A few weeks ago, Angela kindly hosted my little mini-rant about writing speed. (See post here: YOU WRITE HOW FAST?) Since she’d actually asked me to post about my outlining method, it really was nice of her to accept the first post. Which means I owe her this one. I’ve spent years developing my process, pulling in assets from my days in English at university, from my journalism training, my time as a screenwriter. Improv actress, singer/songwriter, businesswoman… all of these things and more have contributed valuable lessons to the method I use in writing. The great part? You don’t have to go through what I did (three decades worth!) to benefit. Because I’m going to give you the lowdown on how I do it. Maybe some of my process will work for you. That’s the only caveat. We all have our own system, things that fit our style and things that don’t. Please take from this what you like, test, play, examine, adapt. And use what you like while discarding the rest. My first step is, naturally, the idea. You’re a writer. You know ideas come from literally everywhere and usually at the most inopportune times, like in the shower, when you’re asleep, driving the car… just do your best to keep a notebook or recorder handy so you don’t forget. I then transfer my idea to something called a onepage or beat sheet I’ve taken from my screenwriting experience. It’s a single page where I break down the information I’ve been given. Title, genre, main characters, main conflicts, etc. all are logged on it. It’s simple, straight forward and clean. Makes it easy to file ideas away for later. I usually allow an idea to percolate a few weeks while working on other things. It’s amazing how much will bubble up and demand attention, though, so don’t forget to add all the details that arise. On this sheet I also track what I call the three stages of normal. Part one is the main character’s normal setting. Change is then triggered by an inciting incident, or choice, the character has to make. Think Katniss Everdeen choosing to take her sister’s place in the Hunger Games. Part two, abnormal, involves escalating conflict, leading the character through all the horrible, nasty, wretched things (can you tell I love this part?) you decide to put them through until they reach the second choice. Let’s use Katniss again. She has to choose whether to kill Peta or eat the berries at the end of the book. Choosing to eat the berries leads her to stage three, her new normal. Understanding the basic structure of plot—all movies, TV shows, books follow this structure—helps you navigate from point A—the beginning—to point B, the ending. I usually know by the time the onepage is finished if this book is a series or not. And will proceed to fill out a sheet for each of the books in that series before moving on. Why? Because not only is it necessary to know where the first book is going, how it ends, recognizing the fact you can track the entire series in short form first—meaning you don’t lose any threads along the way—is a powerful tool in keeping your readers happy and avoiding sophomore slump. Once I’ve plotted out the entire series, I sit and write out my main conflicts, from the lead character’s point of view versus herself/himself, the antagonist, etc. Many of these conflicts cross over, but by writing them out separately I’m able to explore the idea fully. Next, I use index cards to build scenes from those conflicts. Some people prefer to do this step on the computer, in programs like yWriter and Scrivener, but I love the tactile experience of spreading the cards out, of shuffling them around like some living deck or giant jigsaw puzzle. And, I find if I use the physical at this stage, I’m much less likely to miss something. Once the entire book is plotted on cards, the scenes connected together in a coherent whole, I sit down at my keyboard and create chapter-by-chapter breakdowns. I love cliffhanger chapter endings, so I usually stop in the middle of conflicts to keep the reader turning the page in the middle of the night, but the choice is yours. That’s it. Once the first book is logged, I outline the second, the third, or however many there are in the series. Line them up, all pretty and shiny, before settling in to write. The awesome thing about this process is, up until this point, I’m not committed to anything. I can change, switch out, alter anything I choose because I haven’t written 10k and have to then go back and delete 5k because I wandered off or am lost. To the contrary. I am able to see clearly and concisely, exactly where the book is going at all times. So when I do schedule the writing of it, there’s no thinking. Only creating. The best part.  About Patti Larsen: You’re not looking for my polished bio, huh? You sure you want more? The real dirty, down deep, nitty gritty? Fair enough. Here goes: I’m a card-carrying nerd. It’s taken years to admit it. I’m also a hermit in a writing basement who prefers solitude to people (cats always welcome). I’m a writing fiend who hears the voices of teenagers and blushes at the S-E-X parts. I don’t sleep very well. Ever. My mind is too busy. I am a feline loving married woman who could easily end up a crazy cat lady if my husband would let me. I am a paradigm shifter, a believer in self and my own personal power. I see everything in black and white until the gray is explained to me. I am a fiercely loyal friend, a confidant and a Tarot card reader and intuitive. I am a proud roller derby girl, a total dweeb and can’t dance to save my soul. I am terrified of heights and challenge that fear every chance I get. Oh, and I’m the Creator. The Queen of my own Destiny. I love that.
