Thursday, April 5, 2012

Writing & Not Writing

I've been deep into researching and writing on my WIP, Whispering Narrows  (aka Spilled Coffee), which partly accounts for my blogging silence as of late. I've also been giving a lot of thought to how I write--my process, that is. For the first time, I've done some serious outlining although I haven't completely stuck to it (I kind of knew I wouldn't, but it did provide me with the direction needed to get the story moving.)

If you'd care to read about the process I used to write Uncharted, my first ever article, Pantsing My Way to Outlining, is in my publisher's spring edition of their OPUS! magazine--it's got my timeline and everything, along with lots of other fine articles by their staff and authors.


This is also the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time to write something for the Insecure Writer's  Support Group. For three reasons, I've decided to graciously back out of the group: 1) I post so infrequently, that my biggest insecurity has become worrying if my blog looks like it's all about being an insecure writer, which it's not. 2) I simply don't have the time to make the rounds, as much as I'd like to. 3) Besides that, I've always been better at working through my insecurities in private.

19 comments:

  1. Bridget, outstanding, outstanding article! Oh my gosh, I feel like you wrote from my brain...

    I too, started tracking things via spreadsheet because I HATE outlining...and then I drew an actual timeline so I could see where things didn't make sense. That said, I have an inkling now, of how and why outlining can be helpful, though I haven't put that knowledge into practice yet. Next time...I may just have to! Well done!

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    1. Liza, I resisted outlining for soooo long! Now that I'm 60K into my new story, I can really see the benefit of it--and that's just with a loose outline. It helped me to focus on where I needed to be within the next few scenes, and how to get there. I've left plenty of room for improvising, and when I place my characters together, some pretty serendipitous things still happen with the plot, but the story is moving forward with direction, and that's the real perk! Hopefully, all this will cut down on my need to make major revisions later.

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  2. I've always considered myself an outliner, but the way you describe things I'm much more pantsy than I give myself credit for. Most of my outline is in my head. I only plot out character arcs after the fact. I may have an end goal in mind, and certain points to hit along the way, but (of course) I don't always end up hitting them, as my characters lead me astray. If I ever finish this draft, I'll do more traditional outlining (to focus on the arcs and motivations and such), but apparently I do wear the pants in my family. Who knew?

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    1. Nate, I used to “only plot out character arcs after the fact” also—I guess the day I began to outline some of it ahead of time is when I started growing out of my pants! First time around, I had no real expectations—I didn’t even know about story and character arcs—I just wrote whatever came to mind. It was a blast and finished at about 150K! I’ve since slashed over a third of it. That’s way harder than outlining. And it took years to get it under control (and I do love me some control :) )

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    2. Whenever I finish this draft, it'll be 120-130k, so I'll be slashing and hacking it to pieces as well. Or as I'll call it: The Exposition Excavation. I just hope the extra details I add in (for character arcs, physical setting, hitting all five senses, etc.) don't bring it back up to the same total.

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  3. Bridget, really great article! I enjoyed reading it. I think it's so much fun to hear about writers' first novels and how they get to a system that works for them. I used to be a pantster, but as I've written more and more books, outlining and planning has become more and more important and essential to me. I really need a roadmap. However, I do not outline in great detail. It's just a paragraph for each chapter, really. Everything else takes shape in the writing, so it still feels very organic. :)

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    1. Thanks Michelle. I’m wondering if Pantsing it is a great way to get creative juices flowing when we first take on writing something as big as a novel. I’m not saying it’s necessarily the mark of novice novelists (more scientific research required), but when the euphoria of creating a new world has subsided and one hopes to make more efficient use of their writing time, outlining—at least to the extent you and I are talking about (I think we share a similar outlining ideology)—seems the way to go.

      My biggest concern was that outlining would take away from the ‘organic’ spontaneous experience. Nothing could be farther from the truth—in my opinion, loose outlining provides the best of both worlds!

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  4. I've still got to wrap my head around outlining. I do it, but only after I'm two thirds of the way through the book. So I can find my way to the end. But with the monster I'm about to start working on (again) I think an outline is the way to go.

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    1. Anne, as you know, it was in the rewriting process that I really learned to embrace outlining. There was simply no other way I could think of to keep track of which plot points needed to stay (or get altered) and which needed to go. With Whispering Narrow, you know how hard it was for me to going on it again, and outlining made all the difference!

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  5. I pretend I don't have any insecurities. It works wonderfully.

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    1. Bryan, I’ve always liked your attitude! As writers, pretending is right up our alley, so why not put it to good use, eh? Or is that sort of like positive thinking psychology—something to add to my ‘private’ (as opposed to ‘group’) therapy. :)

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  6. That's a great article and a nice spread by your publisher. I am such a pantster it's ridiculous, and I didn't even know there was such a word until recently. I, too, like to work through my insecurities in private.

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    1. Thank you Yvonne :) Having read some of your writing, I’d have to say that you make ‘pantsing it’ work for you! and don’t you just love how writers get to make up words!

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  7. Pantsing works for me too. Not knowing where my story is headed is more exciting and that outweighs the productiveness of an outline. That'll change when my future publisher is waiting for my next great novel.

    Cool seeing Michelle's cover on Rhemelda's mag.

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    1. Ah, Yes, my young padawan, you too shall learn the ways of the outliner! Hehehe...yeah, doesn't Michelle's cover look great!

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  8. I love the word "pantsing". It makes me think of writer's block as a wedgie. :D I'm afraid I also have a mental image of you, as the writer, scooting along the ground wearing out the seat of your pants. Sort of like the dogs do, you know? But I mean that in the nicest of ways! Heehee!

    Why can't I get to your article through this link? Is it that I'm clicking the wrong thing? (Probably.) I'm very interested in reading about your process.

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    1. Ha! Lisa, I took it in the nicest possible way coming from you :)

      The image that first came to my mind when I read the word Pantsing was when someone comes up behind you and gives your drawers a good yank, leaving your butt exposed! But then, writing is kind of like that in a way--the exposed part, that is :)

      If that link isn't working for you, try this:
      http://opus.rhemalda.com/

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  9. Bridget,

    Just a quick note: Kudos to both your article and your upcoming book release!

    What you wrote in your article makes perfect sense, and was delivered creatively. :) And, it is advice that I am taking to heart as I work on my third book.

    ~ Craig

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    1. Hey Craig--thanks! It was a real kick to write an article (and then to actually see it 'in print'). I'm glad you found it at least sensical (not sure that's actually a word)! It seems the longer I write, the more I outline. It really does end up being the best use of my time...in fact, I wrote the bulk of my latest WIP (and completed it) in about six weeks, thanks to an outline!

      Thanks for stopping by :)--it's always nice to see you around.

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