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Revelations: Prepare To Be Surprised. Or Not.
Today is the day that Hal and Marn get to say “I told you so.” Today is the day I confess my latest revelation. Today is the day I never thought I’d see. But here it is.
Hello, wenches, my name is Terrio and I’m a plotter.
*waits for loud boos and guffaws to die down*
I know, I’m surprised as you are. Or rather, based on the reactions I’ve gotten from the people I’ve told, I’m the only surprised one here. How did this happen? I’ll tell you.
So I’m staring at a blank page. That’s a lot of white. Have you noticed how much white that is? Daunting, that’s all I can say. So I’m staring at a blank page and nothing is coming. I know what scene comes next. I know what I want to accomplish with the scene. But it occurs to me that there are secondary characters in this scene whom I’ve yet to meet.
So, innocently enough, I figure I’ll just have them introduce themselves and tell me a little something about them before we start. It’s minor plotting, nothing big. But then I realized other things I need to know. My hero incorporated a timeline into this story by declaring his restaurant is to be open in a month’s time. That gives me roughly four weeks. But since my H/H don’t know each other before the story opens, four weeks doesn’t seem like a lot of time to create a convincing HEA. So then I know the story doesn’t end when the restaurant opens.
Then how much farther does the story go? And what happens in that time? What goes wrong in that time? I’m going to need a black moment, after all. Can’t skip that. So I determine how many weeks the story will cover beginning to end and realize it would help to know what happens each week.
Now I’m breaking things down further. I figure out the story opens the weekend after Mother’s Day. Then I realize that means I have Memorial Day in there. And the 4th of July plays a role as well. So I have to get from the weekend after Mother’s Day to the 4th of July. Yes, I know this too is not much time to establish a HEA, but it’s what I’ve got. For now.
As I write this, it’s Sunday evening and I’ve spent my entire afternoon plotting this story. More than four pages (single spaced) and 2300 words later, I have an entire book plotted out. Can you believe that? And funny enough, it’s not the same black moment or final scene that I originally planned. Though the heroine still does the groveling, that hasn’t changed.
Now, I’m not ready for charts or books on plotting or any of that stuff. It’s more free flowing, I like to think. And it’s all subject to change, as we all know. But I’m feeling good about what I have. I like that I did it all in one long stream instead of beginning, middle and end. This way, I don’t have to think of anything as the murky middle.
What I want to know first is, what revelations about your writing have you had lately? A character sneak up on you or do something you totally didn’t see coming? Or if you’re a reader, what book has really surprised you lately? A new twist you didn’t see coming and haven’t seen before. And finally, if you plot, how do you do it and how much does the finished product resemble the original plan?
Books by the Crew
61 comments:
Revelations? Well, I need to outline with more detail toward plottin'.
Calm down, Sin! Not goin' ta actually plot...
Tho if'n I did plot I b'lieve it would jus' make me characters rebel wit' deliberatness and totally f*ck up any plottin' I attempt.
I write 'bout anarchists.
Latest plot twist, I sure didn't seen Michael Weston shootin' the snake that set Fiona up. Nicely done!
It's good to learn to plot before you sell, let me tell you. I now have to write the dang synopsis before I finish my books.
No revelations about my writing... I always have characters sneak up on me and surprise me! I've written some great secondaries with those surprise intruders!
Tiffany's use of the word "intruders" is insanely accurate.lol. Problem for me is that I get so interested in them that my mind stops giving me some of the excitement I'm feeling for the WIP I'm working on. Luckily, though, I start to get into the land of excitement about current WIP because finishing it means I can go on to the glimmer.
Am a panster but do write out a plot-esque thingy before the third draft(this is my experience for this WIP. The previous one never got past the first draft-or was that two? Sad that I don't know, me thinks).
A different black moment? The original was great but I can't wait to hear about the new. And a groveling heroine? This is rare but has me all kinds of intrigued. Mer, and Steph are plotters-you're in good company.:)
LOL!
No "I told you sos" from this corner. I never thought on the onset of my first story that I was a plotter either. We all just get the job done the way we know how.
And my characters still change the story on me too. I like to think of my plotting as suggestions for how the story can finish. I still switch it up now and again. For example, I'd plotted this story out, wrote the synopsis, way a long time ago. I changed my hero's motivation half way through = major adjustments to my story. Then I split my black moment into two phases. An emotional black moment, and then the physical black moment that resolves the emotional black moment. It added about five scenes to my story.