You can find her all over the Internet www.pattilarsen.com www.facebook.com/pattilarsenauthor www.twitter.com/#!/PattiLarsen www.bit.ly/pattilarsen Sign up for new release updates: www.bit.ly/pattilarsenemail And if you want to learn my process in detail, you can find it here: http://www.pattilarsen.com/ecourses/#!/~/product/category=5383359&id=22581069
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 First off, I want to thank Angela for letting me guest on her blog today. You are awesome, and it’s much appreciated. It’s always great to get the opportunity to stop by a new blog and meet everyone.
So, Angela was looking for writers to talk about their writing processes. I wish I could say I have some well thought out process, but I don’t. I’m a very indecisive person (hazards of being a Gemini), and am prone to having a hard time with the idea part. There are a few vital ingredients, however, that go into any story I write. I must warn you, I am a major pantser, so there will be no insight into outlining and story planning here… 1) The computer. I absolutely must be able to write on my word processor. I have the worst time trying to hand write stuff; my hands just can’t keep up with me head. Also, I need to be able to open up a game of solitaire here and there. Mindless fun helps me get focused when I’m having a hard time getting words out. 2) Music is my lifeline and helps me get into the right mindset. Sometimes I even put on the songs I’ve chosen for a project and sing along with them for awhile, letting myself get lost in the emotions in the lyrics. That helped so much with my latest project. 3) Getting out of the house is also a huge help. When I’m home, the furry brats are demanding attention or I’m getting twitchy because there is a mess somewhere to clean up. That is really not conducive to a good writing session, so sometimes I am forced to head to the library or Starbucks. Those green tea frapps are great fuel for my muse! 4) Deadlines are also important. Maybe it’s the journalist in me, but just thinking about missing a deadline makes me sick. There is nothing like knowing my story is due the next day to get the word count up. So what is your writing process like? Are you a pantser like me, or do you need to outline? What’s your favorite writing retreat? Comment and let’s chat about it. JamieBMusings is a music addict, book lover, pet servant & NaNoWriMo survivor. When she's not busy writing posts for CultureShock, she's taking pictures for her new obsession (That Photo Blog) and spending time with her husband and pets. Her first book, The Life and Times of No One in Particular, was released in May 2012. http://www.jamiebmusings.webs.com I love romance. I'm a sucker for it. I love it so much. It's pathetic. Drew Barrymore I'm with Drew on this one. I love romance. Yes, I write about zombies and stuff (things and stuff--quote from The Walking Dead), but EVEN The Zombie West Series is more romance than zombies. Every chance I get to write a romance scene I will. I love the relationship that humans have with one another--the sensuality, the love, the exuberance. I love that human connection. But in saying that, I don't write detailed sex scenes (boo, boo--That's what you're thinking, isn't it, you naughty girls and boys?)
