Do anyone work this way?

[JGC137]

Ok, I always have a ton of ideas running thru my head, i see them like a movie in my head and i always have to write the scene down asap so i don't forget it. My question is, does anyone write out scenes or even endings before they've even truly started the story? And does anyone else see their story in their mind like a movie or is that just me??

[Qray]

I do. In fact some scenes I write will sit around waiting for me to come up with a story for them to fit into. Other times when writing, I'll jump ahead and write a scene before I forget what it is I wanted to happen in it. Or just because it's an exiting or enjoyable scene to write.

Also yes on the movie in the head thing.

[The Master]

Its really great that you do that. You don't lose ideas because you capture them fresh right when they come to you. You never know when one of those ideas might blossom into more.

The key isn't so much being able to visualize it in your head as it is how well you can translate that vision into written word. I've often struggled with getting my words to accurately convey my ideas in a way that satisfies me so I tend to over-rewrite. Then I realize later that my first draft was my best draft precisely because it was fresh and not over worked.

[Bmat]

I have written out scenes and endings, mainly because they capture my imagination and seem fun to do. Sometimes I'll write a few versions of the same scene. Frequently, though, after I've started writing the actual story, the scene doesn't quite fit- kind of like starting a railroad track on one side of the country and on the other side of the country both and working in to the center of the country, and even though they are close, they don't meet.

[spknoevl]

I definitely view my scenes in my head much like a movie as I write them. I would imagine all writers probably do that. You are trying to convey a mental image in your head into words.

I occasionally write out rough drafts of small scenes, but generally I mull the entire storyline over in my head before beginning to write a rough plot outline as a guide and then approach each individual scene as I work my way through the book.

A lot of times, my storylines are built from one particular scene and then I develop the rest of the plot around that idea. In the novel I'm currently working on, I initially had most of the pivotal scene between the main protaganist and the dragon in my head, and then developed the storyline both before and after that scene into what eventually became my plotline.

[nightlock]

Yes. At any given time I have so many ideas and story lines running through my head it is hard to sort one from the other. It doesn't help that a lot of these scenes are not even original work, but my take on how the book I am reading might go forward. It actually hampers my ability to keep with a single project and write it out.

[samaulle_esun]

Never

When I write I won't even skip a word that I can't think of. I'll sit there and wait till it comes to me.

What I do sometimes do is realise I need to add extra bits. The hard thing about that is finding an opening where these extra bits don't spoil the continuity.

[lovesaphira]

yes i do, all the time. I put them in seperate documents and refer back to them later. or if it's handwritten, just under a different title.
But i'm always getting other ideas for excerpts before i'm up to them. Or sometimes even dialogue that sounds so good i have to out it somewhere so i end up making excerpts out of it.

[thegreentick]

I skip back and forth through a story all the time. Mostly I do it to get to know a character better. I'll write a short story or chapter about one of the characters going through a certain type of situation so I know what kind of history the character has motivating their decisions. I totally see things as a movie too. I just know that I could never make a movie out of my stories as they're far too long and the worlds are far too different. Books are better anyway though. If they're pulled off properly, the worlds and characters are far more fantastic than a movie could do them justice.

[Grand Evander]

I feel stories certainly benefit from being planned to the extent that planning helps to maintain focus and parsimony while allowing flexibility for creativity. I've heard people recommend using outlines. They work if that's how you think about stories and fail if that's not how you think about them.

I've been trying to get into the habit of outlining for one of the reasons I mentioned: parsimony. I create general outlines of this is where I want to start and this is where I want to end for each chapter I write. This allows me the flexibility to insert anything I want between that start and stop, as long as I'm willing to deal with the ramifications of adding that scene.

I have at least 10 word documents with fragments and phrases that have come to me while writing that I couldn't incorporate at the time. I'll often leave aside my WIP and read through these ideas to see which seem like they're right for this story, just not where I was when I thought of them, and which would work better in another story. With the former, I make a note where to insert it so I don't forget during my revision process. With the latter, I often compile these ideas into the basic outline I have for another story, usually with buzz words I believe will act as strong mnemonics.

Submitted for your review,

GE