Situational Writing? What is it?

I've been doing a lot of reading since finding the forum, and I've seen 'situational writing' mentioned a few times.


I'm not familiar with this term, and I wondered if anyone could clue me into exactly what it is, and how it differs from any other kind of writing.


Thanks! :snoopy

I believe it means you BIC, throw your characters in a situation, and let them do their things. You don't specifically steer your characters toward one thing or another, to fit a pre-defined plot or direction per se.

For example, try the "prompts" in the Writing Excercise forum. The prompts are usually just people in a situation. What comes out of it is so organic and dynamic that no two writers would come up with the same story.

Many genres, however, do dictate a certain story and plot development (mystery, romance, for example). They have a formular and thus not usually "situational."

Stephen King's On Writing is a good read for what situational writing is.

We are all unique with regard to writing and what works for some, might not work for the others.

The most important thing is to be aware of all the possibilities, and try and match what you think suits you best, and in which order suits you best.

The good thing about situational writing is that the story tends to be less predictable or cliche. Usually, when you practice situational writing, as you find yourself deciding what to do next, you can switch directions or shy away from the obvious choices (e.g. the guy is angry... obvious/cliche: he kills his wife... unpredictable/fresh: he quits his job and becomes a Tibetian monk or SO MANY other options)...

... when you practice situational writing, as you find yourself deciding what to do next, you can switch directions or shy away from the obvious choices....

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I don't understand. What is it about outlines or preplanning that prevents a writer from switching directions?

What is it about outlines that makes the stories more predictable (for the reader)?

I don't think that outlines necessarily make a story more predictable to the reader. But for me, if I let myself go deep in the characters heads, the story goes directions it wouldn't have if I'd been plotting it out in advance. And usually I like those directions.

Terra, you pegged it.

Usually, I find if I plot out everything before I write it, it's generic enough -- not necessarily cliche, but I don't know my characters that well yet. When I do write it, chaos theory sets in -- you throw two or three characters together and they start to do things unexpected, and the story takes on a new direction I'd NEVER thought possible before, and it make sense. Once the events unfold that way, the original outline (or parts of it) goes out the window because it doesn't make sense anymore.

I'd use my road trip example again. You can plot out your itinerary all you want to give a general direction, but until you actually get in the car and drive, stop and linger, you really don't know what happens. Once you're on the road, things happen and you change your mind, go to different places ("Hey, a Barbie Museum!" -- from RAT RACE)... and your routes and itinerary starts to change. That's fun. Ultimately you'd like to end up in your original destination. But even if you don't, you end up with a very memorable trip.

Those who plan every stop, every minute detail of their trip before they go *might* end up with a boring, predictable one (unless they make an effort of pre-planning every fun things along the way).

situational writing

Situational writing just means you start the novel with a character in a situation. But there's a bit more to it than it seems.

You have to know what kind of situation to use, and how to set it up properly. The situation must be one that poses the kind of problem, or asks the kind of question, that can generate a novel.

The entire rest of the novel is generated by the opening situation.

Situational writing isn't the same thing as just sitting down and writing without a clue where you're going from page one on. Instead, the opening situation is worked on intensely by most writers, and you have to learn just what kind of situation you need, where to put the protagonist in, and then you let this properly setup opening generate the novel, much like one move in a chess game causes a responsive move.


From the opening on, you don't know where you're going. Not knowing is better. But it works because if the opening situation and character is right, the story knows where it's going, and you more or less follow along.

I'm not much on outlined novels at all, but situational writing is something you have to learn. Though it does seem to come easily for a great many writers who understand what it is.

I do think King's On Writing is the best book on the subject. I also think King's On Writing is one of the two or three best books on writing ever written, period. Even the autobiograpy section is high;y educational.

Outlining? What is it?

Terra, Maestro, I'm sorry, but your answer is incorrect. The correct answer is: "You're right! There's no reason at all an outline would make a predictable story." Sorry, guys--no prize money this time.

