Plotting: How long does it take you?

[Juno]

Just out of curiosity--I was wondering how long everyone spends on their plotting?

I love plotting--I love the puzzle-like aspect of connecting scenes together and weaving an intricate story. Even the headache of plot block becomes so rewarding when you finally figure out that certain "a-ha!" moment.

My current project, I hate to admit, took almost six months to fully plot--even before starting the writing itself. The span of the VN is only eight in-game months, but a lot goes on in those eight months and the scope of the game is much more serious than light-hearted. I also juggled the plotting between working and going to school full-time, so the lengthiness of progress was somewhat warranted.

So how long did it take you to plot your current project? Or your last project? And what was the scope of the project?

I know everyone's answers will be vastly different, but I'm just curious.

[mitoky]

Usually it depens on the plot. If its soemthing everyday life revolving, i usually dont take long. However, if it's fantasy or supernatural tehmed i take longer, way longer. Up to half a year for just plotting.
Currently, i started a VN and for that plot i took also around 2-3 months now. I think my biggest problem, which i usually leave out till the end are names. ^^''

[YonYonYon]

I can incubate my plots for years and then outline them in a week.

[SundownKid]

I tend to brainstorm a lot before I arrive at something definite; usually listening to music when walking and/or commuting helps crystallize characters and scenes in my head over a period of months. Then it would take something like a day or two to actually write it down into a definite outline.

I guess my weakness is that I like to listen to exciting music, so I want to write action, fantasy, sci-fi stories instead of anything slice of life related

[HiddenCreature]

Some people make the mistake of thinking all the ideas come one after the other. And when they don't, they call it "writer's block." The truth is, they don't know what they want in the plot yet. And they don't know, because they haven't tried out other ideas first.

It's a process, so you have to experiment with a few rough ideas, before getting the final draft.

When you realize writer's block is really just you still figuring out what you want to write, it really speeds up the process.

Honestly, you can finish in two weeks. Remember, it's just the plot, not writing the actual story.

[Juno]

Some people make the mistake of thinking all the ideas come one after the other. And when they don't, they call it "writer's block." The truth is, they don't know what they want in the plot yet. And they don't know, because they haven't tried out other ideas first.

It's a process, so you have to experiment with a few rough ideas, before getting the final draft.

When you realize writer's block is really just you still figuring out what you want to write, it really speeds up the process.

Honestly, you can finish in two weeks. Remember, it's just the plot, not writing the actual story.

I've always found the writing part to be much easier than plotting. I suppose it is because when I outline--I outline scene-by-scene along with any pertinent information. Writing is only hard for me when I have no direction for the scene.

I consider it "plot block" when there are missing gaps in the story. Especially when I have two major scenes and a lack of connecting scenes to bring them together or transition them. Then I have to figure out ideas that would work that makes sense.

[Kuiper]

It depends on the type of story I'm writing. Some stories are very plot-driven, while others are less so.

For example, if I'm writing a mystery plot, or a story that I want to have an interesting plot twist, I'll take the time to carefully structure the plot so that I know from the very beginning how it's going to unfold. That way, I can be sure that the early portions of the story properly foreshadow the surprising yet inevitable conclusion. This can be a lengthy and challenging process, because, as you noted, sometimes you have to construct a very specific route from point A to point B that isn't a deus ex machina. Sometimes, writing the "connective tissue" is the hardest part, and in a lot of those cases I'll begin writing the scenes that I know are going to be in the story, and much of the time that gets the creative juices flowing enough to get me out my "plot block."

Other stories are much more character-driven. Right now I'm writing an "Ocean's Eleven" type of story that I began writing with the very broadest of plot lines, and some of the plot points consisted of very basic, bare-bones summaries like, "this is the part where they meet and recruit the demolitions expert." That leaves a lot of questions unanswered--how and where do they meet the demolitions expert? What is the demolitions expert like in terms of age, gender, personality, etc? And the answer to all of these questions is, ultimately, "the specific details don't matter to the central plot, so just come up with whatever is interesting or entertaining." I get to figure things out as I go. Maybe I start writing the demolitions expert as a 30-year old chemistry professor, but the decide partway through that it would be more interesting if the demolitions expert were a teenager. These types of stories are often a lot of fun to write.

