Writing Out of Order

One of the most common questions I've been asked lately is, "Do you write in order?" Start to finish? Chronologically? Middle or ending first? Perhaps it was starting the blog that prompted these questions or, simply answering the common question of "What have you been doing this summer?" with "Mostly writing," but people seem to be curious, specifically regarding the sequencing of my writing process. Let me preface this by saying I don't think my, or your, answer to this question provides the answer as to how everyone should write, as we all have different processes. I think it's important to work however is best for you. But for me, the answer is that while I mostly write in order, writing out of order is an important part of my writing process, and often opens up unexpected doors that might otherwise remain closed.

Leaving order behind first comes into play when I first start to build an idea. I'm definitely not someone who has to have the exact ending in place before I begin writing, but I do consider the overall arc of the storyline, as thinking about the big picture becomes really important when deciding questions that will affect the entirety of your novel. For an idea to be good (at least a basic level), it must have a sustainable conflict that carries the reader throughout the story. And the only way to make sure it does, it to think in terms of the big picture. Whether plot-driven or character-driven, he premise of a book always has to be something that carries the reader forward, from the beginning to end, without seeming too small or too big, too boring or too fantastic. Therefore, thinking about all parts of the novel simultaneously and not strictly in order is an essential part of this planning.

When it comes to the actual writing part, my lack of order comes mostly when writing within specific scenes. So while I typically start at the beginning and progress through the novel alongside the storyline, I do a lot of jumping around within certain portions of the text. For example, one scene in my new novel takes place at a school dance. Entering into this scene, I knew the key points that I wanted to hit: where it starts, where/how it ends, the climatic moment, and present characters. But despite this, I was having a heck of a time getting it all down on paper. For some reason, I just couldn't figure out how to get my protagonist from the beginning to the climax to his exit from the dance. It was just killing me! So I decided to start jumping around.

First I wrote a portion of the scene's climax. Then I jumped back to the beginning of the scene. How can I get him closer to the tension? I figured out he should find his friend. For some reason that seemed to be dragging, so I jumped ahead to the moment just before the scene's climax (that I had previously written) and then doubled back to helping him locate his friend — which turned into a group of friends. But then in one of my prolonged moments of staring at the screen, I had a great idea for a portion of a conversation that was to occur the next day. So I jotted that down later on the page and then headed back to what I'd been working on, and figuring out how to get him out of the dance.

Confusing? Yes and no. Because I am staying within the confines of a particular narrative timeframe, for me, I didn't find it mentally confusing at all. Organizing these portions of the scene in the order they will ultimately fall into is also a trick that helps me keep things straight. I just leave several line breaks in between each section to indicate to me they are not yet finished or connected, and then fill in/connect portions as I jump around.

Writing out of order is a great way to break up the mental blocks that naturally occur, and still be productive amidst some struggle. I also find that it informs my writing within the current narrative moment. Writing portions or even entire later scenes gives me something to write towards, and helps to keep the characters consistent throughout the story.

There are always going to be times of struggle when you just don't know how to start or end or move a scene forward. Changing your focus and giving your mind a break allows you freedom to be creative elsewhere, and feel refreshed when you return to the difficult scene. There's no need to remain stuck when you can work on something else. For the writer, the novel is a living thing that sometimes seems to write itself, and sometimes just needs space to breathe. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I would at least encourage people to try writing out of order, at least in the moments of struggle. We don't really think in order, so why should we write in order? Try it and see what happens! Hopefully it will unlock some great ideas and provide a new type of freedom to your writing process :-)