Friday, September 12, 2014

How big is your thinking?

Dear Stephen King,

I have been assembling a series of over 300 books that I want to write. It is a giant outline comprised of seven ages throughout our planet's history. Each age has seven moving points that change the course of that age's history. Then each of those moving points has seven novels most likely chronicling the lives of the same characters.

I'm wondering if you write in this way. From what I understand you are a "write by the seat of your pants" author. I can see you taking notes about where you want to go with a sequel or second sequel but I believe you only have an idea of what you want to write when you sit down. You don't have a full outline. You will have to let me know a little more about how you do that.

I personally, have discovered that I need an outline to sit down and write. I have to know how story is going to end before I can start writing that story. I like to have beats to write about. I guess it's because of my short attention span. I write about 100 or 200 words at a time. Then I have to get up and do something around the house and then I come back and write another hundred or 200 words. This means I sit down and write eight or nine times before I can quit for the day.

I am trying to study ways to be a little more focused, to have a more specific place and time to write. The process is something that is ever evolving, and I will continue to make changes to my routine until I find a way to be more consistent about putting words down on paper.

I look forward to hearing more about your writing process. 

Sincerely,
Robert Gasperson

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