Posted on by Desiree S. Brown

What Type of Writer are You?

When you pick up two sticks, are they the same? Course not! Just likes those sticks no two writers are the same. We all have our own quirks, likes, dislikes, and, most of all, our own methods to writing.

Consider the type of writer that just sits down and writes. They don’t chart their course they just hoist their sails and go where the wind takes them.

On the other hand, there’s the type of writer who will not write unless they’ve mapped out the route to their treasure troves.

Then there are writers who are a hybrid of the two. They outline, write and then turn around to edit everything that they’ve written.

Lastly there’s the fourth writer who outlines, writes and then changes their initial outline along the way.

There may be many more writing methods out there, but for simplicity sake, we’ll stick with these four. I’m the fourth type of writer. I don’t outline an entire story, instead, I may only outline the first act and then write. Normally the story changes so I plan out the next act based on those changes. Rinse and repeat.

Can you relate to any of the four method’s mentioned?

 

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31 Replies to “What Type of Writer are You?”

  1. daviddelaney70 – Australia – Weaving words into characters and worlds is something I live for. Writing is something I used to love as a kid. Sitting through English class as a teenager was the only period in school where I stayed awake and learned something. When I left I followed a path that would take me away from my passion. Now I’ve finally taken the road less traveled and decided to commit words to page and screen in order to imagine worlds filled with characters all with their own stories to tell and me as the guide. If a story causes you to feel any one of the myriad of emotions we all possess as human beings then I’ve done my job as a writer. I’m an Irishman hailing from Dublin but now living in Sydney, Australia. I’ve come to meet people from all over the globe. I love listening and learning about others. We’ve all got a story to tell whether we write it down or not. There’s not a form of entertainment I don’t like. Movies such as Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Jurassic Park and Blade Runner kept me up late into the night as a kid (even if I shouldn’t have been watching them). Later on I found video games. Resident Evil and Silent Hill on the original iteration of the PlayStation blew me away. Books were a constant though. While I fall in and out of love with movies and games, books have always stayed with me. The first book I ever read cover to cover was ‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes when I was 8. I borrowed it from a traveling library that came to my school. I moved on to the Famous Five, The Hardy Boys and every Roald Dahl novel I could get my hands on. As I got older I began to love the likes of King, Koontz and Barker. Their magical ability with the written word transported me to somewhere new each time I opened the pages of their books… books that I still love today. I am inspired by all of the above as well as other great writers such as Neil Gaimon, Kylie Chan, Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant, David W. Wright, J. Thorn, J. F. Penn and David Gaughran. These are just some of the amazing writers who I follow and learn from through their meticulously crafted works of fiction and non-fiction. If you want to join me on this journey and check out my future works please sign up to my mailing list. You’ll be the first and foremost to hear of new releases. No spam, I promise (it’s bad for you).
    David J Delaney says:

    I fall into the third category, chop and change between one and two

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
      Desiree B says:

      Cool, I use to do this too but I often fell into the pitfall of wanting to delete everything. O_o But I’m glad it works for you.

      Reply

  2. I am a bit of a hybrid, I plan like anything before hand, and then it can go out of the window as I write and see where the story goes 😀 Great post.

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
      Desiree B says:

      Thanks for the comment! I sort of do this too, I don’t like to stick to one set outline during the first draft. It’s too…restricting lol.

      Reply

  3. Usually plan, but there are moments when a thought comes and you can barely write fast enough to capture it on paper or keyboard.

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
      Desiree B says:

      This is true! I do the best that I can to keep up with my thoughts lol.

      Reply

  4. Most of what I write is short. I just take dictation from the moment. When pieces get longer, I use music composition techniques to form the writing.

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
      Desiree B says:

      Oh that sounds like an interesting strategy. What sort of music techniques do you use?

      Reply

      1. It could be anything from rhythmic modes to using a group of letters, maybe a name, as a motif, or just repeating a whole section accept the cadence. I like to think of my writing in music form because that is what I know.

        Reply
        1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
          Desiree B says:

          Whatever for works you! Sounds like something you could write a post about.

          Reply

  5. None of the above. I start to write, then figure out where I want to go and then do some outlining or planning and then revise 1,000,000 times.