If I were to attempt to write erotica (which I won't), it would be more comedic than anything. You wouldn't get hot and bothered, but you'd sure have a nice chuckle. Erotica is NOT my thing, but apparently it is for A LOT of people. It seems that more and more authors I know who started out as Young Adult writers or writers in other genres, have decided that erotica is where the $$$ is, so they've crossed over into writing it, adding to the plethora of an already saturated market. Their erotica books sit side-by-side their children's books, and in fact, kick the butts of those children's books when it comes to selling copies. Thanks to Fifty Shades of Grey, everyone and their mother (and their mother's mother) is writing erotica books. I'd LOVE to write romance. I'd love to toss my hat in that ring, but is there a place for me there? Books that are highly romantic, but not overly sexual? Does ANYONE read clean, sweet romance anymore, or is it all about the sex? (I already think I know this answer). I've looked at a few erotica titles and there are MANY with horrible, horrible reviews bashing the author for having "no plot", "stupid characters", "typical ditsy female character", "domineering male character", "amateur writing", "less than average sex scenes", and YET their Amazon seller status numbers are doing extremely well. Like, out of this world well. Because of that, I can see why a lot of authors would want to give it a go. It's depressing (as I can attest to) to write books that receive great reviews and have won awards, but don't sell NEAR the amount of copies as a poorly written erotica book does. It makes you think, for sure. So I get it. I understand it. I just can't do it. There's simply far too many words that make me giggle. But, I'd love to write romance. I love watching romantic movies and reading truly romantic love stories. I love romance, but should I delve into that arena, writing sweet romance, would anyone buy it? Would people be like, "What? They kissed...that's it? Bluck. This sucks." What say you? Is there a market for sweet romance, or is it a big ol' waste of time? Is it all about the sex? If not, then why are poorly written erotica books flying off the shelf? Help me understand. Let's discuss. :)  How I wish I could say my fingers were on fire with a creative burning--creativity pouring out of me so fast my fingers just might burst into flames at any second. Now that would be cool. AND totally worth it :) Could you imagine? "Hey! My fingers are on fire because I'm SO freakin' awesome!"
But alas, no. This is not the reason for my burning fingers, numb thumb (a rhyme), or the incredible pain in my shoulder and elbow. I think I have the dreaded CARPAL TUNNEL thing going on. Gosh dang it, too! Because I don't have time for that kind of nonsense. Not that anyone does, really, but I REALLY don't have the time. I'm on a deadline (actually, my deadline is today--umm...did you hear that deadline fly by? I sure did). If I could take a break for a week, I would, but I can't. So I use a brace, I use ice packs, I prop it up so I don't have to move my arm all that much, and I pop pills like crazy (lovely, lovely pills--don't do drugs). Here's the thing, folks, take care of your body. Treat it kind. Don't slouch on your bed and write there. Use a proper desk, at the proper height, maybe even toss in some hand stretches before you write and include a decent amount of breaks. Because once your fingers start hurting and going numb, it's a tad too late. I love my fingers <3. They're my gateway to my creativity, because there are times that I have no idea what I'm going to write until I type it. Seriously, it's totally weird, but true. My fingers are super smart like that :) Be kind to your fingers and they'll be kind to you. I'm off now to give mine a much needed break.  I've been writing my whole life but mostly in just my journals or diaries. I never thought of actually writing a story.
Last year some time, my aunt suggested I write a book. I thought there was no way I could write a story that was my own. All the ideas I had bouncing around in my head were not my own and were from other books I have read. My aunt told me I could do it if I really thought about it. So I did. And guess what? An idea came to me. Now mind you, that idea has changed ALOT! My first book is nothing like I originally started with and that's fine. I'm happy with it. I just hope others are too. I started creating a playlist of songs that I hear that remind me of my book. Most of the songs are not from the type of music I listen to but I love them (I'm a heavy metal girl). I don't have a writing office per say. My table is my writing area. My lap top is set up there with my notes and ideas and it's perfect for me. I don't need pure silence to write so when the hubby is home, he can watch tv and I can write and we can still spend time together. I'm very excited for my first book to come out, hopefully sometime this summer. I'm nervous, scared and biting my nails as to what people will think but I'm excited none the less. So this is me, in a nutshell. :) AUTHOR BIO: Jo-Anna is from a small city in Ontario, Canada -- born and raised. She just started taking up writing in 2013 and loves it! She absolutely loves her characters and cannot wait to share their stories with the world. She's currently working at a call center which allows her the time to write. She also crochets as a hobby and if it wasn't for the 9-5 job, she wouldn't get half the projects done that she's been lucky to finish. Jo-Anna is going to be self publishing her books -- first one coming out this summer. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jo-Anna-Walker-Author/393756564065584 Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7061953.Jo_Anna_Walker Twitter: https://twitter.com/joannawlkr Blog: http://joannawlkr.blogspot.ca/ MOVIE INFO (Taken from Rotten Tomatoes): Maria, Henry and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand, looking forward to a few days in tropical paradise. But on the morning of December 26th, as the family relaxes around the pool after their Christmas festivities the night before, a terrifying roar rises up from the center of the earth. As Maria freezes in fear, a huge wall of black water races across the hotel grounds toward her. My husband came how with this Redbox DVD, saying it had received some amazing reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (that's are go-to guide). I was like okay, pop it in, not knowing or remembering what THE IMPOSSIBLE was even about. As soon as the opening started and it said that this is a true story about the tsunami that hit the coast of Asia, my gut coiled up into a little ball. I didn't want to watch this. I didn't. I am not a fan of true stories based on tragedies. I'm a wimp. I tend to internalize it and hang onto the story in my head for days afterwards. I imagine myself in that situation and what I would do. Most likely, I wouldn't do well. That's why I don't watch true stories of devastation type movies. Give me a comedy or a nice made-up drama.
