I've been struggling with the writing this year. Not going to lie. There are so many distractions in the world that tug at concentration and emotions and all. If you've been following along, you'll know that because of this, I actually did an outline for the new book. It helps to keep on track, and on those days I sit down and have no idea where this story is going, it gives me direction. Except when it sends me the wrong direction.
I sat down this week and started a new chapter, then took the outline points to work from. Except they didn't follow on from where the last chapter left off. Folks, I'm a pantser at heart, I write from the seat of my pants. This is where I excel, and usually, those things that I make up all find a way to gel together, whether I intend them to or not.
So here's what I started with. My characters are working together to unravel a mystery. Was it murder? Or was it suicide? In my outline, I have them meeting with suspects. Formulating hypotheses, and then getting together to compare notes. My last chapter ended with one of those suspect interviews, and in my outline, it jumps to one of the characters referring to a book for ideas on where to go next. The problem is that chronologically, the next chapter should be the comparing notes chapter. I've spent three chapters on one day, which is probably the limit on how long I can stretch this day out. What I don't need is more time with them apart thinking about what comes next. They need time together, time they PLANNED to spend together hashing out what they've learned.
Excuse me, outline. You missed a spot.
So I'm pantsing this next chapter, because logically I know what has to come next, and my choppy outline overlooked that.
This might also be the right place to mention my outline only goes so far. I'd figured that if I got that deep into writing, I would find my groove and "roll on." In truth, that's probably true. I'm still struggling to write, but I'm far enough along now that I know where to go from here. I still have the outline to guide me if I get stuck (at least for a few more chapters), but the "flow" should carry me along from here.
For those of you who think writing is easy... Nope. It's work. It's a job. Just like anything else. Unlike a regular job, the pay sucks, so you have to love what you do. I do. Which means I'm still plugging along. What can you do to help? If you like my books, tell a friend.
Getting and keeping my characters together is something I struggle with. And that creates the problem of keeping the reader grounded in time. When you're with character A for a scene, how much time has passed, and when it's character Bs turn, do you back up to where you left her in her last scene, or pick up where you left him? Grounding the reader is critical in those time jumps.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping in, Terry
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