Drip....Drip.... Drip Feed

[Lardibutts]

I’d like to ask other writers about writing in instalments versus working it all out beforehand.

It does seem that most (WB excepted) write on the hoof and post as they go along. Take Mr Big (JP) for example

“Sorry for the long delay, I hope I'll be able to keep more regular postings for this story......Well thanks. I'll be writing again today, I'm not sure if it will be for this or for Digital Silver, but either way there should be more to come shortly......Thanks, hope to have something soon. Real life keeps intruding, which is good (I need to get out more) but does slow things up a bit.
Thanks for hanging in there.”

Unlike most of my other stuff which lurks around on my hard disk for months, I’m currently making one up as I go along (“Bottoming Out”) and have been getting myself completely tied up in knots.

What really surprised me is that is that it was originally going to be about a grotesque little soul who'd taken my fancy but an even more grotesque fantasy totally hi jacked the piece (driving us over the guidelines into the rough a time or two).
I’m trying to finish off now but have just found I’d completely forgotten I’d set out using a flashback format, which I have now got to extract myself out of 8 episodes later.

I’m definitely going back to stewing stuff on the back burner from now on.

There was a reference by someone the other day on this site to Charles Dickens writing in instalments. Me, I’d have set out writing “David Copperfield” and ended up obsessively expanding Miss Haversham into XWG.

So how do you manage it?

 

[Observer]

 

[Lardibutts]

 

[JP.]

 

[Snorri Sturluson]

 

[Forgotten_Futures]

 

[Snorri Sturluson]

 

[Lardibutts]

 

[Tad]

 

[Forgotten_Futures]

 

[Scx]

 

[Lardibutts]

 

[Gus7021]

 

[Big Beautiful Dreamer]

 

[Charisa]

 

[Deryk Shane]

 

[Raider X]

 

[Observer]

 

[maltesefalcon]

 

[samster]