(A) or (B)?

Obviously every writer is different, but there seems to be two main categories, as far as I can see: A. The sort of writer who is constantly coming up with ideas (good and bad) and consequently finds it difficult to focus on one particular thing and see it through to its completion, and, B. The sort of writer who has to work hard to grind an idea out but when they do it's usually a pretty solid/workable one.

I was wondering what people think accounts for this difference. Does it come down to the sort of person you are and the way your brain works (and therefore there's not much you can do about it!), or does it simply come down to one's approach to writing (and can therefore be changed quite easily)?

For instance, has anyone started off as a stereotypical example of either and made a conscious effort to move towards the other and now find themselves a much more balanced writer as a result?

I sort of write like this.

I think of an idea, I think of another idea, I talk about it, I talk about it, I think of another idea and never actually do any writing.

Then it'll come to the point where I go through the list of ideas I've written down and say; I'll write this and this and make these tie in with each other.

Once I've sorted that out I'll be waiting to catch more ideas without doing any writing.

Once I all the themes I need etc I'll then grind it out in lots of sessions in a week or two.

I think the best way to write is to do a bit of waiting (in my experience) before pitching an idea. It has to be that you cannot wait to write it on the computer; not staring at a computer screen not knowing what to write and being stuck.

Well you start off like that then wonder through the main elements of the script and uncover stuff you wouldn't have normally thought of in the process as you write.

I'm definitely in Camp A, Jim. And yes, you're quite right I think. Most writers I know fall into one of these two categories - mostly A in my experience.

Quote: Lee Henman @ October 15 2009, 2:36 PM BST

I'm definitely Camp, Jim.

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I'll say, smoking your tabs through a cigarette holder and practically menstruating to Loose Women!

Quote: David Bussell @ October 15 2009, 2:42 PM BST

I'll say, smoking your tabs through a cigarette holder and practically menstruating to Loose Women!

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Quote: James Turner @ October 15 2009, 1:35 AM BST

I sort of write like this.

I think of an idea, I think of another idea, I talk about it, I talk about it, I think of another idea and never actually do any writing.

Then it'll come to the point where I go through the list of ideas I've written down and say; I'll write this and this and make these tie in with each other.

Once I've sorted that out I'll be waiting to catch more ideas without doing any writing.

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This is me. I write down loads of ideas as they come and then have days where I go over my notes and write a bunch of things at once. It's good because usually about half of the ideas are duds when I look at them again, and some of them aren't any good but give me other better ideas. I could never just grind away at something I didn't find funny right from the start. I would feel like I was wasting my time.

I'm A, trying to force myself to be a B. The number of unfinished drafts on my desktop is shocking.

More B, though I am trying to be more A and write stuff up without overthinking it.

Quote: Kevin Murphy @ October 16 2009, 6:11 PM BST

I'm A, trying to force myself to be a B. The number of unfinished drafts on my desktop is shocking.

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Ditto

But I'm more of an A minus.

So it seems that most are in the A camp then. Interesting.

To be honest, the more I think about it, the more I'm inclined to believe that the way in which you approach writing is very much dependent on your personality. So I reckon you wouldn't see much of a difference in your writing without seeing one in your general outlook also.

Also, I would guess that A writers are, generally speaking, more outgoing/extrovert than B writers. Just a theory like!