On Differing Styles.

Yes, it's a writing post. Another one.

Anyway. On a message board that Scarlett (and Adam) and I frequent, there are a number of questions that crop up over and over and over. There is some variation, but they boil down to the same basic question: "Is it okay to write my book this way?" Every possible thing you can imagine: Do I have to outline? Can I write in this font? Should I focus on writing X amount of words a day, or writing for Y amount of hours?

And so on.

Time and time again, the answer is the same: "This is how I do it, but whatever works for you. The end result is all that matters."

Yet people are still concerned that if they don't do it the magic "right way", they're doomed to failure. So, for the hell of it, I'm going to do a side-by-side comparison of my writing techniques with Scarlett's, simply to prove the point that two writers can approach the work completely differently, but still succeed.

I outline.
She doesn't.

I write out of sequence.
She writes in sequence.

I separate each chapter into its own document, then compile them at the end.
She keeps her entire manuscript in one document.

I edit as I write.
She holds off on editing until she's done with the first draft.

You get the idea. We have very different approaches to writing, but the bottom line is that we both get the words on paper and the books completed. There is no magic right way. The only wrong way is not writing at all.

Incidentally, another difference in our styles (as pointed out by Scarlett earlier) is a fluctuation in speed.

As she gets close to the end of a book, she freaking flies. The first 2/3 or so of the book might happen at a relatively even pace...say, 3-5K a day or so. But when she gets down to those last chapters? 8K+ a day, easily. The last few chapters are always the fastest for her.

I, on the other hand, hit a wall around the 80% mark. My 10K+ days usually happen in the first 50% of the book. As I get closer to the end, it gets harder and harder to meet my daily goal of 5K.

Part of this is a result of writing in sequence vs out of sequence. When she's close to the end, she's down to the exciting scenes. The climax, the denouement, the good stuff. By the time I get close to being done, I've already written all the good stuff. I'm down to the scenes that, while necessary, aren't nearly as exciting or fun to write. For example, right now, I'm 50,000 words into The Best Man, out of an estimated 75,000 or so. The first 10 and last 5 chapters are done...I'm just filling in everything in between. So of course, I'm writing the coolest scenes first, putting off the "blah, don't want to write" scenes until I have nothing left but "blah, don't want to write" scenes. Which of course means that the last 10-15K are agony to write. But, nothing motivates me to slog through such scenes more than knowing that once I'm done with the scene, I'll be done with the damned book. "The End" is a powerful motivator, let me tell you.

So, she has the excitement of the end scenes motivating her to write even faster. I have the boring scenes, but "the end" is so close I can taste it, so I slog through.

But either way...bottom line...we both get to the end. RESULT!

And one final difference between us?

Scarlett's workspace isn't under siege by an invading force of cat. The army of cat fat has reached 50% occupation:
And I should mention that I didn't just walk in and find them like this. I was typing when Midget decided to park her butt on YOOGN and my keyboard. Little brat...