Writing Tip: Learning as You Go

“No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on –it’ll come back around to be useful later.” –Former Pixar Story Artist, Emma Coats

My 2014 NaNoWriMo novel was a wreck. Though I did reach the 50,000 word goal, the project fell apart at the end of November. You can track that disaster,  which starts with this post (the pre-Nano portion of my Nano Log), if you’re interested. And, in case you don’t know what Nano is, you can check out the website here. It’s a fantastic program for writers of all kinds that comes with a supportive and inspirational community.

Despite its early end, the project was a great exercise in character development for me, and I really had a lot of fun writing it. I also learned a lot about my personal writing style. And whether or not I continue work on that particular novel, I can already see the positive impact that it’s had on every project since then, whether directly or indirectly.

I think the biggest writing lesson that I’ve learned through failure—other than the importance of backing up my work, which I had to learn the hard way—is that I excel at preparation.

I don’t, however, excel at improvising (or, as the writing community often calls it, pantsing—as in, flying by the seat of your pants).

That November, I’d decided to experiment by trying this method. I knew plenty of writers who wrote this way, and it seemed worth it to give it a try. When I started writing, I had a hazy idea about what I wanted to happen in the story. My characters were paper-thin collections of facts. To push myself along in the process, I’d collected random writing prompts from the internet, hoping that they’d keep words coming as I wrote my draft.

As someone who likes to plan ahead, I often prewrite for about as long as I draft or revise. Generally, I can be found outlining or graphing plots and subplots or creating detailed analysis profiles for characters or designing fictional worlds.

Because I’d decided to pants, I did none of these things. The plot followed my internet prompts and whatever ideas popped into my head. And it took a while for my characters to go from two-dimensional ideas to believable people. I just jumped into the whole thing and did whatever came naturally.

Some of it was good, some of it was bad. And I managed to grow a lot as an author because of that. My good points got better, and my weaker points improved with the practice.

By the end of the month, I had an entertaining plot, engaging scenes, and relatable characters.

By the end of the month, I’d also discovered a problem during my research. I’d based my entire novel on an incorrect assumption. The premise that was the backbone of my book was flawed and I couldn’t use it.

So I had to shelf that project for now. I may find a way to repair and finish it, or I may not. Either way, it was an enjoyable learning experience.

When it comes to writing, I’ve seen that effort is never wasted. I don’t trash any of my ideas; I recycle them. I’ve seen themes, characters, and plot ideas return reincarnated, better than they were before and more fitting in my newer work. Whatever I don’t use the way I’d originally intended, I learn from.

Don’t be afraid to experiment as you write. Learn from your mistakes. Build future stories on the foundation of all the lessons you’ve learned. As a result, everything you write post-error will automatically start out stronger.

For anyone who’s interested in checking out some of my 2014 work-in-progress, Flying Change, I posted several excerpts throughout my Nano journey. You can read those stating with this post here.

What lessons have you learned through your writing, whether you went the easy route or the hard one? Let me know in the comments below or link me to a blog post of your own!