Very cool concept. I like it. Your visual sketches were perfect to illustrate the ideas 👌
I'm all over the place, but mostly a pantster (though I'll be honest, I had to google what that was) -- for some things I've written over the last half year, I've just had to watch and see where it was going. Thrilling, yes; disorganised, yes 😆
The loom is good though. I think that's probably a bit more where I'm at. Things solidify, but there's many a possible path ahead. The only issue is, for me that forward thread is mostly invisible. I just have to feel it out and feed it in.
I've never been keen on the term 'pantser'. It's a silly word and sounds slightly negative in its implications. But it still seems to be the commonly-used term for anyone who doesn't do tons of planning.
I find it really interesting that the forward thread is mostly invisible to you. For me I tend to have lots of possibilities and the challenge is figuring out how to thread them, and which to discard. Though there's always a random element that can't be predicted, such as outside input that makes you rethink things. Just recently my 10 year old suggested something which was a great idea and which I'm now weaving into Triverse. It's like a new thread added to the mix.
"Death from a thousand notes" then see if there is a thread. Is there a table of contents that might be a lofty vision, I've yet to discern? Then write whatever infects me of that persistent internal calling... or not. Review it all days or weeks later. Hate it. More notes. Start over. Realize what I first wrote wasn't that bad after all. Chip away at what might be a beginning, middle, and end. More notes beginning to look like a chapter... plug that in. Polish, wordsmith to death. Hate it. Leave it set for a week, a month. Wash and repeat ad infinitum. 50 to 80k words later give it to a beta reader then, a week or two later see if she’ll return my emails. Yeah, I think I’ll do a pencil sketch of this. Hmm… well, maybe not. Yikes!
I cringe whenever I see writers use planner and pantser.
The former is what people are forced to do in work and in life to fit into 24 hour days and the general rigidity of adult life, and for meeting KPIs, real or imagined. Or actual planners, who must ensure a bridge doesn't collapse, or that a train runs on time.
The latter is an ugly word, a childish word, a word so repulsive and useless that no writer should entertain its use. And yet they use it all the time and everywhere.
I prefer architect and gardener. I think most writers are at least a little bit of both. Maybe Stephen King is the only pure gardner.
The loom is an excellent metaphor for your approach to developing your Triverse serial.
I think I prefer the notion of gardening, which is what I originally read in terms of the division between plotting and not-so-plotting.
In terms of invisible threads, it's on and off for me. Sometimes I have zero idea where things are going until I sit and start writing. Other times, I have a loose notion of an arc and where I'm going, but I don't "see" all the possibilities there, I just know they exist but must wait until the writing begins and the story guides me. 🤷♂️
I love outlining, but it is positively useless to me. My poor brain numbly but thoroughly believes I've already written the book once I know what it's about. So I use the kind of half-outline bullet point one. And I have to do the Dickens-by-way-of-Hama thing of not knowing more than 1 or 2 pages ahead.
Yeah. I think my brain needs to know where it's going, in order to then have the confidence to explore other routes along the way. Without that, I'd worry about losing my way entirely.
As is probably apparent from my sprawling novels, I have become quite comfortable with losing my way 😄 But I agree that it feels much better when you have a trail of breadcrumbs or a pulse or *something* to follow. I also really like structure—which might make some people pick their jaw up off the floor to hear 😅 but I really do pay a lot of attention to how and why things are structured the way they are. Outlining is intended for that, I think. But I have to have that element of the unknown, that sense of ontological mystery, or I'll just get bored and start writing something else that I don't know about yet. So I have to outfox myself a bit. To, you know, mixed results 😏 😂
I think it's all about how you set up your story and your audience, too. In the case of some of the TV examples I mentioned, the producers were explicitly promising that they 'had a plan', when they actually didn't. Whereas if something is deliberately let loose, without a map, and it's clear to be the case, that has value in a different way.
I've definitely read book where it feels almost dangerous in the way the writer is telling the story.
This is similar to how I write, but you've described it much better than I ever have. I recently attempted to produce a full outline before writing, and I found it to be the death of creativity -- for me personally, that is.
I envy those who can fully outline and produce something wonderful, just as I envy those who can start writing with only a general idea and produce something wonderful. But I've always needed some sort of hybrid approach, even if that winds up taking longer overall.
Oct 16, 2023·edited Oct 16, 2023Liked by Simon K Jones
Lovely article and love all the Loki references 🤣 My wife and I started season 2 but decided to go back and rewatch season 1 to reacquaint ourselves so all the talk of sacred storylines and looms is fresh in my mind lol.
