Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/24909
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

While feeling rather bad for @Ctouw, who admitted to struggle with managing out-of-order writing, I have to side with both @LaurenIpsum and @what.

Yes, you have to try it for yourself, and yes it is practically possible (I have done it, and it worked for me).

I, being a poster pantser, whose whole outline is literally one sentence, usually write in a strict chronological order--thus trying to ensure a natural progress in the story and character development--but once in a while I become suddenly overwhelmed with such clear and concise (subjectively, of course) vision of an isolated scene, I just have to pen it down in order not to forget it. I do so, and then that scene drifts from chapter to chapter, being pushed farther and farther forward by the "storyline" text, until if finds its place in the narrative and snaps snugly into it.

Sometimes I have to re-write parts of those "orphan" scenes--sometimes a little, to coordinate with the events which happened since they were written, sometimes quite a bit--but they find their places in the story and stay.

So, if I were to give advise: do it (or at least try). Every word you nail to the page makes you better at your craft. Write in any order you feel like, just be aware of the fact that you might have to re-write a lot later.

Which will also make you better at your craft :-)

Original score: 3