Whether this situation happened to you or not, the point is that I could either be jumping the gun too fast or not so much, but there’s a chance that the story could come off as predictable.
Is it a good or terrible thing when your mind can create good plot twists and/or an amazing ending to your story, but you are NOWHERE near that point, and it winds up being either something predictable if you go through with it or something else if you change it up a little or a lot?
The happens to me a LOT MORE THAN I CARE TO MENTION. I come up with the wildest plot twists and possible endings for my novels, but if I do go with those ideas, I wonder if the way those plot twist options, and different ending scenarios will excite others reading my story the way it excites me. Like it feels like the moment I do go with it, and it happens, the story might feel predictable in a way. I don’t know why I feel that way, but if I didn’t think so early on wild plot twists, cool characters that get introduced, characters who shall die, and other things along with a killer/cool ending to it all, I probably wouldn’t be that interested in the story and want to quit immediately.
Every time I do this, I immediately think that I am jumping the gun for creating all of that I am only in the beginning of the story. This is me thinking this WITHOUT even outlining the story and simply going with the flow of things.
I am writing the story, but I am thinking way too far ahead in how I want things to go exactly or close to it.
Thoughts and feelings?
Bonus Questions: Am I worried over nothing at this point, regardless of the fact that I am in the first draft stage? If I stick to the overall plans that I’ve envisioned towards the final stage, then is it a problem?
Thinking way far ahead when being a pantser is a life of upset by the way the story unfolded. But, without an overview, nothing planned means that sometimes it dies in the water, so it’s bound to be frustrating, either way.
For my first novels I didn’t have any ideas how they would end. I maybe planned two chapters ahead of each chapter draft as I was writing them, and those plans were more suggestions. I did (and do) have a vague idea of how I want the stories to end, in regards to the characters’ situations and developments, but that’s about it.
For my current work, I tried planning the story’s end in advance, by drafting some final chapter (or near end chapters). But, considering my rough collection of notes for the next two chapters, those final chapter drafts are now scrapped.
No plan of action survives first contact (or first draft) ~ Murphy’s Laws.
Uhm as a writer who thinks way too far ahead, it is a good thing and a bad thing. Good thing because i can do foreshadowing. Bad thing because plot holes
There’s a difference between having a set outline before you write the first page, and coming up with the first and last lines of a story. I’m taking a screenwriting class and it’s important that you have an end in mind if you want to do a treatment.
If it’s a bad thing, then I’m afraid I don’t know what to do about it. I am writing the first draft, but I do zero planning and plotting for it. I am just writing and going with the flow of the story.
I get that it’s just the first draft, but I rather not do that in the other drafts, and outlining is a HUGE pain in the ass.
I have better chances of following through with a story idea & write it out when I can see an ending for it
Even if the ending ends up a bit different from how it was originally imagined, it gives me a goal to work towards. I’m a pantser for sure, but still need some direction for writing.
And as alena says, having certain events in mind helps with foreshadowing & dropping hints
The problem comes in that, since I’m still a pantser, sometimes the things I hint towards end up different and need changing so some flexibility is required
I’m like 85% plotter and 15% discovery-writer, so this is the default for me. My main book on wattpad was ever written exactly because I came up with the ending/conclusion of the story in the first place, and then I worked backwards to create a world around it.
I am coming up with plot twists before reaching that point, not so much the ending, just interesting plot twists along with which character dies as the story progresses.
it’s 100% totally normal to have ideas of what you want the ending and/or major plot moments to be when you start. i almost always know both these things before i begin outlining. it gives you targets to build your story towards.
you knowing where your story is headed literally cannot make it predicatable to your audience because we are not mind readers, and we are never going to see your first draft. if you think you made the build up to something too obvious after you finish writing it, just edit it.
anyways, a little bit of predictablity has its place in every novel. if you find yourself getting really worried about the predictability of your story, why not redirect some of that into considering ways you can use that predictability to your advantage, instead of scraping your brain for ☆*New Improved Even-More-Twisty Never-See-It-Coming Plot Twists!*☆ to throw in.
so some flexibility is required