The Story Loom is an apt way of describing how I've planned my serial. In the past, I used to pants all the way and rarely managed to finish anything. Plotting out every detail seemed too restrictive (and frankly, boring) for the reasons you stated above. So, I've found myself doing what you've outlined. I have a basic outline in 3 acts with the big milestones thrown in, but the actual paths that lead to those milestones aren't as clearly defined. And frankly, that's led to a far more exciting writing experience.
Case in point, I had originally planned for my characters to go on a journey from location A to location B. In my head, this journey was only going to take 2 or 3 chapters. What I didn't anticipate was the overall journey taking 15 chapters and an entire subplot weaving its way in between them. Admittedly, this did significantly change the main plot, but for the most part those milestones remained. Some of them just had to be pushed further back, some others even brought forward.
But so far, its worked effectively for me and I love it!
God, the set design. I'm not sure how much of it is real VS visual effects, but I'm assuming a fair bit of it. It has a much tactile physicality of space than a lot of other modern shows.
This is such a cool concept, and I love the designs! I am a “discover as I go” writer, which is really fun but also means I don’t always finish the stories I start! I’m excited to try your method; I feel like it might be precisely what I need to be able to finish a novel and still have fun with it!
Love this illustrated concept so much. I had been implementing this in the past couple years but wasn’t able to articulate what it was or why it was working for me. I particularly enjoy the discovery writing aspect of the possible future story threads because it keeps it fun and interesting for me to write and experience the story while I’m writing it. And the milestone portion is key to keeping the story on track. Brilliant!
Would you mind if I cross-post this to the storyletter audience at some point, Simon?
I love the imagery of the loom. My current novel I have not written in a linear fashion at all, but I hope in the future I am a little less chaotic. I am intending to finish the whole novel before I serialize, but since I will be releasing it a little at a time, I wouldn't be surprised if a few things do get changed as I go along. I'm trying to decide if I would ever write as I went along, publishing without a complete novel. It sounds fun but I just don't know.
It definitely is fun, but it does depend on your preferred way to write. As you say, though - if you have the core of the novel pre-written, there's nothing to stop you experimenting by editing as you release, or doing your revision draft in public, or adding in extra scenes here and there. Online serials can be really fluid, but it's up to you how much to lean into that side of things.
I came here because I was stuck on the second chapter of my training novel. I spent dozens of hours outlining the plot and the subplots, and then was bored out of my mind and hated everything I’ve written after: the characters, new and already established ones, felt flat, the scenes were bland. Despite knowing the destination my heroes were fumbling all over the paragraphs like tube men in the wind.
Consistent themes and relief from rigidity of strict planning will hopefully solve the problem. Thank you so much for posting it.
It’s interesting how thought process differs in people, I wonder what makes it so: nature or nurture.
Loved the scientific drawings! You've inspired me to look into serializing my next novel "Landslide," a faux memoir of sorts beginning next year. But I am not writing as I go. I want to at least have a completed first draft before posting them beginning in 2025. Part of the reason is, since I'm writing a faux memoir, I'm devising stories or memories of my MC's life out of sequence and will later pull them together in a narrative. So, in your diagram, my story is a huge ball of twine. I need to untangle before I put it in your loom. But I'm excited at the prospect and love reading about your process! Thank you.
I completed a first draft last week. Now, I'm putting it away for a few weeks while I dig deep into the character's voice and personality so I can write from it when I pick it up again. Then... maybe start to pull together a serialization of this novel. Cross my fingers.
I have a tangled web of plot threads. A few important nodes. Know where certain things will go, even if the how remains unclear.
Drafted some tests.
I suppose right now I'm obsessing over whether I'm going to go third person, limited, first person, or do the entire thing via letters and journal/diary/log entries (like, say, "Dracula"), or just screw it and mix and match depending on the scene or viewpoint character and see if readers find that interesting and engrossing, or annoying and intrusive.
Those decisions about narrative structure are some of the most difficult to make up front. Everything else you can kind of tweak along the way, but the POV style is the one you really have to commit to at the start.
I tried pantsing and outlining, but outlining for me is best. I found I had to plug a lot of holes when there was no plan. I love the image of the loom since it’s how I visualize stories. It’s helpful to have now so I can have confident a story will come together. Or unravel completely. Either way I have a sense of what’s coming and can move accordingly.
It's funny how turning an entirely abstract thing (how our brains process imagination) into a visual metaphor can actually add clarity to the process itself.
