I can and get pieces of advice if I were to take my babies seriously and maybe publish it based on my readers' opinion but for now, I’m not planning to do so as I’m not even near the end yet with my second work ^^
(I always find myself changing the characters’ personalities and adding more to their backstories so there will be more meaning to them)

(my first one isn’t published in ScribbleHub due to writing the main and sequel in my teen years and a lot of plotholes and rather than a novel it’s more like a script(similar to Shakespeare’s way of writing))

I'm not always confident in my grammar and my way of writing as English isn’t my first language but what’s wrong with giving it a go?
Good luck though <3

 

[Kalliel]

There is an ocean of knowledge in that book and i would recommend it to everyone who wants to write. But i want to talk about something in particular, from that novel, of course.
He mentions how he handles the plot in his works. He does not think about it even for a bit and starts writing as soon as he comes up with a situation and the characters within it. He almost despises the process of outlining the plot before he writes, believing in the characters to shape it FOR him.
I was wondering if that method is even possible in this genre of web novels. Are there authors here who do not give any thought to the plot and not worry about the ending. Instead, just go with the flow.
I would also like to know what are your processes or methods of writing if you don't mind sharing since if you didn't guess it by now, i m an aspiring author writing my first novel. Could really learn from your experiences.

Hey, that's me.
Every time I tried to do an outline, I would get stuck at some point forever. Mostly because I don't have absolute certainty in my outline itself, I might change a part of an early chapter, which leads to the later chapters needing to be changed as well. Something like that.

 

[ChrisLensman]

Stephen King's works are commonly criticized for their endings so I would argue that Stephen King's work is the best example for why Stephen King's method doesn't really work.

Now, if you have a great situation and good characters thought out in your head then yes, you should absolutely start working with it but I don't think you should begin writing immediately. Let the story fester in your mind, think where things might lead. Take notes if you don't trust your own memory.
Once you're at the point where you can't concentrate on consuming other media anymore because the story in your mind is more exciting, that's when you should drop everything and write. It's at that point where you will be most motivated and excited and by having made yourself wait and think about the story first you should also be at a point where you at least have an idea where you're headed.
Once you've put the start of the story to paper you can start proper storyboarding.

As you correctly assumed, just writing and seeing where the story takes you is absolute poison when you're writing on a site like Scribble Hub. If you don't have a conclusion in mind before you start posting your story will eventually peter out as you grow bored of it. I've seen that way too many times back when I was into fanfiction. Rest in peace, Double Trouble. You are missed.
You need to have a clear goal in mind, even if you don't yet know how to get there.

In general I'm not a fan of Stephen King's writing advice. Another bit of advice from him is that an author should write at least a thousand words every day. Not an average of a thousand words, a minimum of a thousand every day. That's great advice if you to be as prolific as King but most people just aren't. Even some of my favorite authors take three months or more off every year where they're not writing. As such, most authors who try to abide by this advice end up feeling inadequate and vaguely guilty whenever they fail to meet their quota, which can turn into frustration, which can turn into dropping your story altogether because you felt you weren't good enough.
Another piece of advice from the man is that the second draft should be the first draft minus 10%. That is great advice if you're writing horror, where brevity is king, but quite frankly most authors have a problem with underexplaining things rather than overexplaining things, so cutting out even more would ruin their work.

As for me, I start stories the way I've described but then I storyboard extensively, specifically by writing on an actual, physical notepad like a caveman. I always leave room for the story to grow organically but storyboarding helps when you get stuck somewhere and can help you trace back your steps if your organically grown story managed to grow into a dead end.

If you want a writing advice book then I tentatively recommend How NOT To Write A Novel. Just, uh, skip past the part about publishing because the book has things to say about self-publishing that... let's leave it at saying that history proved the authors wrong and move swiftly onward.
If you're writing any type of smut then I strongly recommend Susie Bright's How To Write A Dirty Story, ideally if you can track down the audiobook version. A delightful little book, half writing advice and half history on how English-language erotica developed, all written and narrated by a woman who clearly loves her work.

 

[Dredd_Sama]

Stephen King's works are commonly criticized for their endings so I would argue that Stephen King's work is the best example for why Stephen King's method doesn't really work.

Now, if you have a great situation and good characters thought out in your head then yes, you should absolutely start working with it but I don't think you should begin writing immediately. Let the story fester in your mind, think where things might lead. Take notes if you don't trust your own memory.
Once you're at the point where you can't concentrate on consuming other media anymore because the story in your mind is more exciting, that's when you should drop everything and write. It's at that point where you will be most motivated and excited and by having made yourself wait and think about the story first you should also be at a point where you at least have an idea where you're headed.
Once you've put the start of the story to paper you can start proper storyboarding.

As you correctly assumed, just writing and seeing where the story takes you is absolute poison when you're writing on a site like Scribble Hub. If you don't have a conclusion in mind before you start posting your story will eventually peter out as you grow bored of it. I've seen that way too many times back when I was into fanfiction. Rest in peace, Double Trouble. You are missed.
You need to have a clear goal in mind, even if you don't yet know how to get there.

In general I'm not a fan of Stephen King's writing advice. Another bit of advice from him is that an author should write at least a thousand words every day. Not an average of a thousand words, a minimum of a thousand every day. That's great advice if you to be as prolific as King but most people just aren't. Even some of my favorite authors take three months or more off every year where they're not writing. As such, most authors who try to abide by this advice end up feeling inadequate and vaguely guilty whenever they fail to meet their quota, which can turn into frustration, which can turn into dropping your story altogether because you felt you weren't good enough.
Another piece of advice from the man is that the second draft should be the first draft minus 10%. That is great advice if you're writing horror, where brevity is king, but quite frankly most authors have a problem with underexplaining things rather than overexplaining things, so cutting out even more would ruin their work.

As for me, I start stories the way I've described but then I storyboard extensively, specifically by writing on an actual, physical notepad like a caveman. I always leave room for the story to grow organically but storyboarding helps when you get stuck somewhere and can help you trace back your steps if your organically grown story managed to grow into a dead end.

If you want a writing advice book then I tentatively recommend How NOT To Write A Novel. Just, uh, skip past the part about publishing because the book has things to say about self-publishing that... let's leave it at saying that history proved the authors wrong and move swiftly onward.
If you're writing any type of smut then I strongly recommend Susie Bright's How To Write A Dirty Story, ideally if you can track down the audiobook version. A delightful little book, half writing advice and half history on how English-language erotica developed, all written and narrated by a woman who clearly loves her work.

I will try to implement those things .. .thanks .. And I dont plan to write smut ... m just fine reading others' hehe... but. Will check out the how not to write