Order of "Operations"

Okay, order of operations is a math concept, but I couldn't resist - being a math teacher and all.

I started writing my second book, I started "in order". It is a far different experience than my first book. My first book, I wrote things somewhat out of order. I jumped around writing different scenes. Sometimes they were generally in order - with huge gaps in between. Then I went through and "connected the dots". What was funny, to me at least, was that as I reread my work and I heard my characters voices, I'd hear their words and think "They should say..." then the next sentence would have those words. I took that as a good sign, I heard my characters' voices so clearly. Their personalities were clear. They were real to me and have a life of their own.

This book was being written in order. At least the better part of the first three chapters. It flows and I naturally started at the beginning. Which, wasn't really the beginning because it was a continuation of the first book. So, I didn't really see it as starting over. The story just continued.

Then, something switched/clicked/flipped I'm not sure what to call it. I saw a scene that I had to write. All of a sudden, I was writing two different scenes at the same time. These two scenes had two completely different emotions - happy and not-so-happy. It was strange to do this simultaneously, but I was compelled to do it. I write what comes to me. It has a life of its own. Not only was I writing "out of order" but with two different emotions. Weird and kind of liberating. I'm not quite sure where it fits exactly with everything. It's not like it's just a scene or chapter or two away. It's further along in the book - somewhere. I haven't clearly seen what leads up to it or what's behind it. But that scene, which I knew was going to happen in some way, suddenly became clear and had to be written.

So, now I'm writing in order and out of order. And I'm enjoying every minute of it.