So, my point is, there will DEFINITELY be a lot of twists and turns, unexpected things that happen, even if you think you've got it plotted out.
Revelations in my writing this WIP around? I think I figured out that it's ok that I stop now and again to edit what I've written. It helps me keep my tone/mood/voice the same throughout.
Congrats on the stream of consciousness plot, Ter! :)
Okay, Chance, is that Burn notice? And I can how anarchists would be tough to pin down.
Tiff - So what happens if the finished product doesn't necessarily resemble the original synopsis? I've had this plot less than 24 hours and I'm already wanting to change things. *sigh*
Kelly - So you write, revise, then plot? That's an interesting method. Does this result in a tweak here and there, or much re-writing? Though I bet that would be different for every WIP.
Marn - I'm not on your spreadsheet level here. But that's the term I couldn't think of yesterday, stream of consciousness. That's a much better name for what I have.
You see, plotting for me does not mean determining my character's GMC up front. In fact, I still don't like to think about GMC. Plotting, as of today - who knows about tomorrow - means just mapping out the surface.
It's like when I take my trips to Knoxville, I know I take Hwy 58 to I85 to I40. But I don't know what obstacles I'll hit, be it slow-pokes, construction, or weather, until I hit it. Right now I just have a "this scene, then this scene, then this scene" all the way to the end. The details are in my head or show up when I get to that scene.
Which is why I never should have sent it to Chance without explaining that. LOL! She was all kinds of confused when I'd pretty much left out major issues. :) They're there! They're just in my head and not on the page.
Plotting? Gulp. I've already strayed from the synopsis I turned in for my proposal.
In my Mistress trilogy, Andrew turned up in Book #3 and he will be Book #4---he was absolutely overwhelmingly so-not-hero-material but would not go away. I can't wait to finish the book.
It calls for HUGE rewriting. But that's any book I'd work on because I do the vomit draft.lol. also, my characters hide things from me. Little bastards!lol. And my stories evolve. A.LOT. My heroine only showed her true colors in this plotting session and my hero stopped being so whiney.lol. I like the alpha male but it seemed Rory wasn't alpha, beta or gamma. He was full on girl.lol. Still having trouble writing an alpha that's a good guy.*g* I would happily settle for a gamma, though-the best of both worlds!:)
I think it's so cool that you're a plotter and you didn't even know it. I find self discovery is a huge part of my process. And it's wondeful that you want to change your plot, imo. I think each change gets you closer to writing the true story. Your brain...er, MY brain can misfire for a few drafts.*g*
Yeah, I do the vomit it out method as well. I like to delude myself and say "the next draft will just be layering." Lalalalala... Yes, I live in DENIAL land.
The funny thing is that I'm not one to make lists. Other than grocery lists because if I don't do that then I inevitably get home from the story and remember three things that I forgot. Hate when I do that.
But typically, no lists for me. But for this, I did it by day/date. Yes, I even assigned dates. Which is funny since it's a comtemporary set NOW (meaning whatever moment the reader is reading it) so those dates won't really mean anything. Luckily, Mother's Day is always *around* the same time and Memorial Day is always *around* the same time and 4th of July is pretty much locked in. LOL!
So now I plot AND I'm very linear. I kind of knew that part, but not to this degree.
Oh, you just rewrite the synopsis to match later. I've strayed from my synopsis on my ppsl for Asbury's book. I think it's to be expected. I hope it is! LOL Writing is a strange process.
No "I told you so" here :) But I'm happy you found a system that works for you! There's a million ways to plot or not plot, and we've all got to do what works best for our writing style.
I tend to plot in chunks. I'll plot the first third real well, and have a decent idea of the end, then after I get to the 1/3 mark, I'll plot the 2nd third, then after I get to the 2/3 mark, I'll plot the end real specifically. But I've found if I try to get specific early on, it does me no good, as it's going to change.
The last big shock I had was a secondary character I never saw coming. I just thought I needed an assistant of some form, and it was this boring old guy named James, and suddenly it's this hot young girl the hero is sleeping with, who becomes integral to the whole thing, and will hopefully be the heroine in the sequel. Never saw her coming.
And MM - I was FLOORED when Michael shot that guy! Never expected that, but it had to happen. And did you see how fast he drew his gun. Wow!
God help me. I'm surrounded by plotters.
