How To Write, or You Do What?

I read something yesterday that made me think about how writers write.  You see, I write in a very linear fashion.  I begin at the beginning and write until the story's finished.  I do.  How perfectly boring, you say.  Maybe.  And I'm a committed plotter.  I know almost everything that's going to happen in the story before the pen hits the paper for the first word.  Of course, sometimes details take on a life of their own, but then I just replot and move on with the story from there. 

Yesterday's article was about how writers can get started with their stories and mentioned writing scenes instead of chapters.  For me, this sounds like madness. It sounds incredibly chaotic also.  I'm the type of writer who must make the connections as I go along, and writing scenes would make it impossible for me to connect anything.  This method works for some, and that's great for them, but I can't imagine doing that and retaining the central meaning of my story. 

Then there are people who write characters first.  I can understand this.  While I don't plot mine out as completely as the story, I do have a very strong sense of what they look like, what they sound like, and what kind of person or creature they are emotionally and morally. 

Other writers have conversations with their characters and find the story that way.  I guess if that works, that's fine, but be careful no one who's looking to put you away catches you talking to imaginary people. :) 

The idea here is that writers write.  They don't talk about wanting to write or planning to write. They write. It's as simple as that. They may read voraciously also, but above all, they write. And the ones who do it for a living write even more.

I'm over at Fallen Angel Reviews today being interviewed, so click on over to find out my bad habits and what I'd put on my dream hot dog and burger (sexy stuff, right?), among other bookish things. :) 

Edits are complete on Destiny Redeemed, and formatting for the various outlets begins asap. I'm arranging a blog tour with Bewitching Book Tours, so I hope to have some info on that in the coming weeks. And later this week, I'll be unveiling the cover for Blood Avenged, Vasilije's story.  I can't wait!