Welcome to the Newcastle University Creative Writing society!
There are two types of writers. Jotters and Plotters. Instinct and Intent. Steven King and JK Rowling. Explorers and Architects. You probably fit into one of these categories, maybe slightly, maybe religiously. Either way, in this blog post I’m going to cover some of the advantages of each, to try and help you choose the best tool for the story you want to tell.
Architects AKA, Outliners. These writers are the daydreamers. They’ll spend months, years, even decades refining and perfecting their story before they write a single word, with their story going through many changes before the perfect one is found. When pen finally does go to paper (or fingers to keys in this age), it will be total dictation, possibly with a scene/chapter breakdown on a spreadsheet beside them. To them, the writing process is not storytelling; it is telepathy, finding the right words to transfer the story from their own mind to that of the readers.
Explorers AKA, Discovery Writers. Instead of focusing on story, these writers focus on situations. Pre-work and planning is done on the characters and the world, fleshing them out and giving them depth. Then, armed with characters, a starting point, and a destination, they start writing. The story is crafted moment by moment, as the characters organically discover each situation they come across and react accordingly. Writing and storytelling go hand in hand; inspiration comes in the moment, and passes directly to the page.
So, there you have it. I myself am a complete architect, spreadsheets and everything; although, after researching and writing this post, I’m going to try to edge a little closer to the Explorer side of the spectrum. What type of writer are you? Explorer, Architect, or something else entirely? Do you think either is inherently better? Discuss in the forum and, until next time, keep writing. Devon
1 Comment
Yasmin
10/7/2016 08:12:01 pm
This is such an interesting way of looking at it! Although I do think writers especially can get bogged down in categorising their works rather than actually writing them!
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Blog posts are written by our committee members, posted regularly! We talk about exciting new ventures, upcoming events and opportunities, as well as the odd writing thoughts and topics we think of!
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