I have to say that it was surprising and not to learn that Sadie and Kiki were two different people. I wanted to save Kiki for a different series, but as usual when I make plans the characters wreck them.
Congrats on your break through Ter!
Tiff - I thought I'd heard that as the answer before. Makes it seem kind of silly that they make you do it up front then, doesn't it?
Hal - I'm sure this is not the end to my figuring this out. I'm seeing just as there are several drafts to the book, there will several versions of this. Trying to fall asleep last night I kept thinking of things to add, change or delete. But it's nice to at least be *in* this process now, instead of watching everyone else from the outside.
So this chick showed up out of nowhere and is integral to the entire story?! (Notice I'm skipping the part about the hero sleeping with her.) That would be a shocker.
LOL! Yes, I never expected her. She just showed on page and started sashaying around, and there was no getting rid of her *g* She's extremely necessary to the final plot though, so it's a good thing. And the hero stopped sleeping with her (eventually). I'm pretty sure this book is going to end with her being arrested for arms smuggling, so the next book will start with her in prison. I'm very excited about it.
I think the pantsers freak out that if you PLOT something that you have to follow that plan exactly. And any fool can tell you, nothing ever goes according to plan.
And to keep myself from freaking out by calling it "plotting", I try to look at it from the point of "figuring out my key scenes", things that need to happen to make my Black Moment happen (which is usually one of the first scenes I figure out. I either know my inciting incident or my black moment or both) and things that need to happen to make my hero and heroine fall in love with each other.
And in order to do the latter, you have to know what your H/H vulnerabilities are...and work that in as the scene where everything changes. So here you are, writing down the details of what your characters tell you about themselves--even if they don't admit to vulnerabilties. Who does? Pretty much you just have to write down what they tell you and you can figure out what the vulnerability is by what they're not saying.
Character sketching is still plotting. Key scene is still plotting. Timelines is plotting. You're plotting. Will it change? Of course it will. Probably for the better...but in the meantime the initial plotting makes the white page less daunting.
Some people plot in their heads (Sin) and some in excel (Marn) and some on paper (me.) We're all different.
"I’m pretty sure this book is going to end with her being arrested for arms smuggling, so the next book will start with her in prison. I’m very excited about it."--
I think this is my favorite line today. *LOL*
Hellie beat me to it. That line cracked me up! LOL!
How far into the book were you when she showed up?
Hellie - Yes, I'm using the term "plotting" very loosely. LOL! It's not like I sit down and ask myself the tough questions like "What's his motivation here?" or "What is her goal here?" No, that would make me too nauseus to continue.
You hit it right on the head. Having this loose map makes the white page less daunting. Makes me feel like I'm standing on more solid ground and not flapping around in the wind by a thin thread.
p.s. - Anna Campbell is giving away an ARC of her next book on Romance Bandits today!
lol Hellie
Ter - it was early. I was literally working on the 2nd scene. It was like page 3. It still shocks me. I mean, I had a whole synopsis of the book, I had character sketches on all my main characters...bizarre!
Something I discovered with my current wip is that I absolutely love writing the first drafts. I've tried plotting and character sheets, but it isn't until I'm writing that I get to know them.
Hal - I see, that makes sense. I read that as you were 2/3 through the story and she showed up. LOL! I thought, wow, that would be a surprise.
Loki - I'm seriously worried about when I start something new again. I've lived with these characters for more than two years and it took a long time for them to develop to this point. That does not bode well for future projects that won't have the timeframe.
LOL! Spreadsheet level.... Just because mine's on a spreadsheet and yours is stream of consciousness doesn't make me any more of a plotter than you...
Just saying.
And I love the character Hal is talking about. She's awesome. Very very alpha and tough, but a bit of a marshmallow when it comes to her daddy.
But you know stuff about your characters. You're always talking about their motivations and changing that up and making the story fit them. Just typing the word makes me a little queasy. LOL!
Though I guess I could put this on a spreadsheet. Columns for day, date, location, characters, action, etc...
Not that I'm going to, but I could. :)
"I like to think of my plotting as suggestions for how the story can finish."
I have to agree with Marnee. I'm not a "plotter" per se, and don't follow any kind of traditional plotting methods. Do you remember having to submit pre-writing for a grade when you were in high school? I always used to scribble mine out after the fact and turn it in with the draft.
But every once in a while, some kind of plotting mechanism is helpful to me in unsnarling some problem that comes up in the pantsing. If I can see roughly where I need to go, at least in my head, I can figure out what thread to tug at my problem spot.
