The Writing Process

3. Chapter Book VS. Short Practice

Earlier I said I'd talk more about chapter books.

I do two types of writing. (Three if you count the occasional poem)

I do chapter books, which I plan out in folders and commit to. I love doing these because there's a plot line to follow— or reject completely when I often wing it— and there's an endgame.

Then there's what I call Short Practice.
I dont mean the type of story that is called a 'short'.
These stories are long and not thought out at all. There's no written plot line and no folder. I start these on a whim and often times I don't have actual chapters. Just separation of scenes.
I work on these when I'm stuck on chapter books or when someone requests something.
(Commissions are very rare for me, but I'm always open!)

In Short Practice I play around with structure and concepts that I usually wouldn't write. It's good for working on flow and momentum. I don't worry about contradicting, plot holes, or anything else.
I have a folder on my computer labeled Random Scenes. This is also Short Practice, but not like the unplanned stories. These are just scenes that have no real beginning or end and sometimes get put into my chapter books as fillers.
On occasion the unplanned stories will turn into a chapter book, but I still never have an ending in mind. I just write until the words run out. Most of the time these unplanned stories never see an end.
Other times I'll take the idea and completely butcher it, turning it into something new I can use for a chapter book.
It's like a little seed that grows into something unrecognizable from the original idea.
But growth has never been a bad thing.