For a long time I struggled with how to actually write. Like most new writers, I bought books and sought out the knowledge on how to write from others. There are numerous blogs about what types of writers are out there, usually boiling down to planners or pantsers, architects or gardeners. But that doesn't even get into the how to write.
Before we go further, just a brief overview of the two types of writers. These are not binary terms either, and a writer can fall anywhere on a spectrum of full planning to full pantsing.
Planner or Architect:
The plot, character, worldbuilding, and everything else, is thought of beforehand and written down somewhere.
Pantser or Gardener:
Only what is necessary to start has been identified. Main character, maybe the villain, and a general sense of purpose.
As you can see there is a big difference between the two. But that is why it is a spectrum. Some people may have all of their characters but no real plot. Some may have the plot and only the MC. Some may have a detailed world, but no characters, only a vague idea of an MC that gets filled in as they write.
When learning about yourself, it is important to understand where you are on this spectrum. What will you need to be successful in writing? See what happens if you have a character and just write. What happens? Did they make a step or face-plant and the nothingness of the world you found you need to write in?
Now, on to what I learned and developed. I had been writing for many years, quite unsuccessfully. More like attempting to write a story and failing to finish. So, like anyone should do, I tried to get better and find out what others were doing. After reading many books, blogs, articles, and watching videos, I coalesced a method of writing I call BOLD.
Now this may seem silly to say I came up with a writing platform or way to write, but when talking with people, it was easier to explain how I write in this way.
Brainstorm
This is the easiest step to understand but can also be the longest one. This is literally just putting down notes, wherever you keep notes, and thinking about your story. Plot, characters, world building, magic, weapons, magic, etc. All of that, just put down somewhere so you don't forget it. This happens all the time. And should happen all the time. This is the over-arching stage that only stops when the story has been published.
Outline
This stage is the most important stage. This is where you write out the story. It can be as simple or complex as you need it to be. A few words to multiple paragraphs. Even including dialogue if you think of some great lines.
What is important to note here, this stage exists to frame the story. It is not being written out fully right now. You will walk the path later and fill in the details, but this is the essential part of the BOLD method.
In outlining, the ideas can be added/removed/changed as needed. If you get to the end, and then realize you didn't account for something important, add a note in the outline earlier where it needs to be, or even change whole sections to fit the rest.
The outlining stage should be the equivalent to a full round of revisions. The story may still change when it is written as you find issues you didn't think of or think of better things. The important part is that you have the path of the story laid out.
Lengthen
This took a while to think of a term to make a good method name. But, essentially, lengthen is about expanding and elaborating on the outline. This is done one chapter at a time. This is still not writing the book.
When lengthening, you will take whatever chapter you are on and re-write the outline section to add in details and specifics about what is happening. You don't need to add the descriptions or dialogue yet, unless of course you have a great line of dialogue you want to remember.
In my experience, I've gone from a few sentences or paragraphs in the outline, to at least a written full legal pad page expansion of the chapter. For some there may be a second page. Rarely, there may be a full conversation as I envision a scene. Once you have lengthened the outline of the chapter, you are ready to move to the last stage.
Draft
This is the moment when you are actually writing your story. You have the outline of the story and the guidelines for the chapter at hand. Now you need to write sentences with descriptions and prose to build the story.
This is when you have dialogue, or add the dialogue from your chapter lengthening. Rarely has any one piece of dialogue gone from the legal pad to the manuscript unaltered, but always has the idea been transferred to the story.
When you have the idea of the chapter laid out, it is easier to look back and know where to go next. What to write next. You have all of the scenes you want to show already there, you just need to color in the picture. That's not to say that while writing you may not think of a better way to write it or even revise everything in the chapter as you figure out a better way to show what you wanted to show.
Repeat
Once you have drafted the chapter, you then go and lengthen the next chapter and draft. You keep doing this until you have no more chapters. And, if at any point, you find something doesn't fit anymore, you can brainstorm better ways to handle the situation, change the outline, lengthen a new outlined chapter, and draft away.
The important thing to know about writing is that it is an iterative process. NO ONE will put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and bang out a best seller in the first go. If anyone says they have done that, they are lying. This is very important for people to understand, especially new writers. You will fail. You will write something that is bad, or doesn't make sense, or just boring. But, the best part about writing is you can always change it.
After a story has been drafted, it isn't done. There are re-reads and revisions to make. This can happen as many times as you deem necessary to write the story you want to write.
Until you have published a book, the story is not done. Even after a book has been published, you can make changes... though, it does make it harder to do, but it is possible.
I have included a link to a wordpress blog I created years ago about my method. There are some behind the scenes looks at some chapters from my book, Mage Out of Time.
As always, if you have any questions, please ask away.
Writing books with the BOLD method