I've had this same conversation ad nauseum elsewhere, so forgive me if I skim over my points, but most of the people who think that outlines hurt creativity/make the work predictable/get in the way of developing character/lock the writer into a rigid plot don't actually know how outlines work. In truth, none of this is a real problem with an outline that's done properly.

Let's touch briefly on the map analogy. A lot of people have this weird idea that, because you write an outline a certain way, you are somehow required to write the draft that same way. It just ain't so. Any writer will change anything the moment they think of something better. There's nothing about an outline that prevents this.

I usually end up reworking my outlines while the novel draft is in progress.

Another thing I don't understand is that people talk about outlines as though they are all plot and don't explore character. Personally, I find that plot and character are almost the same thing. Not *exactly* the same, because plot encompasses non-character actors like hurricanes, asteroids, cancer, fate, whatever. However, the characters' reactions to those non-character actors are both character and plot.

I use outlines to get to know my characters. I work hard enough on the outline that the characters become clear to me. If they weren't clear, how could I create a plot?

Let's say you have a scene where a hurricane is about to hit the town where the story is set. Your lead character can't resist and goes out for a jog in the storm as it builds. He enjoys a lonely run through the neighborhood, but when the wind gets *really* high, he heads for home. But his kitchen light is on, and he's sure he turned it off. He doesn't want to go charging into his house, so he sneeks up to the lighted window and peeks inside.

What does he see? That'll take a little time to work out, because we wouldn't want to be too predictable (I'm leaning toward rodeo clowns). But, this outlined plot is full of character-defining elements--a character adventurous (or stupid) enough to rush outside into a storm but not so incautious that he runs into his own house.

The outline, which would look a lot like that jogging paragraph above, would have lots of other more specific character stuff in it. How he feels about his job and family. How he treats his girlfriend. All sorts of stuff. And it would have snippets of dialog, chunks of clunky exposition, notes about setting if that matters, notes to myself about what I'll need to research later.

In truth, a *good* outline reveals character and is more flexible than an un-outlined first draft, if only because it's less wieldy. As I've mentioned elsewhere, an outline *is* a first draft. Just one that really easy to change after you finish.

There was something else I wanted to say, but I've been typing this during the commercials of GOOD EATS, and for the life of me I can't remember what it is. I will say that this is what works for me. YMMV

Outlines

I know very well how outlines work, and I can spot a novel that's been outlined nine times out of ten.

And it's the fact that outlines do explore both plot and character that makes them weaker, in my opinion. Outlined characters almost always strike me as unrealistic, and always seem to be doing things you can tell the writer wants them to do, rather than things the character really would do if he were telling the story.

Outlined novels aren't always predictable and formulaic, about one writer in ten fools me, but it doesn't happen often. And sometimes outlined characters are wonderful, but I think it takes a very rare writer to pull it off.

Re: Outlines

HConn, both Terra and I said "outlining" doesn't necessarily make the story more predictable or cliche. But situational writing DOES tend to lead to a more unpredictable story. I guess I'm playing with logic here: A -> B, but not(B) does not -> A...

With my first novel, I did a general outline. Later when I was writing it, I found that I was trying too hard to make my characters do what I wanted to fit the outline I made, instead of letting them do what came nautural to them. So I ended up writing them situationally, then went back and change the outline. Eventually, by the 60,000th word I abandoned the outline altogether.

It doesn't mean one cannot make the story work by outlining. It all depends on what you call an outline. Obviously, the more you think it through (and walk through with your charactres), the more realistic and interesting your "outline" would be. I believe Uncle Jim said his outline was usually about 3/4 of the actual book length! Now that's a lot of details.

With my WIP, I'm not outlining at all. I do try to work out where I want my story to be -- all in my head. When I write, I let my characters, and my muse (come on out and play!) tell me where they want the story to go. It's not to say I let them take complete control. I still throw them the same problems and in the same settings that *I* want. I still want them to eventually end up somewhere that *I* want. But how they get there is the interesting part.

Again, we've discussed this to death. Do what works. I was just trying to discuss what "situational" writing means in this context.

