One of my readers asked: How do you tackle writing a long story?

As many of you may or may not know, I have written several long stories. Some of them are about 25k-50k; others – well – let’s just say they are of a severe length. (And deserve their own little epic universe names.) It’s important to note here that my long stories develop in one of two ways: with careful planning or, frighteningly, without rhyme or reason or a set schedule. In either scenario, I have found the most important requirement for writing a lengthy story is diligence. You simply cannot give up.

Now, how often have I made a post to bemoan my sorrow state of affairs when in the process of writing one of my crazy stories? Haven’t I said at some point that I have to stop doing it again and again? The truth is all authors have a love-hate relationship with their epics. You love what you are creating. You hate the consuming madness of bringing it to life. Story demands so much, even the littlest one.

My biggest secret is: if I didn’t have the support of my good friends to say you can do it! and just keep trying your best! I would probably have pulled out all of my hair and quit this business of fandom writing a long time ago.

But I digress. :)

When I begin a story, I usually do not know if it is going to develop past a one-shot or a few simple chapters. But once I have a feel for the characters and how much they are dying to tell me of their lives, it becomes apparent if the story needs to be coddled and coaxed along for several weeks. To be truthful, I prefer writing a long story in parts (though writing in one-go has its advantages, which I will discuss too) because it allows me to discover the story step-in-step with the readers. Typically what I learn of the story, I try to share within a reasonably short period of time. Sometimes I’m just too excited to wait!

I must add a warning in here, though. BEWARE! If you are like me, an unresolved or unfinished story will cause tension or stress. Therefore, by writing in parts, you will be in a constant state of omg, this isn’t done, it needs to get done! or why did I ever start this? Simply put, I worry. In fact, I am worrying right now over yet another story which has that feeling of “this is developing into a long adventure, damn it” because I haven’t had the time to work on the next part. But do you know what gets me through that worry?

Methodical attacks of writing. Stories can only become finished if you deliberately set aside time and energy and focus for them. It doesn’t matter if you have a short ten minutes to give it or, as I usually do, several hours. (Not that I’m special, just especially stupid and of a boring nature.)

Along that vein, writing has to take priority. So it’s better to let writing take priority when you know you do not have other to-dos on your list. This is why evenings after dinner and weekends are best for me to give all of that time, energy, and focus to my WIP. I’m liable to want to write and not stop; hence if I let myself write during my work hours, NOTHING ELSE GETS DONE THAT DAY. (Besides, isn’t that stealing company time? I should know better, I’m like company police! LOL. Irrelevant, I know.)

So to sum up on this score, when I write a long story that I don’t plan for ahead of time, I write it at a pace I can handle but I do not dare put it aside for more than a few days. When that happens, my inherent procrasination gene takes over. Believe me, procrastination is a very bad thing. You can turn your life into one continual event of procrastination. This is how the muse torments poor writers, by inciting procrastination in epic proportions.

Again, I digress.

Planning a story is a whole other beast. I can count on one hand the number of times I have decided to write something, lined all of my ducks in a row (so to speak) and churned out a story in its entirety before it ever saw an internet fan page. Mainly, my stories in this category are written for a big bang or a time-driven, themed project like space_wrapped. Once, and only once, have I purposefully written a “long” story and been able to deny myself the ease and pleasure of writing and posting that story in parts. Oddly that instance (by which I am talking about my crossover fic Of Sacraments and War) was also the only time I used a beta reader.

Side note: Beta readers, by the way, are people who must be angels in disguise. If you truly want to write a long story but do not feel you have enough willpower to maintain your drive, enlist the services of a beta reader. And tell that beta reader, besides beating you over the head for repeated spelling errors and plot holes, to check in with you periodically for story updates. There’s nothing like outside motivation to remind you why you must complete your story! (A beta reader that is both a savior and a fire-breathing dragon is not a bad thing, I think. If you don’t find one of those, choose a beta reader that will be your smarter half. dark_kaomi was mine. :D)

I cannot say there is any particular “strategy” that works for me, but here is a rough list of what seems most common to my approach at writing.

1. I do not make outlines.
2. I do jot down conversations or scenes if I think of them in between long periods of writing. It’s a quick way to capture any “fast thoughts” in a few words, so they don’t escape.
3. I do not plot like it’s do-or-die for a story. Characters will surprise you. That’s a fact.
4. I do give some thought to what could happen (possible scenarios, possible reactions, etc) at least one chapter in advance of where I last left my story.
5. I do not force the world-building. It should feel as though it’s a natural development of the story. I like to treat every detail like a new piece to a puzzle!
6. If I am stuck at a point in the story and cannot think of how to proceed forward, I will skip ahead to write a future scene and “work backwards” if I can. (Thanks to dark_kaomi for this advice. Told you she was my smarter half.)
7. I take time-outs after major emotional or pivotal moments in the story. This is perhaps the best advice I can give. I find my mind is only able to do justice to an aftermath, or find a solution to a plot problem, if I have a good night’s sleep. The power of rest for the creative mind is not to be underestimated. It gives perspective and distance, which is very important to maintain the narrative’s flow.
8. I have to sympathize with a character’s emotion, or understand it rationally, in order to write it; otherwise, if the emotion in the story cannot affect me, it has no hope of affecting the readers.

Other than that, I would say tell your readers up front if you are going to be slogging it through your story piece by piece. If there is something you really and truly want to write but do not know how to get started… well, some great advice I was given (by nevadafighter) was don’t hold back on the words. Let them be ugly. Let them be stupid and painful and less interesting than a one-sentence story written by a kindergarten. It’s important to believe you can find a way to express your ideas and to cut yourself some slack even when you know you aren’t expressing your idea to the best of your ability. I think many of us writers would agree that first drafts are usually far from the finished product. Polishing often takes longer than the writing of the story!

I know I’ve probably told you more than you want to know and no doubt talked of things that bear no revelance to the question… but this is what “tackling a long story” means to me. Yes, writing is slow, often agonizing, but once you have familiarity with the process and have developed your own style for telling a story, the task becomes a familiar friend. Then your story is worth all the hassle and ponderings and laments of god, will I ever reach the end? Trust in what you write and in your ability to write. That trusting in oneself is, for me, more crucial to the creation of a story than all of the writing talent in the world.

Related Posts:

• Some RL Things – from July 19, 2015
• The Season Should Be Over But It’s Not Really – from January 7, 2015
• Happy New Year’s, Everyone! – from December 31, 2014
• McSpirk Gift Exchange – from December 15, 2014
• This Person Needs Help – from July 25, 2014