Ha, yes. :) Initially not intentional, but after I drew the annotated 'story loom' image, I then went back and did the first image in the article, showing the more chaotic 'storyverse', as a more direct reference. 😁
I literally have no concept how people can write jumping about all over the manuscript. The first sentence I write is the opening sentence, and I go from there through to the end. I edit as I go, sure, but in terms of creating the bulk - it goes in order.
Usually I have a vague idea of where I'm headed and meander along until I get there which, remarkably so far, seems to work out. Interestingly, I have a LOT more of this year's NaNoWriMo sketched out in my head than I've ever had previously. I'm looking forward to seeing what that's like as a writer.
I love this, Simon. As it happens, I'm finding more joy and success in my current writing project/experiment (a serialized children's chapter book) in large part because I have adopted a similar approach to the one you describe here. I have been using "interlude" chapters told from a different narrator as sort of milestones that help me to keep the narrative going without totally knowing exactly how it will unfold (leaving room for surprises). I'm having more fun than I ever have before, and I also feel that the serialized format helps me to not overly obsess over weaker episodes. I feel optimistic that I get a fresh start with the next one.
Absolutely. When you're writing a serial, each episode is a mini-book launch, where you get a chance to reach new readers all over again. And then, over time, it adds up to something greater than the sum of its parts.
You touched on something there - having fun. For me, that's really critical. I don't really go in for the 'art through misery' approach.
Your three bullet points are exactly he reasons I don't plan. But the thing is, I'd actually quite like to know what I was doing because I'm sure the edits would be a lot smoother.
Part of the reason I do plan things out is because I find editing quite challenging. As such I want to get as much of the core structure 'right' from the start. Easier said than done, though.
Very cool concept. I like it. Your visual sketches were perfect to illustrate the ideas 👌
I'm all over the place, but mostly a pantster (though I'll be honest, I had to google what that was) -- for some things I've written over the last half year, I've just had to watch and see where it was going. Thrilling, yes; disorganised, yes 😆
The loom is good though. I think that's probably a bit more where I'm at. Things solidify, but there's many a possible path ahead. The only issue is, for me that forward thread is mostly invisible. I just have to feel it out and feed it in.
I've never been keen on the term 'pantser'. It's a silly word and sounds slightly negative in its implications. But it still seems to be the commonly-used term for anyone who doesn't do tons of planning.
I find it really interesting that the forward thread is mostly invisible to you. For me I tend to have lots of possibilities and the challenge is figuring out how to thread them, and which to discard. Though there's always a random element that can't be predicted, such as outside input that makes you rethink things. Just recently my 10 year old suggested something which was a great idea and which I'm now weaving into Triverse. It's like a new thread added to the mix.
Yes, when and where I grew up, it would mean 'one who de-pantses nerds.'
"Death from a thousand notes" then see if there is a thread. Is there a table of contents that might be a lofty vision, I've yet to discern? Then write whatever infects me of that persistent internal calling... or not. Review it all days or weeks later. Hate it. More notes. Start over. Realize what I first wrote wasn't that bad after all. Chip away at what might be a beginning, middle, and end. More notes beginning to look like a chapter... plug that in. Polish, wordsmith to death. Hate it. Leave it set for a week, a month. Wash and repeat ad infinitum. 50 to 80k words later give it to a beta reader then, a week or two later see if she’ll return my emails. Yeah, I think I’ll do a pencil sketch of this. Hmm… well, maybe not. Yikes!
I cringe whenever I see writers use planner and pantser.
The former is what people are forced to do in work and in life to fit into 24 hour days and the general rigidity of adult life, and for meeting KPIs, real or imagined. Or actual planners, who must ensure a bridge doesn't collapse, or that a train runs on time.
The latter is an ugly word, a childish word, a word so repulsive and useless that no writer should entertain its use. And yet they use it all the time and everywhere.
I prefer architect and gardener. I think most writers are at least a little bit of both. Maybe Stephen King is the only pure gardner.
The loom is an excellent metaphor for your approach to developing your Triverse serial.
Architect and gardener.
I like that! I'll go with that until someone comes up with something better. :)
Yeah of little faith, that you think someone will come up with better for the writer diad model. 😁
I think I prefer the notion of gardening, which is what I originally read in terms of the division between plotting and not-so-plotting.
In terms of invisible threads, it's on and off for me. Sometimes I have zero idea where things are going until I sit and start writing. Other times, I have a loose notion of an arc and where I'm going, but I don't "see" all the possibilities there, I just know they exist but must wait until the writing begins and the story guides me. 🤷♂️
A leap of faith. 🙂
Lol; I also had to google the definition of pantser!
