Writing Across Media

The mechanics of good storytelling don’t change. You have your conflict, plot twists, and character arcs. But I have found that for me, at least, different venues require different approaches.

When composing a story, I prefer to write longhand with pen and paper, often in cursive. I am a slow writer. I type faster than I can compose. So rather than type, get ahead of myself, and have to redo most everything after losing my way in the story, I write my drafts longhand to save me time, hassle, and headache in the long run.

But when composing a blog entry, I prefer to draft on the computer. I don’t have to think about it as much, for one, but for another, putting it on a screen initially allows me to see it – which paragraphs are too long, which bunny-trail topics are useful or not, etc. If I wrote that out on paper, it would be missing that context.

Because, let’s face it, we have a finite attention span for anything on a screen. The aesthetic of it is almost as important as what the words actually say.

I also sometimes write for a podcast. I write those pieces of flash fiction with the knowledge that I will record myself reading it aloud. This is where my high school theater background kicks in. I write for how it will sound and how well I can take on its character. I find that I leave in things I would consider weaker writing – slang, repeated words or phases – because they feel more believable in-character. I am allowed the added dimension of my voice, where I can repeat the phrase, “I don’t know,” half a dozen times and give it half a dozen different meanings.

Please weigh in below on other writing venues (like theater, film, comics, etc!) and any way you see your own writing styles or foci change from one to another. Let’s get a discussion going in the comments!