Driving in the Fog

E. L. Doctorow said, “Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” 

I recently read Steven King’s On Writing. He believes in jumping in with only the barest plan, only the inkling of an idea, no outline. He just starts and follows the story wherever it leads, like driving in a fog at the limits of your headlights. But not on a road, out across the prairie. He makes it work. According to the book, he has always written this way. It is not the fruit of years of experience, but perhaps of an immense talent. 

I have read other writing advice recommending detailed outlines of an entire work, a roadmap with all the gas stops, even writing the last chapter first. Hard to imagine James Joyce doing a detailed outline. Hard to imagine Tolstoy not doing one.

I tend to follow my headlights in the fog but have a plan in my mind about the destination and the general route. But interesting side trips and detours are allowed. Writing about one thing sparks a memory of something else. Researching one aspect of a story unearths a gem or opens an unexpected door. It’s one of the joys of writing. My OCD titer is low and I prefer the loosey goosey approach. There’s always time for editing later.

This might work for a short story but probably not for a full-length book. I have written full length books but those were neurology textbooks. You bet I had a detailed outline. Technical writing and creative writing are different animals.