I love outlining, but it is positively useless to me. My poor brain numbly but thoroughly believes I've already written the book once I know what it's about. So I use the kind of half-outline bullet point one. And I have to do the Dickens-by-way-of-Hama thing of not knowing more than 1 or 2 pages ahead.
That's so interesting! For me, the anticipation of knowing I'm closing in on a big story moment/rug pull keeps me going most of the time.
So like traveling along a map toward a destination? Something like that?
Yeah. I think my brain needs to know where it's going, in order to then have the confidence to explore other routes along the way. Without that, I'd worry about losing my way entirely.
As is probably apparent from my sprawling novels, I have become quite comfortable with losing my way 😄 But I agree that it feels much better when you have a trail of breadcrumbs or a pulse or *something* to follow. I also really like structure—which might make some people pick their jaw up off the floor to hear 😅 but I really do pay a lot of attention to how and why things are structured the way they are. Outlining is intended for that, I think. But I have to have that element of the unknown, that sense of ontological mystery, or I'll just get bored and start writing something else that I don't know about yet. So I have to outfox myself a bit. To, you know, mixed results 😏 😂
I think it's all about how you set up your story and your audience, too. In the case of some of the TV examples I mentioned, the producers were explicitly promising that they 'had a plan', when they actually didn't. Whereas if something is deliberately let loose, without a map, and it's clear to be the case, that has value in a different way.
I've definitely read book where it feels almost dangerous in the way the writer is telling the story.
That intriguing! What's an example of one?
This is similar to how I write, but you've described it much better than I ever have. I recently attempted to produce a full outline before writing, and I found it to be the death of creativity -- for me personally, that is.
I envy those who can fully outline and produce something wonderful, just as I envy those who can start writing with only a general idea and produce something wonderful. But I've always needed some sort of hybrid approach, even if that winds up taking longer overall.
💯 agree with this. I'm a sketchy planner/discovery writer, but the edits take way longer than I'd like.
Lovely article and love all the Loki references 🤣 My wife and I started season 2 but decided to go back and rewatch season 1 to reacquaint ourselves so all the talk of sacred storylines and looms is fresh in my mind lol.
The Story Loom is an apt way of describing how I've planned my serial. In the past, I used to pants all the way and rarely managed to finish anything. Plotting out every detail seemed too restrictive (and frankly, boring) for the reasons you stated above. So, I've found myself doing what you've outlined. I have a basic outline in 3 acts with the big milestones thrown in, but the actual paths that lead to those milestones aren't as clearly defined. And frankly, that's led to a far more exciting writing experience.
Case in point, I had originally planned for my characters to go on a journey from location A to location B. In my head, this journey was only going to take 2 or 3 chapters. What I didn't anticipate was the overall journey taking 15 chapters and an entire subplot weaving its way in between them. Admittedly, this did significantly change the main plot, but for the most part those milestones remained. Some of them just had to be pushed further back, some others even brought forward.
But so far, its worked effectively for me and I love it!
My other half and I night need to go back and watch S1 again too because we were just like WTF is going on here, during the first episode of S2 🤣
Ha, I just about managed episode 1, but ep2 left me quite confused due to not remembering the TVA agent they were trying to track down.
Still, I'm thoroughly enjoying the general madness of the show. :) At its best it feels like Doctor Who with a budget and a plan.
😂 great point. The special effects are brilliant, and I love the set design and props!
God, the set design. I'm not sure how much of it is real VS visual effects, but I'm assuming a fair bit of it. It has a much tactile physicality of space than a lot of other modern shows.
It really does!
This is such a cool concept, and I love the designs! I am a “discover as I go” writer, which is really fun but also means I don’t always finish the stories I start! I’m excited to try your method; I feel like it might be precisely what I need to be able to finish a novel and still have fun with it!
Give it a go! :)
Love the visuals! That’s exactly how I work, too.
Love this illustrated concept so much. I had been implementing this in the past couple years but wasn’t able to articulate what it was or why it was working for me. I particularly enjoy the discovery writing aspect of the possible future story threads because it keeps it fun and interesting for me to write and experience the story while I’m writing it. And the milestone portion is key to keeping the story on track. Brilliant!
Would you mind if I cross-post this to the storyletter audience at some point, Simon?
Absolutely, go for it, Winston. :)
I'd previously thought about this like layers of an onion, of a lens coming in and out of focus. Much happier with the loom visualisation, though.
I mean, I'm not sure why I feel the need to visualise it in the first place. I'm sure that says something about my brain...
