Do books have to be written in sequence?
So can we write the interesting action bits first, then add in the in between stuff, that maybe needed to understand the story or characters, but isnt so exciting by itself?
For example the interesting scene maybe a scene where the hero fights ninjas and sharks(or ninjas on sharks ;-) ) , but there might have been a earlier scene where the hero talked to his informers to find the villains lair.
So can we write the action scene first, then go back and write the other parts?
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I always just write interesting parts (in sequence) and develop them until the whole thing makes sense without the boring parts ;)
Or at least I try to...
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But if you don't,
No.
Sequence a only in writing (sometimes you have to go back and revise) option the not writer has is.
Hard can be that process.
It's the same with sentences and paragraphs as it is with books. Sometimes, the end is the most important and needs to be written (or fleshed out) first. There is only one writing rule: keep writing.
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To expand on Craig's suggestion, go ahead and write the exciting scenes if that's what keeps you motivated, so long as you're willing to "kill your darling" later on.
Self-editing is one of the hardest parts of writing. You have to be able to jettison even the most beloved turn of phrase, paragraph, scene, chapter, plot twist, character if it doesn't serve the story. (My solution to this is to keep the original in a slush file. That way I can go back and savor it as often as I like without having it clutter up the main work.)
So you have your scene where the hero shoots the ninjas on sharks in Chapter 47, and later on, while writing Chapter 10, you decide that the hero has fallen in love with one of the ninjas and couldn't kill him. So you stash your original "Ch47/Shoot everything" version somewhere, and either edit the copy or use the original as a guide to rewrite Chapter 47 so it now falls in line with your backstory.
The most important thing is that you have to be willing to let go of what you wrote, no matter how fabulous it is. You must be able to rewrite and/or edit. Like Craig, I generally find it easier to write more or less in sequence so that I don't have to rewrite the fabulous chapter to accommodate the previous amazing chapters, but sometimes I get hit by a bolt of lightning and the out-of-sequence scene bursts fully-formed from my forehead, and I am geased to get to a keyboard and capture it before it evaporates. Don't discount the power of inspiration. Just be aware that you may have to tweak or discard it later.
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