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Q&A How linear should I be in writing my story?

If you are a discovery writer, this is part of your process. Just get it all on the page and keep writing; you'll finish when you finish. However, it is then part of the first draft that you must g...

posted 9y ago by Lauren Ipsum‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-13T12:00:33Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/20463
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T04:56:33Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/20463
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T04:56:33Z (almost 5 years ago)
If you are a discovery writer, this is part of your process. Just get it all on the page and keep writing; you'll finish when you finish. However, it is then _part of the first draft_ that you must go back and sort it out from beginning to end and make sure it's a coherent whole.

Writing "the good parts" is fun and keeps you motivated. As long as you accept the idea that at some point you have to return and stitch all the good parts together into a workable story — and that you may have to kill your darlings in order to make your story work — go ahead and write what you like. I am a big fan of keeping excised good bits in a slush file so they can be added back in at some other point if it's appropriate.

If you are more of a plotter, it may be that you haven't outlined thoroughly enough. Maybe you need to work on a more detailed, scene-by-scene outline or breakdown, which would allow you to explore all your new plot bunnies in prècis form without writing them out in detail.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2016-01-15T13:06:34Z (almost 9 years ago)
Original score: 5