Glad you found a method that seems to be working for you, Ter, and lol at Haleigh's comment.
Kelly - Your method is how I've been doing it all along. But then I found that everytime I'd finish a scene, I'd feel like I accomplished something for about five minutes, then the reality would sink in and I'd have no idea what was next. That floundering feeling is not one I'm comfortable with.
So for me, simply having a list of scenes with days attached to create some sort of timeline reduces the floundering feeling. I can already see where I might have to add a scene here or there. And I never know if a scene will work as planned until I start writing it.
Once I started a scene with the heroine running late. It would not work. Finally I tried it with her on time and it flowed nicely. She simply refused to be late.
I weren't really confused, Ter... Just wondered where the rest a' the stuff were that we'd chatted 'bout! I totally gets the loose outline aspect a' plottin'.
If, and it be a big if, I plot atall, it be loosely. And the anarchists overrule everythin' anyway! But that be part a' the fun.
Yeah, Hal! Wasn't that loverly ta see him get so passionate so fast. He's always been such a cool character. Then *bam* that bastards dead and I wanted ta cheer! Yup, Ter - Burn Notice.
Hal, the hero is sleeping with some chick and she's not the heroine?lol. Is this a romance?
Terri, it sounds to me as if you are a planster, some combination of a plotter and a pantster.
I never think of myself as plotting, but according to Hellion's definition, I do. I made copious notes on my characters, I created family trees, and I drew (badly)a map of the town before I had the first chapter of TLWH written.
But I'll probably go mad if I have to write a synopsis first. My brain does not move linearly. I've been struggling to write a synopsis of TLWH and having fits. But last night I found an example of one of Anne Gracie's synopses on her web site, and something clicked. I think I can actually finish mine now.
Chance - If we chatted about it then I already knew it, so no need to write it down. LOL! You mean you can't read my mind?
Kelly - Don't get us started.
Janga - You're still having trouble even after the book is done? I was hoping that's when it would be easier. LOL! You're not helping me at all.
And I always find your non-linear-ness ironic as I think of you as so organized and, well, linear. LOL!
Oh, and I guess I'm a plotser. I always sort of plotted the next scene and knew my ending and a few scenes in between, but that was all in my head. Nothing written down. Hence the floundering.
Now, more scenes on paper, a clear path, less floundering. For now. LOL!
No, I've had trouble writing the synopsis EVEN after finishing the book. That's normal, I think, because how do you make something interesting in 5 pages that took you 400 pages to develop? It's like trying summarize the epic poem of Homer into a haiku.
Of course, I say that, and one of you wiseasses will write a haiku of Homer to prove it can be done. *LOL*
Sorry, Janga, my definition of plotting doesn't leave room for gray area. It's like if you commit adultery in your heart you committed adultery--though one and the other are TWO different things.
Of course it's a romance! It's more that just they've been together for a while at the start of the story. And the heroine is his ex-wife, who he hates. So it takes him a bit to get over hating the heroine. And while he's getting over that, he's still sleeping with the girlfriend (Jo).
So Jo (the secondary character) is really in love with him. And of course, she gets dumped for the heroine. so in Jo's book, she's got to deal with all that heartbreak.
I won't be the smart ass who writes the haiku, I can promise you that.
Hal - I totally think that can work. At the beginning of Smooth Talking Stranger, the heroine has a boyfriend who is NOT the hero. And she lives with him. And it all works out just fine. LOL!
Hell, Hardy's book she's married to someone else for the first third of the book, then starts seeing Hardy.
But Terri's is a more relevant one. *LOL* I didn't think it was weird she was dating someone else. We already knew he was all wrong for her. *LOL* It's not like contemporary people live in ivory towers waiting for the Golden Cock to show up. They're usually sleepign with all the wrong cocks in the meantime.
LOL!
I haven't read Smooth Talking Stranger yet, but I agree about Hardy's book.
see - exactly! It can work.
sleeping with all the wrong cocks? LMAO!!
ummm..."Golden Cock"? Interesting. LOL
BTW - I'm pretty sure the Golden Cock is the male version of the Glittery Hooha.
I smell a drink coming on.....
Wait, that doesn't sound right.
The Roundtable has a blog up today about Painting a Word Picture. I'm pretty sure Hellie just did that.
LOL!
Sabrina - Think that's anything like the Golden Rooster. ;)
LOL! Maybe that's a new book idea...
