What is nonlinear writing? 

Simply put, nonlinear writing is the process of writing a story in any order that is not from start to finish. Often this looks like starting in the middle, or even the end, of a story rather than the beginning; but it can also mean jumping around the story while writing, such as starting at the beginning, then skipping to the middle or the end. While this is not the traditional way of writing a story, it allows writers freedom to write the part of their story that they are most excited about, and therefore, it is a great cure for writer's block. Another perk of nonlinear writing is that you don't need to have your entire story fleshed out before you start writing. If you have a single scene or situation in mind, you can write it, even if you know it won't be where your story starts.

Starting where you can 

When you're writing, do you ever struggle to get words on the page? When starting a new story, do you ever worry about finding the perfect place to start? These are common obstacles that even seasoned writers face. But, I am going to let you in on a secret: there is no rule that says you have to start a story at the beginning. Do you have a scene in mind that you are super excited to write? Then write it! As writers, passion and the drive to write are our most powerful tools, so if you aren't feeling passionate about or driven to write the beginning of your story, but you are feeling passionate about or driven to write a scene in the middle or end, then start from there! Why push those natural writer's tools aside? Use them! 

Alternatively, have you ever had a really good idea for a scene, situation, or dynamic, but don't know how it would fit into a full story? Just write the scene on its own! Many stories spring from small ideas like this – tiny scenes that blossom into full novels. For example, the novel I am working on right now sprouted from the idea of two kids trying to switch bodies; now, this scene lives in chapter 8 of the full novel! 

This is all to say, when you feel the passion and drive to write something, write it! You can worry about filling in the gaps later. 

Continuing where you can 

Just like starting a story with whatever scene you are feeling passionate about, you can also continue a story with the scenes that you feel drawn to write. Do you know how your story is going to start and what your climax is going to be, but you don't know what will happen in between? Then write the beginning and continue with the climax! Often writing scenes far apart from each other will help you figure out what should happen in between; if you write the climax, you will think about how you got there, and thus be able to fill in some of that gap.

The power of TK 

When writing a longer piece, such as a novel or screenplay, you will likely run into things that stump you regularly. This might be larger chunks, such as the time between the beginning of the story and the climax, but it might also be small things, like the name of a background character or the best descriptor for a character's facial expression. Getting caught up on small details like this can interrupt your writing flow and cause you to lose passion/motivation for your story. So, one of my biggest writing tips is to use TK (to come) as a reminder to return to these pieces.  

The letters T and K do not appear next to each other in any word in the English language. So, when writing digitally in English, you can type "TK" in any spot that you need to come back to, and when the time comes to fill in your gaps/small details, you can simply type "TK" into your find & replace tool and all of the places you need to return to will pop up. This trick has been a lifesaver for my writing flow; when I get stuck, I just write "TK" and keep moving. Also, you can add notes to your TKs so that you know what you need to add when you return to it. For example, you may type something like "(TK: character's name)" or "(TK: add dialog here)." 

Submissions! 

Your turn to practice nonlinear writing! For submissions, please choose one of the following options: 

1. Write a scene, situation, or dynamic that you have been thinking about for a while, one that excites you but doesn't start or establish a story. Recommended word count is 500-1,000 words. 
2. Write 2-3 nonconsecutive scenes from the same story. One might be at the beginning and one might be at the end. Any order works as long as they are nonlinear. Recommended word count is 1,000-1,500 words. 

I am looking forward to reading all of your amazing submissions! If you have any questions, please feel free to message me @alexbregy_ywpintern. Happy writing!