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
      Desiree B says:

      Lol! Well that’s an effective strategy too.

      Reply
  6. James Purcell – Born in Dublin in 1850, moved to Bristol in 1860, Former student in Mythobiology, Former captain of the airship Æther Shadow. Died and brought back to life three times over the 164 years of my life so far.
    A Bryant says:

    I fill up the balloon and see where the wind takes me.

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
      Desiree B says:

      That’s what I’m doing with my NaNo novel. I didn’t do much planning…

      Reply
      1. James Purcell – Born in Dublin in 1850, moved to Bristol in 1860, Former student in Mythobiology, Former captain of the airship Æther Shadow. Died and brought back to life three times over the 164 years of my life so far.
        A Bryant says:

        I am re writing a manuscript this time so you could say that im sticking to an outline.

        When I’m working on a new manuscript, I just let it take me where it wants to go.

        Reply
        1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
          Desiree B says:

          I think that’s one of the fun parts about writing. I usually try not to plan too much with my work because I like to stay open to new ideas. I love it when I surprise myself! 😀

          Reply

  7. I can’t tell which category I belong to LOL. I usually make a general outline, sometimes there’d be specific scenes in them. Along the way, some things might change but usually it’s more in the details and added scenes, but I usually end back up on course with my outline.

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
      Desiree B says:

      Lol, sounds like you’re a cross between all of them. I think it depends on the project you’re working with. In my opinion, each new project demands a different approach.

      Reply

  8. I’m writing a follow-up to my first no-fiction travel adventure, but at the same time I’m composing a fiction novel in my head that I will begin once I’ve finished the present project. I’ve just got to remember which is which.

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
      Desiree B says:

      I know how you feel, sometimes I have a lot of story ideas running around in my head that it’s hard to keep up with all of them. Which is why I started carrying a notepad. How’s your current project coming along?

      Reply
        1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
          Desiree B says:

          Ugh, that’s how I feel after a day of studying. When I get home all I want to do is “Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz” lol

          Reply

  9. I usually make about one page of notes (or rather bullet points) which is really just about a bullet point for what each chapter will be. Then as I get to that point, I write whatever comes out of me. And sometimes as I go along, I think of a better twist for the end and change what I had originally noted. 😀 This was a great post! 😀

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
      Desiree B says:

      Thanks. It sounds like you keep yourself open ended. I try to do that too because I hate being confined into a single spot.

      Reply

      1. Exactly! I only do the bullet points so I stay on target and don’t get off track, though there are times I plan for one chapter per item, and end up writing four chapters from stuff that evolves from that one bullet. I love when that happens. 🙂 But of course, there are also times I plan on three chapters for three bullets…and they end up being one combined chapter. I hate when THAT happens. 😉

        Reply
        1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
          Desiree B says:

          Lol, it’s great not to limit yourself. Sometimes I surprise myself with the new ideas I can come up with on the fly.

          Reply
  10. dr sweetyshinde – India, Mumbai - the city of dreams & nightmares. – Published Author, Doctor. Yoga enthusiast. Love swimming, sketching. Learning Spanish and yearning to learn Sanksrit. Insane about Soulful Music. Curious about the mystic & mystique; Content to be cocooned in a dream world.
    sweetyshinde says:

    I have the points ready and the whole episode almost ready in my mind before I write it out. That way, there is more fluidity.

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
      Desiree B says:

      Cool, glad it works for you :). I don’t have the best memory so I have to write everything down…or else.

      Reply

  11. I definitely would have to be the fourth type of writer!
    I always draw up a careful outline… only to lose it on page 2!
    And then, of course, I change my course of action an edit.

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Stockton, CA – Desiree S. Brown is a poet and speculative fiction author. She has contributed poetry to magazines like Redrosethorns and articles to blogs like NaNoWriMo.
      Desiree B says:

      I can relate. It’s the reason why I don’t stress to much on planning all three acts.

      Reply

      1. I’m a bit of a pantser, to use NaNoWriMo slang, and a bit of a planner as well.
        The first time was funny, though. I meticulously planned my first novel like crazy and then I was so upset when things didn’t go my way!
        Type 4 at heart, I guess.

        Reply

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