This is a great question and, as is often the case with writing a book for publication, there is no single answer which will suit all people and all situations.
Sometimes it works best to map out your ideas first and then write to that overall structure. At other times it is preferable to enjoy the blank page (or screen) and the freedom to explore new ideas as the writing unfolds.
I recommend that you take the following into account when deciding on your approach:
- The inevitable differences between fiction and non-fiction
- Who you are as an individual and how you usually work best
- What the writing requires of you in terms of the most effective way of crafting and communicating your message or telling your story
Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of these scenarios using examples from the work I do with my clients.
Catherine’s Story
Catherine originally wanted to write a non-fiction book but her coaching experience led her to realise that she felt excited about the possibility of sharing the information she wanted to convey in a story format.
Her background and training combined with her natural inclinations towards a very structured way of working, however, didn’t work when it came to writing her story.
Her attempts to map out her ideas felt ‘forced’ and her writing to fit the initial structure was flat and uninspiring.
So I suggested that she change track and release herself from the constraints of having the story mapped out and just write as the ideas came to her, largely following wherever the impulse took her.
We worked on her accessing her creative flow … and it wasn’t long before she discovered that she had a rich and fertile imagination and absolutely adored the freedom to write spontaneously.
Once she had started writing in this way, the words literally seemed to pour out of her onto the page and she could hardly stop!
Three months later, the first draft of her novel was complete and she had discovered entirely new ways of sharing her passion with her readers.
She would never have thought of the ideas she came up with if she had pursued the initial approach of writing to fit her original structure.
Sue’s Story
Here’s another example where the reverse was true. Sue had always felt comfortable with writing stories which she had done since she was a child.
She enjoyed her natural tendency to allow the writing to lead her imagination forwards but hit a challenge when it came to writing her first full length book.
When she approached me for coaching, she had already been working on her novel for almost 3 years but felt she wasn’t making the progress she wanted to make.
Perhaps even more importantly, she couldn’t find a way to bring the story to completion and tie up all of the loose ends she had created along the way both with her characters and her storyline.
She was stuck because she had become lost in the realms of having followed too many different threads and ideas with no idea how they would eventually come together.
So we worked on taking a step back and allowing her to get a perspective on her story which led her to discover what was really important about both the plot and her characters.
Then she mapped out the key points in summary form and eventually this gave her a structure to work to.
Once she had this, she was then able to see how to complete the writing in a way that really worked.
On top of that, she could also see that a great deal of what she had already written could be edited down to fit the new clarity and shape of her story which had emerged as a result of this process.
In summary
These two examples show that different approaches work best in different situations according to your natural inclinations and the requirements of whatever writing you are engaged with.
In my own situation, I use a mixture of approaches for different purposes.
Sometimes when I need to explore a topic, I’ll just write with no structure and see what emerges.
At other times when I know that I have specific information which I want to communicate, I’ll create a structure first and then write to fit that outline.
When all is said and done, I would encourage you to explore these different approaches for yourself and see what works best for you.
If one approach is delivering the results you want, then work with that. If not, try the opposite approach, and if necessary, seek out support to do so.
And finally, as with all writing, stick with it and turn up to the page on a regular basis and eventually you will find your way forwards.
Feel free to share your experiences with mapping out your ideas and writing freely below. What has worked best for you and in what circumstances?
Tags: creative process, structure, Writing
