DAE go from writing detailed character backgrounds to just winging it as you go?

I used to spend like 2 hours fleshing out a character's entire life story before I even started chapter one, but after a few projects I realized half that info never made it into the story. Now I just sketch a rough personality and let their actions and dialogue build them out naturally as I write, which feels way more organic but also scarier cause I'm flying blind. Does this approach mess up your plot later or do you prefer the seat-of-your-pants method too?

3 comments

3 Comments

eva90812d ago

Flying blind" describes my whole life, honestly.

benc5312d ago

Really @eva908? Is every day really that chaotic? Feels like people just say that to sound deep.

tarar2712d ago

Oh man, same here. I had a whole binder for one character's backstory once, complete with their elementary school report cards (yeah, I know), and then I cut half of it because the story just didn't need it. And @eva908 is totally right, some days you just have to fly blind and see where the characters take you.