Plotting, plotting, plotting
While the squash soup simmers, (For those who want to know, it's onion, carrot, potato, apple, squash, cider and water, seasoned with salt, pepper and a hint of cinnamon.), let me share this morning's revelation.
I have become an outliner.
How'd that happen? I've always hated outlines--ask any of my professors--, but for both THE GROVE and the plot bunny project (think I'll call it PBJ for now) that struck before the holidays, I've planned out the plot before I started writing. The characters have still come first, but they were followed by planning.
I suspect it's because these are more plot-driven novels than SPIDER FINGERS, which is definitely character-driven, and than my very first novel project that may someday still be revived. For both those projects I had my characters and I let them take me where they would. Much of the time I sat at the keyboard waiting for them to tell me what would happen next.
Also, THE GROVE has six different narrators, so I had to have a clear sense of what happened so that I would know where each person was going to be speaking. The PBJ project is a retelling of a classic, so I need to go through the classic and figure out how I'm going to translate it.
Know what? I'm having fun! I'm hoping maybe the actual writing will be easier this way. I know--Hah! But writing is about hope anyway, right?
Any one else use both techniques?
I have become an outliner.
How'd that happen? I've always hated outlines--ask any of my professors--, but for both THE GROVE and the plot bunny project (think I'll call it PBJ for now) that struck before the holidays, I've planned out the plot before I started writing. The characters have still come first, but they were followed by planning.
I suspect it's because these are more plot-driven novels than SPIDER FINGERS, which is definitely character-driven, and than my very first novel project that may someday still be revived. For both those projects I had my characters and I let them take me where they would. Much of the time I sat at the keyboard waiting for them to tell me what would happen next.
Also, THE GROVE has six different narrators, so I had to have a clear sense of what happened so that I would know where each person was going to be speaking. The PBJ project is a retelling of a classic, so I need to go through the classic and figure out how I'm going to translate it.
Know what? I'm having fun! I'm hoping maybe the actual writing will be easier this way. I know--Hah! But writing is about hope anyway, right?
Any one else use both techniques?