True to my nature, my chest hurt and my nerves were on heightened as I watched this family of five enjoying their Christmas holiday, all the while knowing what was about to happen to them. And when it did, wow. Just wow. I have no words. This is a beautiful, terrifying, loving, amazing, IMPOSSIBLE, story of what this family went through. It is INCREDIBLE, absolutely incredible. I watched the entire movie on the edge of my seat, and I truly doubt anyone can watch it without doing the same. There were several times in which I told my husband I couldn't watch anymore, but then I plugged on ahead, knowing there was no way I could stop. I cried. I cried numerous times. I am a wife and I am a mother of three kids. I couldn't help but put myself in that situation. The story, the acting, and the entire way it is portrayed is beautiful. emotional, and mind boggling all at once. You can't help but feel this families pain in not knowing if their loved ones survived or not or to watch this beautiful land destroyed so quickly and lives changed forever. It feels VERY real. We watched this late into the night last night, and when I woke up this morning, sure enough, it was on my mind. I needed to write this blog. Do I suggest watching this movie? YES. Yes, I do. It is wonderful, but I suggest you have your box of tissues readily available. FIVE STARS for sure. You can read more reviews here: THE IMPOSSIBLE (Rotten Tomatoes) You have a strange relationship with calamity when you're a writer: you write about it; as an artist, you objectify and fetishize it. You render life into material, and that's a creepy thing to do.  I'm a weirdo. There, I said it. I've always been fascinated with all things dark and creepy. If it's mysterious and strange, then I'm drawn to it. So no wonder the voices inside my head are a bit demented. They don't have much of a choice.
The funny thing: I'm also a big wuss. It's a nice balance, really. Because I'm pretty much afraid of the unknown, I'm not likely to do anything TOO crazy--like walk down deserted alley ways in the middle of the night or be seen messing around with a Ouija board. So, how can I be attracted to the darkside, but still be a wimpy wimp? Beats me, but I like it. I can enjoy creepy stuff, but also be safe while doing it. A win-win situation :) But why do I like creepy things? Why is that when I'm on a trip to Paris, I find myself longing to visit Les Catacombes or the above ground graveyards more so than visiting the museums? Maybe, it has to do with the mystery and the forbidden aspect of creepy things that is the real attraction for me. Now, I'm no Stephen King--far from it (I don't even write horror) but there are story ideas floating around inside my head that would make some look at me and think, "But she looks so normal." I get some of that now, especially with my Zombie West Series. I'm a 40+ year old Mormon mother of three who writes about the undead--that can't be right. But it is. And I do. I think I write some pretty gross scenes, and in my latest work in progress (DEAD PLAINS) I sent a chapter off to my beta reader and she came back with the following comment: "Absolutely disgusting. Gag. Gag. Gag.gag.gag. gag. This is worse than any zombie eating in all three books. I seriously have bile rising in my throat. You are disgusting and need help. Hahaha. But I love you." The scene in question had been bouncing around inside my head, and I kept debating whether to write it or not. So of course, I chose to write it. Not only do I write about gross things, but I also like to delve into the darkside of human nature and write those stories too. For my culture, and in living where I do, maybe I shouldn't be writing any of this stuff at all. Maybe I should be writing about picnics in the park and walking dogs while holding hands with a doe-eyed boy. Now that makes ME gag. I can't. I won't. Since I was a young teen, the stories I wrote always had some kind of dark, forbidden, element to them. I can't imagine stopping now. It's actually taken me until recently to accept and embrace this fact about myself. I write somewhat weird and taboo stuff... but I think I do it rather tastefully :) The voices in my head are creepy and otherwise dark and I don't see that changing any time soon. I write what I write and that's that. Some will approve and others will not, and I'm okay with those judgments. I have to be. So, when you see me around, cheering my kid at his baseball game or standing up in front of the school as PTA President (Yes, yes I am), I may appear pretty normal-looking on the outside, but boy should you see what my brain is cooking up. How do you balance the things you write against your life standards? What do people think about you after they've read your work? Do you even care? It is