Hans.Trondheim
Till Seger!
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2021
- Messages
- 1,909
- Points
- 153
First of all, I'm a planner-type author. I was formerly a pantser, but realized I'm not progressing with how I do things, so I switched to planning.
Anyway, let me tell why I'm posting this. There have been questions in the forum lately, about how to write stories with multiple arcs, or long-ass epics. And I thought, hey, I wrote one. Maybe my writing style can help!
Just to be clear, I wrote a long series back in May 2019, and ended it by December 2024. I wrote 1.3 million words, divided into 400+ chapters, 21 books/volumes, and five arcs. Honestly, I'm not done yet, for I'm still writing a shared universe novel. And I have a prequel arc in the planning stage too.
So yeah. Enough of that, and let's proceed to the advice. Planning, as some may think, is actually boring. That is, if you plan right up to the very details of your story. As a former pantser, I circumvented this by planning up to the 'general'/'abstract' stages, but not to the details.
I left that part so I can still be flexible, while having a general idea on how to proceed.
Another thing to note is that, whether you are a pantser or a planner, all of these are useless if you have no self-discipline. I mean, sure, time will surely come when you'll get tired of your work, or be influenced by new, seemingly cooler ideas. But self-discipline will be the thing that will keep you focused on ending your story and staying in your vision for the novel.
Finally, before I share my planning notes, I recommend you develop a routine. It is something you repeatedly do so you will be used to it. For me, I'm really a lazy person. So, to go around this flaw, I developed a routine: for 3-4 weeks I will write and write alone. No games. No drawings. No chats. Not even watching TV; only writing. After that, I take a break for a month or two, then come back to writing. During my break, I do everything else but write.
That's how I finished my story.
So yeah, as promised, here are my planning notes. Try to answer everything if you are planning a long novel series. Just, uh...don't mind the 'confidential' cringe.
Hope this helps! If you got questions, feel free to tag me, as my profile can't be posted upon right now while I'm in the middle of writing stuff. Imma still drive home from work. Tis 15 minutes to 9pm when I posted this.
Anyway, let me tell why I'm posting this. There have been questions in the forum lately, about how to write stories with multiple arcs, or long-ass epics. And I thought, hey, I wrote one. Maybe my writing style can help!
Just to be clear, I wrote a long series back in May 2019, and ended it by December 2024. I wrote 1.3 million words, divided into 400+ chapters, 21 books/volumes, and five arcs. Honestly, I'm not done yet, for I'm still writing a shared universe novel. And I have a prequel arc in the planning stage too.
So yeah. Enough of that, and let's proceed to the advice. Planning, as some may think, is actually boring. That is, if you plan right up to the very details of your story. As a former pantser, I circumvented this by planning up to the 'general'/'abstract' stages, but not to the details.
I left that part so I can still be flexible, while having a general idea on how to proceed.
Another thing to note is that, whether you are a pantser or a planner, all of these are useless if you have no self-discipline. I mean, sure, time will surely come when you'll get tired of your work, or be influenced by new, seemingly cooler ideas. But self-discipline will be the thing that will keep you focused on ending your story and staying in your vision for the novel.
Finally, before I share my planning notes, I recommend you develop a routine. It is something you repeatedly do so you will be used to it. For me, I'm really a lazy person. So, to go around this flaw, I developed a routine: for 3-4 weeks I will write and write alone. No games. No drawings. No chats. Not even watching TV; only writing. After that, I take a break for a month or two, then come back to writing. During my break, I do everything else but write.
That's how I finished my story.
So yeah, as promised, here are my planning notes. Try to answer everything if you are planning a long novel series. Just, uh...don't mind the 'confidential' cringe.
Hope this helps! If you got questions, feel free to tag me, as my profile can't be posted upon right now while I'm in the middle of writing stuff. Imma still drive home from work. Tis 15 minutes to 9pm when I posted this.