King's On Writing

I think one of the things that makes King's On Writing so good is that it has a ring of truth to it--he talks about things in an open natural manner that doesn't have the same glossed over feel that so many writing books seem to have.

Down to earth? The phrase comes to mind. He tells it like it is. While many other books make you feel like a dummy if you don't get it right of way--almost like Hey, if you don't have this coming out of the gate forget it! King has a way of speaking to the reader(writer) that says --Hey, if I could do this so can you.

Shawn

On Writing

I just wish King had outlined the darn thing, so there was a table of contents and an index.

:grr

Re: Outlines

That's right, Maestro -- my outlines are extensive and detailed. About 3/4 of the length of the finished work -- but telegraphic, with notes to myself scattered throughout.

I believe that "situational writing" is much like the "positional play" that I talked about in the Uncle Jim thread. (Speaking of needing an index....)

Re: Outlines

James A, I have to admit that I find your "9 out of 10" comments a bit dubious. But no matter.

Maestro, when you said:

... both Terra and I said "outlining" doesn't necessarily make the story less predictable or cliche.

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did you mean "more predictable or cliche?"

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For anyone else still reading this thread (who cares): Never let a style or a process be defined by its misuse. An outline in which characters act out of character because the author wants them to do a certain thing is not a flaw inherent in outlining. It's just a bad outline.

Similarly, an unoutlined novel with a long, dreary stretch in the middle is not a flaw inherent in the process of writing w/out an outline. It's just a badly-written stretch.

Don't let things be defined by their worst examples.

Re: Outlines

HConn, I like this:

Don't let things be defined by their worst examples.

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Regardless of whether we're talking about outlines or anything else.

Thanks.

Re: Outlines

HConn, I'm with you. But I don't really think anyone is paying attention.

I simply don't believe it's possible to tell from reading a book whether or not it has been outlined. Particularly since in most cases the writer doesn't provide this information.

>>But situational writing DOES tend to lead to a more unpredictable story.<<

To flog the stinking and totally putrefied horse one last time, I think this notion is based on a basic misunderstanding (I won't say prejudice--whoops, I just did) of the outlining/synopsizing/planning/whatever you want to call it process. What happens for the situational or nonplanning writer in the writing--those flashes of inspiration, those unpredictable directions, those free associations--happens for the outlining or planning writer in the planning (and, depending on what kind of outliner or planner you are, in the writing too). It's just an extra step in the same process.

- Victoria

Re: Outlines

Victoria,

You said it exactly right.

I brought up Elizabeth George on another thread in connection with this topic, and please bear with me as I do so again. (I think George is a fine writer, and I just read her writing book so it's fresh for me). She talks about her "running plot outline" as that piece of the process where all sorts of connections are made and lightbulbs go off, etc. When she has that in place, then she writes her first draft.

For another writer, the connections and lightbulbs may go off during the writing of the first draft, or maybe even the re-writing of the first draft :ack

If a story is predictable, I can't believe it's because of an outlining process. There are other variables.

Re: Outlines

Again, it depends on what you call an outline. Some writers like Uncle Jim plan and plot extensively, in details, as if they're actually writing the book. It's a process for them, almost like an "alpha" draft. In a sense they could be doing "situational writing" while they're "outlining."

Some writers, like me, outline in very brief form: things we think "should" happen to get to the end. A lot of times, that kind of outline turns out false because once the writer sits down and write the thing, things change, directions change, characters change, etc. etc. It's not to say that outlines can't be changed, but it's an extra step.

I think it really does help if we're specific about what KIND of outlines we are dealing with here. Different people have different definitions and processes.

Re: Outlines

I see an outline as a guide; it provides direction -- it's essentially a rough draft, not a set of guidelines, IMO.

I adopted an outline to stay focus and to get a clear idea of where exactly I want my story to go.

I decided to stop writing and start forming because, though the story was coming along, I felt I needed a foundation, something to build on and toward.

On the flip side, I've read many books where it seemed obvious the author had no sense of direction.