Sequential versus non-sequential writing?

[Gray Rose]

When I finished Part 1 of my novel, I thought I had the plot completely figured out, so I ran ahead and wrote big chunks of upcoming parts, mostly dialog, but also a few action sequences. Some of these chunks I love, but here's the catch: I am finishing Part 2, and it seems that the plot is changing, so none of those parts I wrote can make it in. I am especially sad to throw out one piece. I love it, but it does not work with the new plot developments. This is kind of upsetting, and in a way, blocking.

Did someone have a similar experience? Or are you all sequential writers? :)

[maestrowork]

I like to write sequentially because I write character-driven stories and things do change depending on how my characters act and react. I have, however, on occasion write the endings first as I pretty much know how the stories are supposed to end. It's not to say that won't change over time, but having written the ending helps me focus, in certain ways.

[Sean D. Schaffer]

When I finished Part 1 of my novel, I thought I had the plot completely figured out, so I ran ahead and wrote big chunks of upcoming parts, mostly dialog, but also a few action sequences. Some of these chunks I love, but here's the catch: I am finishing Part 2, and it seems that the plot is changing, so none of those parts I wrote can make it in. I am especially sad to throw out one piece. I love it, but it does not work with the new plot developments. This is kind of upsetting, and in a way, blocking.

Did someone have a similar experience? Or are you all sequential writers? :)


I usually write sequentially, because of exactly the situations you've described above. I could write parts that are farther ahead in the work, but if the story or plot does change, then I end up having to scrap something. Sometimes, I'll write my ideas for later portions as vignettes or short stories, then set them aside and see if I can use them later on in the story.

I hope this helps you out. Best wishes to you on your work. :)

[swvaughn]

I write sequentially and still end up throwing away large chunks of the work - at least, I did. The last two novels have behaved pretty decently, but before that . . .

There was this one, I had to scrap the whole thing twice. All 400 pages of it, both times. That hurt. But in the end, it became a better book.

I say scrapping is an important part of writing -- and eventually you'll figure out what needs to be scrapped before you continue six or seven more chapters. Don't fear throwing chunks of work out. It all counts toward experience and honing your craft.

(I am reeeeally tired right now. I wonder vaguely if I'm making any sense at all.)

[lkp]

I write a few random scenes, scenelets, dialogue fragments, etc. based on writing exercises, and then i write sequentially form the beginning. I recently threw out most of one chapter from the middle of my novel because it dragged. It felt good to do it.

[Devil Ledbetter]

I write sequentially but I still ended up throwing out huge chunks of work in my previous novel, and already know that I will do the same in my current WIP. I don't mind though, because it's all thinking that needs to happen.

[althrasher]

I write very non-sequentially. I end up tossing HUGE amounts, but it's always fun to write. It's kind of liberating in a way, too--you always have good little bits of writing that might fit somewhere.

[preyer]

i think you're as prone to scrap stuff either way you write. i write non-sequentially, but i know what my ending is going to be (in general terms, at least) and the end result of the character growth (again, generally speaking). with the scenes i skip to, it's a matter of connecting the dots after they're done.

basically, with an idea i'll sit down and start with the first scene that's interesting to me. as the story takes shape, the thing suggests an ending and therein i'll derive what kind of growth needs to happen, which in turn suggests how the character should begin and more often than not the kind of beginning there needs to be to support the character in the start. it's just that easy. :) essentially, i wind-up retrofitting a lot.

it's one of those deals where there's no best way. i think it depends on how your mind is organized as to how the writing process makes sense to you. what makes the best sense is, imo, likely to be the most effective.

[blacbird]

I like to write sequentially because I write character-driven stories and things do change depending on how my characters act and react. I have, however, on occasion write the endings first as I pretty much know how the stories are supposed to end. It's not to say that won't change over time, but having written the ending helps me focus, in certain ways.

I like to write nonsequentially (to some extent) because I write character-driven stories and think of things that will happen, or should happen, in advance of other plot developments I have yet to work out.

Point being, horses for courses, everything is dependent on the writer and the particular story being written.

Then, too, Ray has been successful at publishing stuff, and I haven't, so take that into account.

caw

[Shadow_Ferret]

My first finished novel was written sequentially. I wrote the story from start to finish uninterupted. It's the hugest pile of crap on the planet.

The novel I'm currently shopping was written with sequentially for the most part, but I also had ideas, scenes, even whole chapters that happened later on the in the book that needed, wanted to be written long before I got there. And they fit in perfectly when I went back to writing sequentially. It was the weirdest thing and really kind of exhilerating to have those puzzle pieces fit in perfectly with the finished product.

[maestrowork]

Just to clarify, I have written out of sequence before and as I said, I like to write out the ending sometimes. There were times when it didn't work well (the plot took a turn for example) but there were also times when the "out of sequence" stuff actually steered the plot in the right direction. I agree with Blacbird in that whatever works for you as a writer -- I just personally like my characters to take me places I can't foresee, and writing in sequence fits my style better.

[Shady Lane]

I am ridiculously sequential, and cannot even think about writing any other way without bits of my brain falling out my ears.

[blacbird]

It's the hugest pile of crap on the planet.

I beg to differ. I have several challengers for this award.

caw

[L M Ashton]

As do I. :D


I write sequentially, following a fairly detailed plot outline. I still throw out bunches of stuff, but nowhere near as much as when I wrote nonsequentially and/or without a detailed enough outline.

