When I write a story, it can go off on a tangent where it will go down a path that I hadn’t originally planned. It was as if the characters were steering me in that direction through the dialogue and through the logic of their motivations. Sometimes, the result can be better than I expected. What I had originally planned was just okay, but the tangent it went off in was a lot more exciting and original.
Often times, I welcome tangents while I’m writing. However, it’s possible for a tangent to stray too far from the plot. But when tangents do work, they feel organic and natural, something that I wouldn’t have discovered unless I allowed myself to be in the zone and immersed in the story. Tangents can also happen with dialogue where a character will say and reveal things that are a surprise for both the writer and reader. It was as if the process of writing itself made it come to light instead of in the planning stages.
Tangents can also happen when the plot veers off in a different direction. When I notice this happening, I let it take its course to see where it goes. Sometimes it works, and other times, it seems like it’s sidetracking the plot. But as a writer, I allow them to happen since it can be exciting to discover secrets within the plot that I hadn’t even known.
Fallton Havenstonne 