The potential pitfall of starting with a minimal outline and figuring things out as you go is that sometimes you wind up with internal contradictions as you write--the awesome idea that you have as you begin writing chapter 9 conflicts with some of the details that you already wrote in chapter 5. In situations like these, I make a note of it, continue going forward with with whatever the best idea I have is, and then go back and fix all of the contradictions and inconsistencies in editing. So, while working with a more minimal outline does mean I spend less time plotting the story on the front end, it can mean that I spend more time in editing on the back end.

[Kailoto]

I'm one of those obsessive planning types. I'll spend an inordinate amount of time outlining and cross-checking everything before I even type the first word. I chalk it up to the fact that I hate redoing work, as the act of writing itself is pretty rote, so I prefer to get through it as quickly as possible. Nothing slows me down like catching a contradiction or flaw while I'm in the middle of writing - progress just stops and it takes a lot of effort to get going again.

I do know others, though, that are capable of jumping straight into the first draft without any planning whatsoever, and it doesn't seem to detract from their skills. So it really depends on what's optimal for how you think and work.

[noctos]

I tend to brainstorm a lot before I arrive at something definite; usually listening to music when walking and/or commuting helps crystallize characters and scenes in my head over a period of months. Then it would take something like a day or two to actually write it down into a definite outline.

I guess my weakness is that I like to listen to exciting music, so I want to write action, fantasy, sci-fi stories instead of anything slice of life related

I do this a lot too! Walking is my absolute favorite way of brainstorming. It's taken three months to get down what I want in my VN, and a lot of it was decided while out walking. I'm in pretty good shape now, since I often take detours if I find an idea I want to explore.

Plotting is one of my favorite aspects of creating a story. I've been writing ever since I could read, and I used to hate plotting! I wrote for my own pleasure, and at the time, writing whatever came to mind was most fun. I thought plotting ruined the experience since I knew what was going to happen.

Now I know that planning works much better if I want the result to be any good. I know others write stories with no outlines, but I'm prone to ignore huge plot holes and other problems if I just bulldoze away. Now I often get stuck on the plotting because I grow frightened of ruining the story if I actually start writing. These silly fears...

But yep, length depends a lot! Small stories can take a surprising amount of time, since I get hung up on the plot points and where to put them. I'm more relaxed when it comes to longer stories for some reason, but it's easier to get lost in subplots when there's a lot going on. I have a story I've been working on for six years, and I still don't have a plan for the plot. I think it's time to let it go...

[Lesleigh63]

Varies. Although I had problems settling on what to write about this time round. Tried outlining five different stories before I finally found one where I was able to plot right through to the end - which is the one I'm currently writing. Didn't expect to waste that much time just coming up with a workable idea.

[truefaiterman]

I'm a pretty wild writer: I just go nuts and everything flows with no filters...

... Which is absurd, since I spend months and entire years organizing the plot. Oh well...

[kitsubasa]

I'm normally a pretty meticulous planner, but the time it takes to actually get my overly-detailed plans down varies. I work best when I'm planning on paper, and if I'm doing a handwritten plan I can normally get a 20,000 word route plotted in about 2-3 days. If I'm working on a computer, I find things much harder and I tend to take 2-3 weeks for the same amount of work.

I feel a lot more freedom when I can scribble notes everywhere and I'm not presented with the temptation to research things when I should be thinking on my own. It helps being able to collect the facts I need as I learn I'll need them -- and sometimes what I find will be really inspiring -- but it can be counterproductive too. Especially when I end up reading entire essays on like, ancient rudder mechanics, or firestarting methods of the 18th century. @_@

So, I mostly plan historical work or work set in unfamiliar countries on my computer, and fantasy/sci-fi work or work set in countries I've been to by hand. One needs research to avoid going horrifically awry -- and goes slowly as a result. The other I can make up as I go without worrying I've created an impossible plot point -- so it's faster.

