There's no magic formula for writing a book. (If there was I'd patent the sucker and make a gazillion bucks....but I'd give you, dear readers of Killer Chicks, at a significant discount.)
In this Writer's Digest article, best selling thriller writer David Morrell talks about wanting to be surprised by his story, while the equally successful Ken Follett reveals his outline is typically 50 typed pages.
I'd guess from reading that article that Morrell is a pantser and Follet a plotter.
Me? I like to think of myself as a "paradigm-er".
Outlines never worked for me (I blame those pesky Roman numerals). I have trouble envisioning things that are presented in list form, while horizontal paradigms make perfect sense to me.
(If you're unfamiliar with paradigms, check out these examples from Syd Field. Yes, they're for screenplays, but the basic concept can be carried over to novels. No, I don't think they're the "right" way to do it...I just happen to use a bastardized version of the concept (I'm a big believer in working in 4 acts...more about that next Tuesday) to get my own story down.)
For my NaNoWriMo project I made up seven separate paradigms.
They are:
1) My main story
2) My main subplot
3) My motivation story
4) Employment
5) Love interest
6) Mentor
7) Allies who are also Complications
***I don't really have an antagonist in this story, but if I did, I'd definitely have an antagonist paradigm too....after all he/she is just as responsible for driving a story toward its conclusion***
Here's how my Employment paradigm works (keep in mind that this is not a main storyline, just something that complicates my MC's life):
Inciting Incident -- MC finds out she's in danger of losing job
Turning Point 1 - She's fired
Pinch 1 - Starts job search
Mid Point - Meets someone who suggests a new career path
Pinch 2 - Job interview
Turning Point 2 - Begins training for new job
(no climax or resolution needed because it's not a main storyline)
Can you see how figuring out all of these moments for each of your storylines, could be helpful?
So that's how I'll be tackling my National Novel Writing Month project, what about you? Are you a pantser? A plotter? Or something else entirely?
You can find me at NaNoWriMo under JB_Lynn (don't forget the underscore) and I'm tossing out tips and tricks every day this month over at JB Lynn's Confessions of a Crime Writer.
16 comments:
I'm a splatter. When thoughts and ideas come to me, they feel as if a wet paintbrush has been snapped making the paint fly everywhere. I'm always amazed when the splatter makes any sense at all.
LOL -- Hmmmm....I think I may very well be a Splatter in real life, Em!
I do a casual plot-point outline, something in between hardcore plotting and paradigming. No Roman numerals or labels, just a (roughly) chapter-by-chapter log-line of the plot points. I start with the beginning and the end, then I go back and through in the major points and then I fill in the smaller points between the big ones.
I like to think of myself as a plantster - I plan and I plot, but mostly I write by the seat of my pants. ;o)
I'm a little in-between, but I'm not nearly organized as you are! Outlines remind me too much of school so I generally ignore them at all costs. I'm more of jot-your-thoughts-on-napkins kind of gal.
Definite pantser!
Good luck on Nano!!
Awesome post, JB! I'm really interested to look at the paradigm model when I get a few minutes. I tend to be a pantser most of the time, but if I get stuck I sketch out mind maps and, most recently, beat sheets. Ra-ra for your NaNoing!!
Ooooh, I love your paradigms! I think I'll try that with my next one. Or maybe in the middle of NaNo. I'm usually a plotter. I decided to pants NaNo, then got nervous and started plotting Sunday night. I have a small outline with a vague sense of where I am going and some key points to hit. Even when I have a good indepth outline, though, I find myself re-outlining during my writing. I think I know where I'm going, but the writing will take me somewhere else and I'll have to stop for a moment to reevaluate if this new way works. Great post!!
I love this! I am totally trying it out! Before I have been a panster, then a sloppy outliner, but this may be the key I was searching for...(crazy cackling laugh).
I had never heard of paradigms until I read this post, but it makes so much sense! I always tend to have a lot going on in my WIPs and this might just me keep things organized.
Hmmm. I might just try this with revisions...
I usually have a plot written out, but I deviate from it if I get a new idea. I'm not quite a pantser, either--I'd have to think to find the right word. :P
I'm a bit chaotic. I have a plot in mind, but it never stays put. So I guess I'm a failed plotter. hehe.
I write a very loose outline (totally no Roman numerals) and then see where the story goes. So I guess that makes me a fence rider, half way between organized and loosy goosy. Somehow this revelation comes as no surprise to me... ha ha. Oh, and love the paradigm exercises!
I love hearing about the different processes everyone uses. Thanks for sharing!
And I'm thrilled that some of you find the paradigm idea helpful!
The paradigm is SO COOL. It makes sense because it is very visual. I usually plot out the pace arch of my story visually, but don't do that until about halfway through. I hate outlines, too restrictive, but I am a MAJOR note taker and charter. I make charts on schedules, characters, and plot points. I take notes on all sorts of things and gather them in relevant worksheets that keep things organized. I probably have between 20-40 pages of material when I begin, but up to 100 if I include bookmarked web research. I will pants the first 1-3 chapters while taking notes, but that may get scrapped later. I just like to get into it.
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