always fascinating to me how authors do what they do. Every writer is different and therefore, every process is different too. I also love getting to know other cool authors (yes, I am cool). So please welcome Meg Winkler to my blog today. I love her humor :)  As you may have guessed, it takes a good sense of humor to be a writer. At least in my experience, things never go according to plan and you have to be flexible with your characters and your process. And then there’s that evil demon Writer’s Block lurking in the corner that you have to deal with. My writing process is different from anyone else's; it has to be. Although I’d like to offer a piece of advice on how to write, I fully understand that what works for me may not work for you. So instead, I’ll just tell you what I do and maybe you can apply it to your own writing. Play it Again, Sam (although it should be noted that Bogie never said this) Music fuels my writing to such a degree that every WIP (work in progress) has a “theme song.” I play hard rock when I write a fight scene, soft tunes when writing a love scene, sad tracks when I’m writing something particularly gut-wrenching, and I’ll admit that I have a playlist specifically named “Creepy Vampire Music.” What Would Jack Do? We all have moments when we’re stuck in traffic, waiting around at the doctor’s office, or shopping for groceries. In these times, I try to think about what my characters would do in a given situation. Would Sophie from Wake of Darkness like the song on the radio? What kinds of cuisine would her boyfriend Alexander be into? I think about what Bryn (WIP character) would do if backed into a corner, or what Angel (another WIP character) would think if someone confessed their love for her. This helps me get into their heads, to really figure out who these characters are. Time Isn’t Linear I mean, seriously, the 10th Doctor had it right. For me, writing isn’t linear; it’s not a start-to-finish kind of thing. I think of situations and scenes and write them. Then I go back and piece them together so that the flow makes sense. I usually rewrite stories once or twice because the characters never end up the way they started. Oh, and I never use an outline. The Take-Away: If you’re a writer, you just have to figure out what works for you. It’s one of those things that can’t be taught, only discovered. There’s no short-cutting the writing process, and there’s only one way to figure out how it works for you: Simply do it. Meg Winkler is an author, editor, freelance writer, military historian, and coffee junkie. She is the author of Transmissions from Dating Land, Wake of Darkness, and co-author of Ruins of North Texas. She writes everything from college anatomy courses and psychology curriculum to fine wine, interior décor, and event planning coffee-table books to pay the bills, but it is her work as an indie author and publisher that keeps her coming back to the keyboard after 12-hour days. Her upcoming novel, Revolution 2 is set to release Summer 2013.  WHY I WRITE I was going to try and be comical, and write the Top 10 Reasons I Write. But it just wasn’t working. So how about just ‘some’ of the reasons I write? I Hear Voices I remember reading something in Angela Scott’s bio… “Tiny fictional people sit on my shoulders and whisper their stories in my ear.” The thing is, that happens to a lot of us writers. I have to wonder how many people in the psyche wards are actually writers. (Or under the influence of Nightmare Wraith. Sorry, you’ll have to read Dream Weaver to get that one.) So, I write because my head might explode if I don’t. There has to be an outlet to exercise my demons. Otherwise they get very fat and sassy. Must Be The Money And of course, I write for the fame and fortune. Bahahahahahahahahaha! Seriously, though, I write because I can. I really do believe that writing is gift, no matter what you believe the source of that gift…whether God-given or from the fates. And gifts are meant to be shared. I love the creativity of building worlds and people. It’s like a singer performing a song, or a poet writing new prose. It’s an artistic outlet. I don’t know how many people came to me during my book signings this weekend and said they wanted to write a book. I say, DO IT. It really isn’t about money, for some it’s just pure therapy. Anytime some says to me they think they should write a book, I tell them to stop just thinking about it. Just do it. It may not be for anyone but themselves, but sometimes just getting long-withheld emotions spewn out on paper is a grand release. (Yes, I know, technically ‘spewn’ is not an official word.) Big Creepy Crawly Things I love the ability to step out of my mundane life and experience someone else’s life, even if it’s in my head. But personal life experiences aren’t taboo. My dad gave me a huge spider necklace that has a small blade in its abdomen. She’s about the size of my hand. That spider will now be taking an important role in my second novel, Rock Star. She’ll be ancient talisman created from arcane magic that is activated by the blood of her possessor and is able to transmit memories by touch. I remember watching the movie about JK Rowling’s creation of Harry Potter. In it, she was sitting in a local café writing and saw two people playing chess. From that mundane situation, ‘Wizard’s Chess’ was born.  