Pre-writing

You obviously haven't seen my sketch-and-paper-filled notebooks, or you'd know the answer to that.

In response to the question:How much pre-writing do you do before starting a writing project?

I do a lot of pre-writing for every writing project I do. In every novel I approach I first define the world. This world is extensive, and I include everything from politics of different countries to any creature that habituate the world not found on Earth. If the world is set as future Earth, I set up and write out all the important events that lead up to said event. If the world is set in historical Earth or province of Earth, I fill my notebook with research from the time period.

There is no such thing as a too detailed world. Why is this?

Because more than one story can branch off of the same world. One story may follow a girl as she grows up through unusual circustances, with other forces of the world shaping and developing who she becomes. Another story may follow a polititian who has to make the decision to join an unstoppable empire, or to stand up for what he knows is right. Another story may follow the path of an ordinary citizen in the world. These stories can interconnect, and overlap, or be completely independant from one another. One may end in death, another in victory.

And once the world is laid out and the plot chosen, I write out what happens in what order, list any key events, outline the story, and make it more outlined, until all I need to do is expand.

So yes. I do a lot of pre-writing, but not without reason. I can skip around and write where I have inspiration. Everything is connected chronologically, and any themes or reoccurring points can be plotted in and tied together from different scenes. It's like I have an underpainting, and all I have to do is add color.