Word count: 500 (not so hot!)
The photo above is of a tree trunk which washed up on the beach near where I live. This is unusual as there are no trees for many miles near the shore. However, doing some local history research I discovered that there is an "underwater forest" nearby. Now, I am quite skeptical of that and until I get to go snorkeling or scuba diving to check it out I will not fully believe it but Queens University in Belfast claim to be in possession of some of the pine cones and branches from this aquatic forest. Check it out yourself, it's in Dublin Bay near Shankill. I think there's some stuff online about it. Hmm... enough boring natural history. Back to the book...
Today I mainly worked on the step outline. It helps to consolidate the structure of the plot. So I have more of the events in order now. I hadn't anticipated how messy it gets when you have multiple characters and a main plot intertwined with several sub plots which you try your best to tie in together by the end of the story. The way I see it, I'm still learning and I'm on a steep learning curve, tough going but worth the effort.
What do you find works best for organising all the elements of your plot? Do you use a mind map or post-its? Or do you just use a step outline?
I'm feeling really good about the direction the story is in. I feel it's conveying a message that I feel strongly about and that motivates me to keep going.
I have some ideas written down for the next book but I won't do any more than scribble them down until I am finished this book. I know from experience that it is way too tempting to shuffle between multiple projects. The thing is that you then lose focus on the main project and it falls apart.
Do you have any tips for keeping focus? My focus is really good right now but I know that it can easily slip with all the additional complications of life. What do you do to keep focus?
Still reading Dracula by Bram Stoker. Stoker is from Dublin, Ireland, same as me. The book is so much more than just a creepy old guy in a castle in Transylvania. Really enjoying it and I would highly recommend it as an engaging read. If you read it you might notice that many of Stoker's plot devices are emulated by modern writers.
Please leave comments and thank you for following me. I hope that we can all learn something from this.
PS. Check out UK based Helen Beal's excellent writing blog: http://www.helenjbeal.com/
Underwater forest sounds like a wonderful locale for a novel.
ReplyDeleteOn plotting, best book I own is Emotional Structure by Peter Dunne. It's aimed at scriptwriters but works equally well for novelists. A must-have. Will make the whole process not only easier but enhance the emotional story behind your plot.
And 500 words is a page and a half of paperback. Do that every day for the next 100 days and you'll have the rest of your novel.
Keep up the good work! Focusing can be very hard with life constantly getting in the way! I just push myself to meet my goals but I'm not too hard on myself if life ruins my plans. I tend to write down ideas for other stories in a notebook to keep focus on the story I'm currently working on. =]
ReplyDeleteHi Warrior Monk - that underwater forest is amazing. Re: plotting and planning I use story boards with pics of all my characs and key locations, and a word doc table for each ch summary - a page of columns, plot and subplots in diff cols so I can see where the story elememts interconnect and move. Best of luck with your book!
ReplyDeleteSam
monk warrior, how's it hanging?
ReplyDeletefor organizing plot, I created something of a storyboard on my wall. Using little pieces of 4X6 notecards, I set up each scene, writing down the most significant events/changes. i then used string to display the cause and effect that runs through the story, which is important, in my opinion. use sticky notes as necessary to add other comments, points of significance, etc
finished that and then drafted an outline from it. very effective in my opinion.
and as for staying focused, insert the writing into your daily schedule. apparently you have to do something ten times before it becomes habitual. keep up the awesome work!