Writing The Entire Plot Or Chapter By Chapter

[TheBlackDuelist]

Hey everyone it's TBD again So I want to thank you all again for you previous responses on helping me with my last topic on capturing Pokemon. Now I have another question for you guys to help me with.

So, I've started out my Pokemon story and have everything I think I should need so that I don't make any plot holes and or contradict something I said. Now the question for you guys is, whether or not it is better to write out all of the chapters on word or whatever and then post them on a schedule (like an anime) or write out the first chapter and then post it and then write out the next one.

I've been stuck on this idea for a long time because I know that both of them have Pro's and Con's.

Pro's for Writing all of them out

• Do not have to worry about finishing it
• Can have a consistent Posting Schedule

Cons

• If someone reviews your first chapter and points out many flaws and mistakes, you might have to redo entire chapters which could take awhile
• Might be a tad annoying having to read through the entire fiction again for spelling mistakes and errors

Pros's for Writing Chapter by Chapter

• Can take the reviews and critisism and learn from them for the next chapter
• Easier to read throgh and fix errors

Con's

• BIGGEST ONE - People abondon the story becuase they get bored or have other stuff to do
• They don't like their story and they decide to just throw it out the window halfway

Well this is just how I see it. So what I want to know from you guys is what your personal preferences are when it comes to their chapter by chapter or writing the entire story out before hand.

 

[chanseychansey77]

I'm writing it all out, 1 because I hate actually posting my work for the world to see, 2 because I'd be worried about meeting a consistent schedule, and 3 because then I have lots of time for editing. And, if you're very concerned about editing issues, you can always ask a physical person in your proximity to review it.

It is good to have the basic plot planned out before you start out, so you don't change the point of the story halfway through it. Before actually writing the individual chapters and such.

I think it depends on how much you want to keep a schedule. I'd prefer to, but if you don't care too much about it, you could write chapter by chapter.

 

[TheBlackDuelist]

^ Yea I see you're point. I would hate having to meet a consistent schedule if I did it chapter by chapter and I know that some people tend to forget about your fics if you don't post them soon enough (from my past experience)

 

[Bay]

As chanseychansey77 said, you can always have someone else (a beta) look over your work before posting it for grammar and plot mistakes. I did that with almost all of my fics. It doesn't have to be someone in your physical proximity. If your internet buddy knows the Pokemon canon (anime/games/manga/etc.) well, they'll be able to help.

Me personally I tend to go writing all the chapters, have someone else look through the chapters, and then post them when I feel they're ready. I might have to edit sometimes if a reviewer pointed out a scene was rushed or I made a mistake concerning Pokemon attacks, but those I tend to fix it easily.

 

[Firebrand]

The way I go about posting my writing is thus: whenever I start a new story (original or fanfiction) I write the first five chapters without posting them. If at the end of five chapters I've still got the drive to continue (most people, if they give up, do so after 4 or so) I'll start posting one chapter a week. This means I'll have a buffer for at least a few weeks if I ever fall behind in productivity, and it also helps build a readership if they can count on new content on a consistent basis. I usually post on Fridays or Saturdays, because that suits my schedule, but it could be any day so long as you keep it consistent.

This method also means you don't have to write out the entire fic before posting, which sometimes takes a long time, especially in long journey fics. However, you're far enough ahead of your update schedule that you aren't stressing so much. It also means that when the week to post your chapter arrives, you have to go back and edit your chapter before you post it. You've left enough time between writing and posting that you'll be able to go back and read it to pick up on things you might have overlooked just coming off writing it. By setting consistent deadlines for yourself, you'll be more productive and keep your workload well managed. I've been using this method for three years now, give or take a few months. It works, trust me.

 

[TheBlackDuelist]

Thanks for the reply guys. I think I sort of understand what you're trying to tell me. The first step would obviously be to plan out ahead and have the entire story well organised with a summary so that If ever I forget the thought I was doing I can just look at my timeline and then continue instead of just randomly starting and having plot holes in the middle.

So my next step would be to write out the first couple of chapters to get the drive and If I don't start slacking and really get into the story, than it would make sense to post the first one.

Anyone else's two cents on the matter?

 

[jstinftw!]

Beta's are great for the whole editing thing.

If you have the patience to hold back, sure, go ahead and write the whole story before posting. There are a couple of pros with writing the whole story out first:

1. You can go back and edit everything.
2. You can make sure that you finish the story before posting, stopping you from posting something you won't finish.
3. You can make sure the whole plot fits in well together, allowing you to add something here to go along in a later chapter, or to remove something that you decide you don't like later on because it doesn't make sense, or it doesn't work.
4. No need to worry about your timetable; since it's done, you can just post it on whatever day without worry.

There are some cons though.

1. You might not want to continue the story, due to lack of feedback, or drive.
2. You won't get any valuable feedback, so you won't know if people will like your story, or if there's something about it that needs to be addressed.

So of course the pros outweigh the cons, but the two cons are pretty important. It's definitely something to consider.

 

[TheBlackDuelist]

^ That is very true. You have addressed some highly important aspects of them. I'm still not competely sure on what I should do but I think that I'm probably leaning towards going writing the entire thing out and then having someone read over the first couple of chapters to make sure it makes sense.