I find a remarkable joy in going back to things I've written that I haven't looked at in awhile. I was reading through the outline, background, and the first few chapters of my novel "First" (the one that's bumping "Alex") and I have to say I'm pretty damned impressed with some of what I have there. It's better than I remembered. Oh, some of the writing is weak as hell, but the story and concept are not the "generic" fantasy I thought they were. They have a nice twist to them and the MC viewpoint is (I think) a pretty fresh one. The MC is a young man who, at story's beginning, has been banished (deservedly) from his culture and must find a way to come to terms with himself, his shame, and the new culture he must adopt as his own. I only did four full chapters on it last year but I like the beginning and the outline I did has some really cool things in it. I'm going to really enjoy this one!
(Ain't it sad how happy we get as we start each new book? Come back in three weeks and I'll be bitching about characters going places I never intended!)
I hope this works out alright. The outline has me worried. The three books I did this year so far have all been free-form writing. In the past, I've had trouble finishing outlined novels. Of course, I've had trouble finishing ANY novel in the past so I'm hoping that it was only general writing laziness that screwed me up & not the outline! I just have to remember that the outline is only a guide: I can go wherever I want and come back to it when I feel like it.
Running at work today, so no writing at lunch. I'm hoping to get into "First" tonight. I left off in the middle of a very cool scene and I think I can pick up the thread and improve the overall writing quality of the piece from here on out. Maybe it's imagination, but I can see a dramatic improvement in my writing over the past year. it's more concise, has better description, and I'm (sort of) getting away from the dreaded InfoDump. (Oh, alright! That's still there but at least now I recognize it!)
Ah well, off to cook dinner now. BBQ pork chops and a nice salad - great summer fare!
Later!
2 comments:
LL has it correct there. Think of the outline as a general direction to point towards when you start. You can let the story go free form again, but, if you get stuck, you can rewoirk the outline to guide.
good luck and happy typiing
You're both right, I know you are . . . but I think it's leftovers from school, ya' know? It's like there's this little voice in my head that keeps yelling:
"You're not following the directions!"
:-)
Ah well, I'll get past it. (I hope!)
Later!
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