Peter Dickinson once said that by the time he started writing, his outline was so detailed and fleshed-out that there were no surprises awaiting him as he wrote from chapter to chapter. I can’t say I’ve approached that this time, but I understand what he was talking about.
A couple of months ago I had an idea about a pre-teen girl being witness to a man dying from a hunting accident. Called as a witness in a criminal trial, she was aware of undercurrents in the questioning and managed to steer clear of them thanks to solid preparation by her father. I thought this sounded promising and made a note. Two days later the threads from this initial idea began to run outward, and I made more notes. By the end of a couple of weeks I had a tight synopsis that covered several stages in the development of the plot, half a dozen characters playing significant roles, and a climax that was a little hazy but, I was confident, would become sharper as I went along. I set the synopsis aside and let the idea germinate some more.
The publicity around NaNoWriMo came at just the right time, when I was wondering if I should begin writing or set the idea aside as already stale. One of the pleasures of being a pantser has always been the moments of discovery, when a character surprises me or a turn in the plot gets more interesting than I expected. But with NaNoWriMo nipping at my heels, I decided to open a new file and follow my synopsis. I finished NaNoWriMo with 40,000 words (I took most weekends off—that’s the competitive writer in me, covering for failing to reach the 50K goal) and I now have 54,000.
The twists and turns of the story, the discoveries of character and alliances forming and tearing, the questions of truth and justice were an added layer I hadn’t covered in my synopsis. Right now I’m on the home stretch—I can see the end becoming richer and more interesting, no longer hazy and predictable. But I can’t rush it without damaging the larger story.
Writing this new mystery is the closest I’ve come to being an plotter. So far I’m pleased with how the story idea developed and the writing stayed close to the original idea but I can’t say I’m confident that this will be my path forward from now on, in both short stories and mystery novels. Nevertheless, it’s a change, and I’m all for change if it means growth and discovery.
Susan,
ReplyDeleteYou just surprised me. Your novels are so well-written that I thought you had them carefully plotted out prior to beginning to write.
Thanks, Jacquie. I appreciate the compliment. My first drafts are usually a mess that I cut down and shape into a coherent story. This draft is very different, and a pleasant surprise.
DeleteInteresting, Susan. I admire your ability to try to shift gears and try a new approach. Sometimes we think we know what works best for us when we haven't actually tried another method. I call myself an organic writer. I have some idea that begins a story, but it could be anything: a name, a title, one line, a complete scene ... When I begin writing and add to the story, I need some structure to keep track of things. Using Scrivener gives me an ongoing outline and I can see what is shaping up. I let my writer brain figure out what has to happen farther along, will make notations, and work toward that. It's something of a "I went out for nice drive in the country and along the way decided on a destination" kind of journey for me.
ReplyDeleteYour approach is similar to what I've been doing for years but without Scrivener or any other software. I don't know yet if I'll continue with this new approach or lapse into my tried and true method. Thanks for describing your process/journey.
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