i'll go first -
1 - you don't have to write your story in order. you can write whatever scenes you want whenever you want, and move them around.
2 - keep a separate "scratch page" document where you can keep the sentences, paragraphs and scenes that you really should delete
regarding 2: this helps you "kill your darlings" more effectively, since it softens the blow of undoing your own work. you're not really killing them - just putting them on ice. and who knows? you might even need them later.
Miro is the best tool, I swear. But, you need multiple monitors so you're not going back and forth from document to miro board. Which means I can't just take my laptop somewhere to write.
I end up plotting on miro and then re-writing it by hand in a notebook.
I once heard #2 referred to as a list of "gems without a setting," and I've called it that in my head ever since! A chest full of loose gems is so much nicer than a morgue full of darlings!
omg #1 is something i resist SO MUCH because i feel like i can't keep things in my head unless i go start to finish but i finally broke down with this current WIP and swapped to writing one POV before moving on to the next and thank goodness i did.
Re 2: I keep a “deleted phrases” file for every story I write. As you say, it’s a safe way to “let go” to try new ideas, and I’ve occasionally reused some deleted text when my story changes.
I heard of a TV writer's room, I think for The Good Place, that put deleted material in what it called "the goody box", emphasizing they were good work that might be usable later elsewhere
Mine would’ve been your first here. Matt Bell writes about it well in “Refuse to Be Done.” (I think he calls it the island technique.) Applies to all writing imo!
Writer's block is, 90% of the time, your subconscious holding you back because you've taken a wrong turn. Go back to the last place the story was really working and try taking a left turn or two, see what happens. It costs you nothing and can really limber you up.
Also: so long as it makes sense and holds water, plot doesn't really matter. Swiss-watch plots are swell, but in the end, no one remembers plot. (Tell me, in detail, the plot to any James Bond movie.) They remember the moments they were emotionally engaged, when their blood was up.
Tangent but I’m a big Springsteen fan. Back in the 90s he released a box set called Tracks with a bunch of previously-unreleased stuff. Several of my favorites (which include some of my favorite Springsteen songs anywhere) basically reuse big chunks of lyrics in different ways. It’s pretty cool.
vary your sentence and paragraph length. let your verbosity ebb and flow, let your music swell and fade. don't be afraid to luxuriate in longer sentences and thicker paragraphs—within reason, of course—but don't get lost in those weeds.
short? punctuates.
but all short is like jagged stones
The length of the sentences should correspond with the speed of the story, I think. Long sentences will reduce the speed, short sentences will increase it. And a long sentence will feel as a relief after a series of really short ones.
yeah, definitely! very much an ebb and flow of pacing thing also. variety is always a relief. a long sentence can feel relaxing, like you can sink back into the text after choppy brusque speed. a short sentence is a bright clear yank if you've sunk too deep in the long ones.
Sometimes I think of it in terms of careful blocking for the characters and camera moves for the cinematographer in a reader's imagination (for folks who see when they read), like a longer sentence as a slow pan or tilt, or a lingering shot on a particular composition.
ohhhh that's a really neat way of thinking about it! I've found myself thinking about cinematography a lot in my current project, but more concretely in terms of where the shot is focused and at what scale (writing mecha combat involves a lot of switching around there)
Keep a plain text copy of your manuscript. This doesn't mean a Word doc without formatting—a plain ol' .txt file. This kind of file is easier to recover from data loss and will transcend time and platform better than any other.
Make a map of your characters and their relationships to/connections with each other, especially if you're writing something with multiple perspective characters.
Jot down all story events on a calendar to make sure your book's timeline makes sense. Every time I do this, I catch continuity errors, like having a character show up to their desk job on what turns out to be a Saturday.
And if it’s set in a specific season or date, keep track of whatever details that will touch on, either for background world building or as springboards for other events.
If you’re struggling with a scene because you can’t figure out what your character would do or say next, that might mean your character would never have gotten into this position in the first place. Re-read what you’ve already written and look for characterization mistakes.
I add notes right into my first drafts as I go but put them in brackets. Brackets are easily searchable. Great way to include stuff like [embellish later?] or [double check character locations] or whatever you’re not certain of while keeping the pedal to the metal.
