How do you structure your writing?

[NotALurker2]

Do you start at the beginning and then continue to the end, or do you start with whatever idea you have, even if it's in the middle, and then work your way backwards and forwards?

I write the parts that interest me and then try to sew them together into the plot. It's really difficult to do....

I have a plan that starts at the beginning but if I find I'm wallowing around the 2/3 point I sometimes write the end and then work back to the point I'd stopped at and somehow I find that easier to finish the book. Everyone works differently there's no right or wrong way.

I've planned chapters for some stories and work methodically through. For others, I just write from the point of interest then see where it goes. Sometimes I feel I know the destination. Sometimes I work backwards from my initial starting point. Either all a little chaotic or, trying to be positive, different processes are appropriate for different stories. I agree with LouisaMay when she says there's no right or wrong way, just what works for different authors and stories. Some authors need the structure of a plan, some prefer seeing where a story goes.

Thank you both. I keep being told I'm doing it the wrong way but I can't help it!

I do the juicy bits first, then stitch them together.

Typically I write in order. Normally I write a chapter then plan the next one.
However sometimes there's certain scenes that I have planned from earlier. I tend not to write them down until the right time though.

I write very similar to you @NotALurker2. It works for me and I’ve just finished my 3rd book which is out later this year. Don’t let anyone tell you your way is wrong. Writing is such a personal thing, what’s right for one person isn’t for another. Do what feels right for you. That being said, you mention in your OP that you find it really difficult, so maybe worth trying a different way? Still doesn’t mean your original way was wrong.

I try to have an overall structure in mind when I start, but I don’t then write it in sequence - it’s more a case of writing individual sections and then stitching them together. But my books aren’t particularly plot-driven - I’d imagine if you were writing a thriller, say, it would be easier to just write it from start to finish.

Appropriate, for a thriller, wouldn't it be easier to work backwards or at least start from the ending/twist? I find the key thing for a thriller is the delivery of the outcome.

Maybe! For plotting it out, anyway; you’d definitely need to know your ending before you started. I’m not sure how easy it would be to literally write a novel from the last chapter to the first, though!

I'm like you. I write 'scenes' in my head, that dont always stay in the same place. I cant write linear way.

Appropriate, you're right. I was thinking of plotting rather than drafting/writing. I might try a few chapters working backwards from the end to see how that goes.

I plot mine out using post-it’s. I write key important plot points on one colour, then flesh it out with other events in another colour. If I think of a good line whilst plotting, I put that on another colour and stick it in. Then I can write from wherever I feel like on the day, knowing I’m not going to get continuity errors, as I know what’s already happened, and what’s coming up next.

MrsFiona, that sounds a really useful system.