In the last post I spoke about the way I jump around while writing, and wanted to expand on the method I use to write.
Everyone needs to find the method that works best for them. I remember watching an interview with J.K. Rowling where she pulled out all kinds of papers that she had taken notes on, as well as concept drawing of some of her characters. It was obvious that Rowling is not the kind of author who sits down at a typewriter and hammers a book out from beginning to end, at least not from what I saw.
For my books I use a program called Scrivener. I bought and downloaded this program from the Apple Store for $50 and it's some of the best money I've ever spent. I don't have a lot of experience with other writing programs, and I'm sure there are some great ones out there, but Scrivener has been perfect for my method of writing. It allows me to organize all by chapters and scenes easily and jump around while I write.
If you set out to write a book or other lengthy work, just do what comes natural and find the organizational method that works best for you. If you want to write with a pen and pencil, then that's what you should do. If you are a skilled typist and like to work on your computer, then find a good program like Scrivener.
I personally don't recommend trying to write a book on something like MS Word, although I'm sure many have done it, and it's definitely an okay place to start. After your work reaches a certain length however, you'll find that it becomes difficult to manage. You'll waste time trying to find certain locations in your work or have to deal with a whole lot of different files for each chapter or scene.
The bottom line is, find a method that you feel comfortable with, one that will make your already daunting task easier.
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