"When Gold and Glitter Meet"
Yes, my mind is in the gutter. It's Monday. Give me a break!
Great blog, TerriO.
but, I'm a little confused-aren't you the one who was talking about storyboarding and how great it is? Isn't that plotting?
Me, I think I fall into the plotsing group. I have an idea of what happens next, and how it ends.
Di
I'm the storyboarder. (Which when put this way sounds like I'm a waterboarder, doesn't it? I mean, I think Sin would agree as torture devices, they're pretty equal.)
I had a comment half typed that Hellie is the storyboarder and tried to get Sin to do it with little (read NO) success. But then I got distracted and never hit send. LOL!
Hey, I didn't mention ivory towers!lol. Was just confused. I thought the 'sleeping with the hero' thing was like throughout the whole book.lol. Stupid is I!
Golden cock? Er, no. that would be the "magical wonder penis!"
And I'm not one for glittery hooha. I always go with the "golden vajayjay"
Hal, have to admit I think it's unfair if the heroine isn't getting some too. Ever heard of equality?LOL! Kidding!
LOL Kelly! Very good point.
Kelly - It did sound that way. No worries. And how about the glittery vajayjay? LOL!
Golden Cock! I gots it! Now, ta find the right piece a' glasswear ta serve it in...
Sabrina, yer a nasty wench...and we loves that about ya.
Hel - Yer so strict! I guess that be a valuable aspect in a captain... What do ya think, Jack?
Plantser, plotser...who's on first!?
Sorry, Captain!
I knew I first heard about it here, and as a result took Shelley's online class.
Di
Welcome to the club! Glad to have you!
It's not really a 'lately' item but it was a huge revelation when I realized I'm a plotter and that I have to practice the craft of writing. I wanted to be able to write and just be fabulous. Erm, right, it takes work...
I plot but I haven't completed my novel so I'll tell you if it follows my plot line when I'm finished! I like formal outlines like they taught us in school but I also have a giant plot line across the wall in my dining room. I indicate the plot points with Post-It Notes and I'll draw in other notes with a dry-erase marker (since this is on a giant floor-to-ceiling mirror). I'm not sure if I've posted a picture of it but maybe it's something to think about. I know Mary uses a rough version of the Snowflake Method which she really likes. She gets all mathematical on us! :)
Stephanie J...please, I want to see a picture of this wall... Ever consider entering this in Design Star? ;)
Steph, the wall thing sounds Faulknerian. I think that's what he did with The Fable, only he wrote directly on the all. LOL
HA! Did you happen to see the episode last night? Scandalous with that early elimination. Vern just took charge! I'm obsessed with that show...
Isn't it A. Rice or someone that uses a Sharpie on her office walls and then repaints over it for each novel? I can't go THAT far but the wall thing is fun. It really helps if you're visual and I have to say I'm sure my pacing is benefitting.
I missed last nights, but will watch it on demand this afternoon...now you have me interested in what happened!
Would it be fun to see a design challenge for a writer's area?
Tashika should have been gone two weeks ago and she deserved what she got last night. She has messed up everything she's done, and when she did her own room, she copied from a previous season room.
I'd love to see them design a writing space. They'd have the task of being creative enough to create a space that inspires creativity!
OK! Just watched it. Wow! I agree, she should have been outta there last week, at least! That was interesting! I haven't really seen one I feel all gung ho about yet... And I thought putting a bow on the exercise box wasn't a bad solution to running out of time. Better than having it sitting in the middle of the floor in pieces. And none of think those things are going to take the time they always end up taking being put together...
A writer's space that incorporates the different aspects of the genre and whether a writer plots, pants, blogs, you name it! Who's going to write HGTV and make the suggestion??? :)
OMG! Of course this conversation had to touch on Mary's crazy math plotting eventually. She's insane!lol. But I heart her. If I could do what she does, I would! Unfortunately my mind is not into following a succinct pattern. I only feel happy when it comes upon me in a great sweeping shock that I've screwed something up or I finally figure out what should happen next. Sometimes I write a whole scene and don't know the point of it until half way through- or the end! Do not model yourself after me! EVER!lol. I love you too much to put you through the craziness!:)
Chance - We'll leave that up to you.
Kelly - I can't imagine bring math into this equation and I like math. But not in my writing, thanks. LOL! And as long as your method works for you, that's all that matters. There's no one right way, remember!
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