The Organic Writer

© 2007 Fran Heckrotte

Often there's debate among writers about which technique for writing is best. Many subscribe to the concept of outlines and formal techniques while others use a more spontaneous method called organic writing. I've found that my own writing tends to be more organic, yet I do believe it would be easier if I could create outlines for my stories.

Organization saves time and helps with continuity. Outlining also gives the writer the advantage of reviewing ideas and concepts at a later date without taking a chance of forgetting something important. I don't know how many times I've thought of an event I wanted to put in my story only to forget it later because I didn't jot it down. Needless to say, that can be extremely frustrating.

So, why don't I create outlines? I suppose the simple answer is, I'm one of those spontaneous writers that create when they're inspired. Inspiration is quirky. It can appear at any time and disappear just as quickly. If I'm lucky, I'll be at my laptop or somewhere I can scribble down a few notes for later consideration. At other times I find myself driving or otherwise occupied and can only hope I remember what I just imagined…yes imagined.

I believe writers live in their minds much of the time. Their characters, their settings, their stories are as real as life itself. As much as I may hate some of the characters I create, I love all of them for who and what they are. They are who I am, who I want to be and who I'm afraid I may be. After all, they're born of my mental genes and nurtured just as I would nurture any living creature.

What does this have to do with writing styles? Nothing and everything. Writers will find their own paths for telling their stories. For some it will be clear, concise outlines; others will jot down notes to guide them; and the rest, like me, will sit down at their computers and begin typing away with no thought as to where they may be going or how they're going to get there. No matter what the writer's style is, though, they'll go on a journey no one else has ever traveled and then, if successfully completed, share it with others. That's the writer's ultimate dream, just as it is mine.

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Fran Heckrotte, author of The Illusionist and Bloodlust

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