Dec 21 2008
Preparations
We were due for another big storm last night, so my husband–the thorough, anal retentive one of the two of us–spent the entire evening gathering food, putting frozen items in the fridge in the garage (where it would stay frozen even if the power went out, for the garage is FREEZING), setting out flashlights and candles, etc.
Of course, I sat around, watching him, helping a little, but mostly thinking he was going into WAY too much. He looked at the stack of food on the counter, happy that we wouldn’t have to dig in the dark pantry to find anything. I reminded him (it was 9 p.m.) that we wouldn’t be eating until morning anyway, and by then, despite the storm, the sun would still come up enough for us to see.
He looked at the food, nodded, and said, “You’re right.” Naturally, though, he made no move to put the items back. I knew there was no way the storm was going to be as desperate as he thought, and his running around the house started stressing me out more than I liked.
And this, naturally reminded me of my writing (doesn’t everything, you may ask, if you’ve read my other blogs). For even though some level of preparation is a good thing, when the preparation itself gets in the way of the writing, it is definitely not a good thing. After all the prep Richard made last night, the power never went out, the sky became light again, I still had the stove power capable of making myself a chai, and my kids had hot waffles for breakfast.
If you are dying to get started, don’t pull yourself back with the thought that you have to write an outline before you start. If you are writing a short story or short play–or a poem, especially–you probably don’t need an outline at all. And if you are beginning a novel, you may be able to write several scenes–even key conflict scenes to encourage your writing with some exciting place to get to eventually–before you ever begin an outline. With my second novel, my outline was extremely brief, and I knew, when I started, only the premise of it, not where it was going to go. But I like the ending a lot, despite not having discovered what it was going to be until I was almost there. I couldn’t have planned that ending, for I didn’t know enough about my characters and the changes they would undergo until they experienced the events and changed on their own.
With the novel I’m currently doing, I have a few paragraphs describing what I want to happen by the end of the novel, but I am writing a chapter by chapter outline after I write each chapter. I’ve never written that way before, but it’s working this time. And the outline is there so that I know where something happened, so that I can look back at it and keep the continuity of the piece consistent.
Let your writing dictate how much prep work you do. If having a plan helps you write faster, and write more to the point, then make one. If it gets in the way, or you sense you would not take risks or make changes as you write, or if the outline limits your creative spark or makes you dread writing, don’t make one. Toss an unhelpful outline out and go with the flow. (If you can’t bear to toss it, put it in another document, save it, and put it away.)
Do what works. That is the overriding rule of writing for me. And what works may change. Change with it. Do everything you can to adapt to what your story needs, to what you need as a writer.
I’m with Stephanie on the prep. I usually do my research either before I write or during and I only write an outline for the later chapters if I get stuck trying to figure out how to get from Point Q to Point Z…Or if I have a lot of points to throw in and loose ends to be sure to tie up that I don’t want to forget about. (Yep, I can actually forget to tie up a major plot point when I’m in the zone because it’s always a drag race to the ending in my novels.)
I think I’m like you with the storms hitting. Hubby will be dragging stuff into the bathroom and rounding up the cats when they think a tornado is going to hit us and I’m the one moron standing out on the front porch watching the storm rage around me, getting some kind of a contact high from the damp wind misting my face as the lightning…I’ll stop now. Not everyone loves the atmosphere in Texas right before a tornado hits like I do. (Sick…I know)
Anyway, awesome post. Great tips; great writing!
Jen
I used to be much more logical in my prep. Then again, I tend to mull over a novel for months before I begin it…and that alone helps me get my story kind of straight before I actually begin writing.
And I must be the other moron standing on the front porch. Today, after we didn’t lose power but did get another 1/2 foot of snow, Richard shoveled some of it (while it began snowing again…enough snow for me to remind him he’d be doing the same thing tomorrow), and then I went out for a tromp, in two-foot snowdrifts, having an absolute blast. I didn’t shovel anything, do anything practical… just took in the weather for all its beauty. I love weird weather, storms, tornadoes (been through several of those).