I love the imagery of the loom. My current novel I have not written in a linear fashion at all, but I hope in the future I am a little less chaotic. I am intending to finish the whole novel before I serialize, but since I will be releasing it a little at a time, I wouldn't be surprised if a few things do get changed as I go along. I'm trying to decide if I would ever write as I went along, publishing without a complete novel. It sounds fun but I just don't know.
It definitely is fun, but it does depend on your preferred way to write. As you say, though - if you have the core of the novel pre-written, there's nothing to stop you experimenting by editing as you release, or doing your revision draft in public, or adding in extra scenes here and there. Online serials can be really fluid, but it's up to you how much to lean into that side of things.
I came here because I was stuck on the second chapter of my training novel. I spent dozens of hours outlining the plot and the subplots, and then was bored out of my mind and hated everything I’ve written after: the characters, new and already established ones, felt flat, the scenes were bland. Despite knowing the destination my heroes were fumbling all over the paragraphs like tube men in the wind.
Consistent themes and relief from rigidity of strict planning will hopefully solve the problem. Thank you so much for posting it.
It’s interesting how thought process differs in people, I wonder what makes it so: nature or nurture.
I hope it helps! It took me ages to figure out that this was how I like to work.
Loved the scientific drawings! You've inspired me to look into serializing my next novel "Landslide," a faux memoir of sorts beginning next year. But I am not writing as I go. I want to at least have a completed first draft before posting them beginning in 2025. Part of the reason is, since I'm writing a faux memoir, I'm devising stories or memories of my MC's life out of sequence and will later pull them together in a narrative. So, in your diagram, my story is a huge ball of twine. I need to untangle before I put it in your loom. But I'm excited at the prospect and love reading about your process! Thank you.
How's the untangling going, Vince?
I completed a first draft last week. Now, I'm putting it away for a few weeks while I dig deep into the character's voice and personality so I can write from it when I pick it up again. Then... maybe start to pull together a serialization of this novel. Cross my fingers.
Things to mull for the future.
I have a tangled web of plot threads. A few important nodes. Know where certain things will go, even if the how remains unclear.
Drafted some tests.
I suppose right now I'm obsessing over whether I'm going to go third person, limited, first person, or do the entire thing via letters and journal/diary/log entries (like, say, "Dracula"), or just screw it and mix and match depending on the scene or viewpoint character and see if readers find that interesting and engrossing, or annoying and intrusive.
Those decisions about narrative structure are some of the most difficult to make up front. Everything else you can kind of tweak along the way, but the POV style is the one you really have to commit to at the start.
I tried pantsing and outlining, but outlining for me is best. I found I had to plug a lot of holes when there was no plan. I love the image of the loom since it’s how I visualize stories. It’s helpful to have now so I can have confident a story will come together. Or unravel completely. Either way I have a sense of what’s coming and can move accordingly.
It's funny how turning an entirely abstract thing (how our brains process imagination) into a visual metaphor can actually add clarity to the process itself.
Are you watching Loki? Your illustrations are very similar to how they portray the Marvel timeline.
Ha, yes. :) Initially not intentional, but after I drew the annotated 'story loom' image, I then went back and did the first image in the article, showing the more chaotic 'storyverse', as a more direct reference. 😁
Really cool way to think about.
I literally have no concept how people can write jumping about all over the manuscript. The first sentence I write is the opening sentence, and I go from there through to the end. I edit as I go, sure, but in terms of creating the bulk - it goes in order.
Usually I have a vague idea of where I'm headed and meander along until I get there which, remarkably so far, seems to work out. Interestingly, I have a LOT more of this year's NaNoWriMo sketched out in my head than I've ever had previously. I'm looking forward to seeing what that's like as a writer.
I love this, Simon. As it happens, I'm finding more joy and success in my current writing project/experiment (a serialized children's chapter book) in large part because I have adopted a similar approach to the one you describe here. I have been using "interlude" chapters told from a different narrator as sort of milestones that help me to keep the narrative going without totally knowing exactly how it will unfold (leaving room for surprises). I'm having more fun than I ever have before, and I also feel that the serialized format helps me to not overly obsess over weaker episodes. I feel optimistic that I get a fresh start with the next one.
Absolutely. When you're writing a serial, each episode is a mini-book launch, where you get a chance to reach new readers all over again. And then, over time, it adds up to something greater than the sum of its parts.
You touched on something there - having fun. For me, that's really critical. I don't really go in for the 'art through misery' approach.
Your three bullet points are exactly he reasons I don't plan. But the thing is, I'd actually quite like to know what I was doing because I'm sure the edits would be a lot smoother.
Part of the reason I do plan things out is because I find editing quite challenging. As such I want to get as much of the core structure 'right' from the start. Easier said than done, though.