[Azure Skye]

With my very first first draft, I wrote non-sequentially. I needed something to think about working 12 hour days so when I had a scene in my head and I was in a position where I could write it without getting in trouble, I'd scribble it down. I had a lot of loose scenes floating around but I managed to get them all in the finished product; however, on the second draft I scrapped about 90% of it and wrote a different story. Some of those scenes made it back in but most fell to the cutting room floor.

Now, I write sequentially but I still throw stuff out.

[qweenie]

I'm probably more of a non-sequential writer. I like to write my ending fairly early on in proceedings - I just find that it gives me focus, I know where I need to get my characters and generally have a pretty good idea of how I'm going to get them there.

Once I have my beginning and my end written, it's all a matter of plugging in the gaps. What I'm working on at the moment has multiple POVs so what I find tends to happen is that I'll write each character's POV in turn so I'm writing the individual stories then intertwining them with each other. If that makes sense.

Probably not the most organised way of doing it, but it seems to be working for me

[scarletpeaches]

I write sequentially. It's never occurred to me to write any other way. You don't read a book out of sequence, so why write it that way?

[BarbaraKE]

I'm definitely a non-sequential writer. I pretty much write the pivotal scenes, then go back and fill in how to get my characters from one scene to another. Of course, I have the whole plot in my head before I start. I very rarely end up 'throwing things out' though I might lengthen/shorten certain scenes to keep the flow working better.

[Gray Rose]

Thanks to anyone that replied!

I write sequentially. It's never occurred to me to write any other way. You don't read a book out of sequence, so why write it that way?

Scarletpeaches, even though we read sequentially, not all of our mental processing is sequential. A given narrative can be sequential, i.e. describing things one after another on a temporal axis, or it can be non-sequential, for example through flashbacks, or through describing simultaneous events from different POVs in a sequence (GRR Martin's Game of Thrones comes to mind).
Our ways of narrating and even reading often reflect our individual preferences in cognitive processing. I was not asking whether there is a right and a wrong in doing these things. I was asking about individual experiences. Thank you for sharing yours. ;)

[maestrowork]

I write sequentially. It's never occurred to me to write any other way. You don't read a book out of sequence, so why write it that way?

A story doesn't need to be told in sequence, however. ;)

[Wraith]

I write mostly sequentially, because I never quite know what the circumstances will actually look like when my characters get to a given scene. Lots of things can (and do) change on the way. On the other hand, I've got a thing for alternative narratives and POVs (every single attempt at a novel I've made had those), so I'll sometimes write things in no particular order, mixing up scenes until the whole thing looks like a seriously messy puzzle. I also sometimes write bits and pieces of scenes from the characters' past or in their pov just to know them better (or because I feel like it), and they sometimes find their place in the story. But when I have no written ending there'll be a huge change in the beginning, so there's a lot of scrapping involved anyway, whatever I do. (And boy do I hate that.)

Sounds pretty tough, giving up good stuff like that, but the story usually has a life of its own (eeeeeevil). I'm sure the new development will bring you great scenes, and probably a better overall picture. Besides, as I've been trying to keep in mind for a while, nothing written is wasted - in terms of learning and getting to know your world and characters. Hope the story goes well in spite of that and keep those chunks somewhere around - some details may come in handy later on. Best of luck :)

[The_Grand_Duchess]

I sometimes write things out of turn. I think it's good to get it out so it doesn't needle at your thoughts. It's a way to say, "There you are scene, all written down so your greatness isn't forgotten." I don't find it distressing if it doesn't make it into the finished product, I just think of them as what might have been.

[TurkeyLurkey]

I edit while writing. So I often go back and change scenes and rework others to match, and as I write, I am often thinking about possible scenes that will happen in the future. (This is probably why outlining is important to me.)

[scarletpeaches]

Scarletpeaches, even though we read sequentially, not all of our mental processing is sequential. A given narrative can be sequential, i.e. describing things one after another on a temporal axis, or it can be non-sequential, for example through flashbacks, or through describing simultaneous events from different POVs in a sequence (GRR Martin's Game of Thrones comes to mind).
Our ways of narrating and even reading often reflect our individual preferences in cognitive processing. I was not asking whether there is a right and a wrong in doing these things. I was asking about individual experiences. Thank you for sharing yours. ;)

Oh of course, I'm not denying each to their own, just saying it's never occurred to me to write in any way other than sequentially.

A story doesn't need to be told in sequence, however. ;)

True. I once wrote a story that jumped back and forward in time, but wrote it in the order it would be read, not in the order the events occurred. Eventually I rejigged it until it was in chronological order and it reads much better that way. I think. Course, it's unpublished so it's as crap as it ever was, probably.

[preyer]

i also find that if i've scenes down then i've got smaller goals to work towards. i also spend a lot of time fantasizing about the story in search of ideas, so when i say i write non-sequentially, that's not to imply the process is completely random. i'll usually know the highlights before word one gets put down. i basically skip around merely to keep myself as entertained by the process as possible.

[Chasing the Horizon]

I write completely out of sequence, but I make a very detailed outline before I start so I know what I'm supposed to writing. I've probably scrapped about 300k for my first novel (yeah, I know that's more than a novel, the stupid thing's been revised about 10 times). With my second novel, I scrapped exactly 3,200 words. Same exact writing method. It didn't even have much to do with experience, the second book was simply 100x easier.

[mistri]

When I write with multiple POVs I sometimes write non-sequentially because if the characters are in different places doing different things, one chapter doesn't necessarily affect the next too much (although each one does move the story forward). It's harder when there's one character as just a single sentence might change what I want to do with the next chapter. I still do it if I get stuck though - just to brainstorm what's coming up ahead. Most of the time I can use a good portion of it.