I do hate two weather things: floods and fire. The thought of people being trapped by either is nothing short of horrifying for me. But wind, rain and snow are all exciting… especially when mixed all together.
Just for the record, that makes three bad weather nutcases in a row. Not that I voluntarily contact snow (icky, cold stuff!), but I’m not afraid of horrific weather like hurricanes and tornados and LOVE standing out in a lightning storm.
It should be noted, in hindsight, that, since I often write books with rather ensemble casts, I often make a character cheat sheet with full names and brief character descriptions so I don’t do something stupid like change eye color half way through.
I personally think a who’s who for an ensemble book is a nice thing to add at the end, especially if characters come and go.
I definitely map out characters a bit before I begin… but I don’t usually offer all the information I know in the first few pages… that TMI… and it’s hard for people to process.
I think an ensemble key at the end would be great… but I don’t tend to have enough characters to do that. This may stem from my playwriting, since large casts, in general, are a no-no.
And if you don’t like snow (and I know you don’t), you couldn’t live in a better climate for it. I like snow and cold SO much more than heat. I love rain, so this place suits me great… but I miss Kansas thunderstorms a lot.
In one blog, you’ve managed to sum up my main problem with writing a novel…the prep work involved! I’ve always been under the impression that for a lengthy, involved piece, a writer needed a sufficient outline covering every idea in advance.
Personally, the thought of managing all the details of a character’s life I find a bit scary, not to mention the backgrounds of the secondary characters as well. The Caelan blog is a kind of practice for me to work out of that and I’ve literally been making it up as I go along.
I normally do tend to let one little idea turn into a piece that builds on itself, editing as I go or during the re-read, but for some reason I never saw the possiblilty of the same formula working for a novel’s format. Thank you for opening my mind to that!
I just finished reading all the other comments…I concur, I love strange weather, too…ok, i’ll admit it, I like most things that are considered strange, lol. For example, I find the sound of breaking glass very relaxing (I used to work in a glass factory).
Maybe it’s an artist thing, to be able to see the beauty, the true beauty in what’s around us and to enjoy it in every way we can. Sensory experiences are great inspiration for types like us! Personally, living in Ohio with our storms, I’ve always liked sitting on a covered porch during a hard spring/summer rain, getting hit with the spray and feeling the power of it all. The smell of the wet ground caught on the wind is fresh and calming.
Also, I’m in agreement on making character lists, or at least jotting down the important notes for your writing. It’s a great way to keep everything in check, in focus and on track! Good luck on all your novels!
*giggles while reading the weather conversation I didn’t mean to start*
But I agree…definitely not a fire and flood fan over here.
I don’t usually end up with many characters left at the end of my novels since they somehow end up being bloodbaths. Guess I’d rather kill off a character everyone’s already emotionally invested in than create a new one just for killing sake…not that I’m opposed to killing off my random strangers to make a point. ;0
I think most of my prepwork must go on in my head because I never have trouble remembering physical details of the characters. I’m a little surprised about that though because I’ve got all the characters for 10 different novels swimming around in my head. If that part of my memory ever fails, I am so screwed.
jenwhitten, you describe the kinds of plays and stories my husband always liked to read…ones where everyone dies. I tried to get him into Hamlet, but the language turned him off (as much as it turned me ON, especially Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet).
And ambrosiavenus, I think it IS an artist thing…to see the world a bit differently than everyone else, to find rapture in what others find annoying or frightening, to be drawn to the unusual, to embrace the ugly. Just because everyone else has decided something isn’t cool, is evil, has nothing interesting about it, or isn’t worth noticing doesn’t mean I have to agree. I tend to gravitate towards what others dismiss.
Perhaps that is because so many have dismissed me… missing my potential entirely. Then again, one cannot expect the closed minded to have any vision at all. That’s MY job.