Writing Corner: How I Write - Outlines and Plots
I am a very organized person. I have written prior posts like how I World Build and all the little things I do behind the scenes to expand the details of the world I create. I have maps, calendars, character sheets, a history of the world, Gray's timeline of events before and after arriving in her current location, etc. All of this I developed before writing the first draft.
You may wonder if I outline my book before writing the first draft? You would expect that as organized and detail-oriented as I am, I outline extensively. In fact, I don't outline, at least not traditionally. I actually just list major story beats and then timeline it. It may be similar to how television writers, screenwriters, or playwrights write their scripts or plays. I do not write like they do, narrative versus scenes, but I may create the structure of my story similarly. In more detail, here is what I do.
First, I construct the main plot or mystery. This can pertain to a police consultation or it can be something else. Then I create smaller cases that my character is called to consult on and I figure out when to work them into my story. The cases I create are not elaborate, I may just call it 'Homicide-cold case from the 1980s' or something. Unless it is one of the major storylines, then I don't get too detailed during this time. I may earmark something for minor research (time appropriate clothes, car, music, location, weather, etc). For the case that you first read about Gray working, it is a missing persons case that is not resolved in this book. However, Gray follows up on it in the second novella so there is resolution there. A few of other cases that she works are resolved within the story.
Second, I fill out her regular job. Gray's main job is a Virtual Assistant. She not only is self-employed but owns her own business with several employees that report to her. Some of her clients are with the police and she works special projects for them, not related to her consultations. She also has commercial clients that have nothing to do with psychics. In the first book, she is weening herself away from commercial clients to focus exclusively on police projects. But I still have to come up with the projects that she is either doing or will do. Beginning with the second book, the projects have more involvement and may be a second, third, or even primary plot point.
Characters are next. I need to fill her world with friends, co-workers, police, clients, family, other psychics, etc. Main characters were already created but now knowing the plot points, I can grasp the additional people I need to create and set about doing so. Many main characters actually do not show up until the second book, which is great. This allowed me more space and time to focus on explaining the world's history and how her abilities worked. Since I've established this so extensively in the first book, I don't have to spend as much time on this in the subsequent books and can use the extra time to introduce more main characters.
Now I have to put all this together and weave characters and plots into one complete story with story beats and timeline. The book timeline I create is by day. Day 1 - Gray consults on Case A, works from her office on projects alpha and beta, and hangs out with friend "bestie". Day 2 - Gray consults on Case B, works from her office on projects beta and charlie, and encounters person "mystery". Day 3 - ....
Once I know the story beats and timeline, then I include characters and proposed times for exposition. For instance, I can use Case A to explain how cases work, why she is a police consultant, and some history. I can also use this to demonstrate how some of her abilities work. I don't need to throw everything out there on this one case, she has a couple more in the book that I can use to either provide additional details or reinforce earlier explanations. Working from her office, I can briefly introduce her employees, what her business does, and give a little detail about the projects or her police clients. Hanging out with "bestie" allows me to fill in some more personal details about Gray, expand the town she lives in, and provide information on abilities other than just her own.
Rinse and repeat with the subsequent days until finally I have a rough idea of what I need to write, what characters I need to use, etc. To keep this straight, I write this on medium- sized White Boards, one for each day. Day X with bullets for main categories (Case, Project, Personal) and dashes listed underneath to signify exposition opportunites, plus a boxed list of the characters used that day. I don't write too many details or minutiae, it is for big picture mostly. Then I arrange my whiteboards on the wall in front of my desktop and get to researching. I know, it's very sophisticated.
I plan on a few more posts about 'How I Write', like: when I write, what I write on (both what kind of computer and programs used), research, keeping track within a scene, etc. I tag or label all of my 'Writing Corner' and 'How I Write' posts if you would like to read previous topics. I also have a page devoted to my Writers Corner posts updated monthly with links. If you would like to suggest a topic for my blog, feel free to leave a comment or fill out this handy 'Contact Me' form with suggestions.
Happy Readings!
You may wonder if I outline my book before writing the first draft? You would expect that as organized and detail-oriented as I am, I outline extensively. In fact, I don't outline, at least not traditionally. I actually just list major story beats and then timeline it. It may be similar to how television writers, screenwriters, or playwrights write their scripts or plays. I do not write like they do, narrative versus scenes, but I may create the structure of my story similarly. In more detail, here is what I do.
First, I construct the main plot or mystery. This can pertain to a police consultation or it can be something else. Then I create smaller cases that my character is called to consult on and I figure out when to work them into my story. The cases I create are not elaborate, I may just call it 'Homicide-cold case from the 1980s' or something. Unless it is one of the major storylines, then I don't get too detailed during this time. I may earmark something for minor research (time appropriate clothes, car, music, location, weather, etc). For the case that you first read about Gray working, it is a missing persons case that is not resolved in this book. However, Gray follows up on it in the second novella so there is resolution there. A few of other cases that she works are resolved within the story.
Second, I fill out her regular job. Gray's main job is a Virtual Assistant. She not only is self-employed but owns her own business with several employees that report to her. Some of her clients are with the police and she works special projects for them, not related to her consultations. She also has commercial clients that have nothing to do with psychics. In the first book, she is weening herself away from commercial clients to focus exclusively on police projects. But I still have to come up with the projects that she is either doing or will do. Beginning with the second book, the projects have more involvement and may be a second, third, or even primary plot point.
Characters are next. I need to fill her world with friends, co-workers, police, clients, family, other psychics, etc. Main characters were already created but now knowing the plot points, I can grasp the additional people I need to create and set about doing so. Many main characters actually do not show up until the second book, which is great. This allowed me more space and time to focus on explaining the world's history and how her abilities worked. Since I've established this so extensively in the first book, I don't have to spend as much time on this in the subsequent books and can use the extra time to introduce more main characters.
Now I have to put all this together and weave characters and plots into one complete story with story beats and timeline. The book timeline I create is by day. Day 1 - Gray consults on Case A, works from her office on projects alpha and beta, and hangs out with friend "bestie". Day 2 - Gray consults on Case B, works from her office on projects beta and charlie, and encounters person "mystery". Day 3 - ....
Once I know the story beats and timeline, then I include characters and proposed times for exposition. For instance, I can use Case A to explain how cases work, why she is a police consultant, and some history. I can also use this to demonstrate how some of her abilities work. I don't need to throw everything out there on this one case, she has a couple more in the book that I can use to either provide additional details or reinforce earlier explanations. Working from her office, I can briefly introduce her employees, what her business does, and give a little detail about the projects or her police clients. Hanging out with "bestie" allows me to fill in some more personal details about Gray, expand the town she lives in, and provide information on abilities other than just her own.
Rinse and repeat with the subsequent days until finally I have a rough idea of what I need to write, what characters I need to use, etc. To keep this straight, I write this on medium- sized White Boards, one for each day. Day X with bullets for main categories (Case, Project, Personal) and dashes listed underneath to signify exposition opportunites, plus a boxed list of the characters used that day. I don't write too many details or minutiae, it is for big picture mostly. Then I arrange my whiteboards on the wall in front of my desktop and get to researching. I know, it's very sophisticated.
I plan on a few more posts about 'How I Write', like: when I write, what I write on (both what kind of computer and programs used), research, keeping track within a scene, etc. I tag or label all of my 'Writing Corner' and 'How I Write' posts if you would like to read previous topics. I also have a page devoted to my Writers Corner posts updated monthly with links. If you would like to suggest a topic for my blog, feel free to leave a comment or fill out this handy 'Contact Me' form with suggestions.
Happy Readings!
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