Good Morning. I had worked on a blog post over the weekend for today, but then abandoned it. Friday night I was at 68K on my latest WiP and decided to do the dreaded outline. I never outline before I start writing, I just follow where my nose (and characters) lead. However, once I get to the 3/4 mark, I usually give myself a little nod as to where it all ends up.
Friday night I wrote the last plot points, climaxes, and big surprises. I left out the denoument because I'm still not sure what's going to happen at the very, very end. My characters have already thrown me for a loop several times. I figure I'll just wait and see what happens.
I've given myself until the end of September to finish it. Almost 10 days. And you think that would be easy, but I have a sneaking suspicion it's not going to happen. This is the second deadline I've given myself (originally supposed to be finished by the end of August). I NEED to get this done. And not for any reason other than, I'm dying to see how it ends. HAH!
I've put a lot of work into this one, and even though I'm writing the book, my characters have completely taken over the story. Revelations keep popping up and startling me. Don't you just love it when you find out you're totally brilliant/insane? Lol.
Once it's finished, I'll be able to tell you all about it. I hate to jinx myself. Hopefully, next Monday I'll have a cover reveal and back cover copy because once it's finished it's going up for pre-order. I'm very excited about this book. VERY EXCITED. I'll be looking for reader/reviewers so stay tuned.
Tell me -- Do you outline at the end or the beginning or are you a strict pantster? Do your characters surprise you? Do you have moments of brilliance or are you just insane?
Anne Gallagher (c) 2015
12 comments:
I started out as a pantser but a friend introduced me to the 3 act play and I have outlined ever since. It makes the writing go so much faster for me.
I already know what's got to happen, so I can concentrate on the details.
I do a general outline that is mostly a list of plot points and then wing it from there. I always know the ending but the path to it often changes. Good luck finishing.
Susan Says
Maria -- I tried outlining one of my novels, and by the time I got to the second act, my writing just sucked. I felt like I didn't have room to breathe, so I stopped doing it. I think too, because I LIKE this story so much, it's been moving along at a good speed. If it weren't for real life interrupting.
Susan -- I always know the beginning and the end when I start writing. I just never know how I'm going to get through the middle. Which is where the fun is. Thanks. If I can get someone to pick Monster up from school tomorrow, I might just finish by tomorrow night. Fingers crossed.
Wow, congrats on getting so many words down. I love it. Very, very cool.
PS: Thanks about Bug. Yes, those hocus pocus feelings are the best.
I do love it when my characters come up with -relevant- intrigues during the story. I've had a few times where I couldn't wait to see exactly how the end unfolds. So excited for you :) Good luck with finishing on time.
Ivy -- It's all about the words. Can't believe I've actually written them in such a short span of time. And no, you totally can't ignore the feeling about a pet.
Donna -- Thanks. Yeah, I've been wanting to seed in little details and I've been racking my brain trying to figure out who will spill the beans and where, and then, BOOM, a secondary character stepped up and said, "I'll do it." Sweet! I'm praying I'll be writing The End on this bad boy by Sunday night. I'm hoping you can beta read for me. This might be right up your alley.
Insane? Of course. I never outline before I start to write. But I live with the story in my head, working out a good bit of it, before I start writing. I really only outline if I get stuck.
I just develop 12-20 plot points and then follow the character.
Linda -- I think for those of who write for a living are completely insane. I mean, we walk around talking to ourselves in the grocery store, talk about our characters as if they're real people, and spend countless hours researching things that don't mean anything to us in real life.
Mac -- You're so prolific, you put the rest of us to shame.
My characters always surprise me. Isn't that the fun of writing? I wouldn't know what to outline because I don't know what they're going to do. Well....maybe what I want them to do but not what they will do. And, Anne, your deadlines must be flexible!
I try to avoid outlining at all. Ugh. I know it's sometimes a necessary evil, but somehow it sucks the life out a story for me.
Good luck meeting your end-of-September deadline! :)
I am a panster but am getting more and more interested in the possibilities of outlining. Love the way you are so dedicated to your craft.
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