[octacon100]

Gosh, this one is tough. Takes about a week or two to come up with a general story arc, along with flow charts, general characters, and plot points.

The hard part about writing mysteries is making sure your twists and evidence make sense on don't trip over each other, also, making believable evil characters is tough. After an overall arc is done, depending on the size of the story and the twists and turns, it could be anything from a month to two months, with about a month to two months to write the Ren'py script/character lines.

Adding programming and such to it takes a fair bit longer. And multiple choices make writing a cohesive story that is satisfying for everyone harder.

[Juno]

This can be a lengthy and challenging process, because, as you noted, sometimes you have to construct a very specific route from point A to point B that isn't a deus ex machina. Sometimes, writing the "connective tissue" is the hardest part, and in a lot of those cases I'll begin writing the scenes that I know are going to be in the story, and much of the time that gets the creative juices flowing enough to get me out my "plot block."

Exactly. And I usually find simply knowing your characters well, however plot centered the story is, will help with that connective tissue. It's like a puzzle trying to figure out how your characters will respond to their environment and how their actions will forward the plot in a way that is totally in their character and based on their own motivations.

I'm one of those obsessive planning types. I'll spend an inordinate amount of time outlining and cross-checking everything before I even type the first word. I chalk it up to the fact that I hate redoing work, as the act of writing itself is pretty rote, so I prefer to get through it as quickly as possible. Nothing slows me down like catching a contradiction or flaw while I'm in the middle of writing - progress just stops and it takes a lot of effort to get going again.

That's me. I have to have everything--every small detail noted scene-by-scene--before I even start writing. But I find that makes writing so much faster when you know exactly what you are going to write.

@SundownKid and @Noctos

Music is such a good remedy for any kind of obstacles I face when plotting. My partner is one who will walk to music for hours and hours simply burning a hole in the bedroom floor without going anywhere, whereas I find most of my inspiration while listening to music while traveling on long trips. Or actually simply writing. Writing on paper just ideas and flow charts and simply run-on nonsense gets my ideas flowing so fast.

I used to hate plotting at one point, too, but it's so interesting to me now. Just like how everything relates to everything. The whole foreshadowing and Chekhov's Gun stuff. It's interesting.

@kitsubasa - There just is something a lot more inspiring about taking a hand to paper and scribbling down what comes to mind rather than typing something up. I remember reading somewhere a long time ago about the psychological reasons behind it, something about pen to paper having more stimulation on your brain because of the actual physical motion of writing.

Gosh, this one is tough. Takes about a week or two to come up with a general story arc, along with flow charts, general characters, and plot points.

The hard part about writing mysteries is making sure your twists and evidence make sense on don't trip over each other, also, making believable evil characters is tough. After an overall arc is done, depending on the size of the story and the twists and turns, it could be anything from a month to two months, with about a month to two months to write the Ren'py script/character lines.

Adding programming and such to it takes a fair bit longer. And multiple choices make writing a cohesive story that is satisfying for everyone harder.

Definitely. Though you certainly work a lot faster than me. I do wonder how much faster I could be if I could dedicate more hours to actually working on my project but I'm not so sure if it would be any faster. Inspiration comes and goes for me which makes it longer for me to figure out facets of the story.

I guess I feel with all of my stories that I can come up with the general plot and idea and the characters, but then it boils down to the characters themselves telling me how the story will play out. And I need time to get to know each character. That's why whenever I get stuck between two scenes, I have to sit down and have a serious thought about how each of my characters would react and what their motivations are. They are typically pretty good at guiding the stories themselves if that makes any sense.

[Tentacles]

It depends on whether I'm working with a larger narrative to a series (let's say a short story collection) or a stand alone story that is a little more than a flash fiction. For such a series, I might plot the larger puzzle like larger narrative but discover the individual nuance within each story let it flow more organically.

For example I might know roughly that nation x was the forefather of nation y, but within each nation I prefer to organically discover each cast of characters within larger world building.