I finally gave up on my epic fantasy outline and just started writing a short story

For months, I was stuck trying to plan a huge fantasy series with maps and family trees. My friend in my writing group said, 'Just write one scene from the middle, anything.' So last Tuesday, I opened a blank doc and wrote a 1,200-word piece about a guard finding a strange key. No outline, no pressure. It was the most fun I've had writing in a year. The scene turned into a complete story with a clear ending. I was so focused on building the whole world that I forgot to actually tell a story. Now I have a finished piece to edit instead of another sprawling note file. Has anyone else broken out of a planning loop by forcing themselves to write something small and complete?

2 comments

2 Comments

lunar474d ago

My last three finished stories all started with random scenes like that.

gray_schmidt84d ago

So that's your secret, huh?