CB asked Rick Riordan:

Hi!!! I'm a big fan!! I'm an aspiring writing or filmmaker, and I've always struggled with plotting. Do you have like a certain big-picture method of plotting, like for a whole series, or do you just go along with it as you write? Is it super detailed or do you give yourself time to feel through the plot and stuff as you're writing? Also, do you have a say in the show's production design? Looks great so far! :)

Rick Riordan Every writer is different, so what works for me might not work for you. That said, I tend to plot out a general outline and fill in the details as I go. I plotted more extensively when I was just starting out, because I felt like a more detailed road map helped me not get stuck. This is true for both single books and series arcs. For TV writing, I've discovered, there is also quite a lot of outlining involved. TV writers tend to break everything into "acts" (usually three per episode, but sometimes more) and major points "beats" for each act. It's quite an extensive process, with people weighing in at each stage. So given that, I'd say if you want to do film/TV, you should definitely get used to thinking about stories in terms of outlines!

flag