Say, What? So, I’m not sure if anything I’ve said is beneficial to anyone but me. But I did what I always do when I write… See, the literary world has named different styles of writers. I know some people say there are two kinds of writers; pantsers – who write by the seat of their pants; and planners – who graph out their story before they write it. Then, I heard about a percolator, a writer that lets the story drip and filter. Personally, I would add ‘puker’. I know, that’s nasty. But it’s true. A scene for my books will come to me, inspired by some random life event and I grab any random piece of paper, and jot it down. It’s not until later that I add all the scenes together to make a story. So now we know—writers write one or a combination of four ways: Pantser, Planner, Percolator and Puker. And here’s a link to the NaNoWriMo article: http://blog.lettersandlight.org/post/33164071079/pantser-planner-percolator It only took me five years to edit, re-edit and edit again. But I earned an education on the way. And with every new version, I believe Dream Weaver became stronger. I believe that everything I’ve learned about the literary world along the way, will help me as I continue to write. I’ve met a great group of people, other authors. Some have become my best friends and we’d do anything for each other. I’ve also discovered that I enjoy helping other indie authors. Whether it’s finding typos everyone else missed or teaching someone about showing instead of telling their story or teaching someone to create links on their blog or website. I never claim to be a professional at anything, but what wisdom or knowledge I’ve gleaned along the way I’m willing to share. The End Angela, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog. And thank you for giving the world such great books.  A quick bio My name is Su Williams and my first novel Dream Weaver was released in March of this year. I live in Spokane WA with my husband and two of my four children. Our family also consists of my teddy puppy beagle; a crested gecko and two obnoxious cats.
Amazon (paperback and Kindle) Barnes & Noble (Nook) CreateSpace.com Contact me links: Dream-Weaver-Novels/Facebook DreamWeaverNovels.com Dream Weaver Novels Blog You have to master not only the art of listening to your head, you must also master listening to your heart and listening to your gut. For the most part, I think I write with my head and with my heart. My head tries to lay out the path from A to B and make sure things make sense. My heart then dives in and tries to make sure that the reader feels the true emotion of what I'm trying to convey. There are many times I leave heart marks (<---I just made that up, but I like it) on the paper. There are heart marks in all my stories, lots and lots of heart marks. I also have a pretty good sense of where the story should go (thanks, head).
So I write with my head and my heart. But I've got to learn to let my gut have some play time as well. I think there needs to be a fine balance between all three, and once that balance can be achieved, then the true storytelling can be achieved with confidence. I wrote a chapter in my latest work in progress that took me from A to B and it also had a few heart marks in it as well, but my gut kept tapping on my head saying, "This isn't right. This isn't right at all." But guess what I did? I ignored my gut and pressed on, believing that as long as I had my head and my heart on the page, everything else would work itself out. So I sent it off to my main beta reader (super awesome friend), and she bounced it back to me with a big fat NO. I wasted my time. I wasted hers. I KNEW this chapter was wrong. From the very first sentence I knew it. I chose to ignore it, because to go back and rewrite three thousand words just didn't sound like fun :) I've got to trust my gut. Sounds silly, but listening to that little voice would have prevented a lot of heart break and a lot of unnecessary work. Here's what I learned: I went back and reworked that chapter and it is now SO much better. My head likes it, my heart is leaving my marks all over it, and my gut is satisfied. Gotta love that gut :) |
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