12. Outline or Wing It? Three Ways to Plot a Novel

Beginning novelists often want to know whether they need a detailed outline, or whether it’s okay to just start writing and see what happens. In my view, there are three basic ways to construct a plot:

1. Follow an outline. Your outline might be very detailed, with headings and subheadings, much the way you outlined term papers in high school. Or it could be a list of points to be covered, in the approximate order in which they occur. I have a friend, a successful author of mystery and science fiction stories, who will not put a word on paper until he has a thoroughly thought-out outline. He’s told me that sometimes the outline is longer than the finished project.

I’ve written a number of YA series novels for book packagers, and they always require that a chapter-by-chapter outline be submitted for approval before writing the story. Usually, the outline just hits the high points of what would happen in each chapter, but sometimes I’d include bits of dialogue or description to show the flavor of what to expect. (In Chapter Six, Sara realizes she has turned into a werewolf. We see her horror and fascination as she examines her newly hairy, clawed hands. “Oh, no,” she thought. “What will Drake think?”)

I found writing the outlines tedious, but ultimately very helpful for meeting my daily writing quota.

2. Wing it. As I mentioned in my first post in this series, I just started writing Pandora’s Genes and kept going.  This got me to the end of Part 1, a little over 100 pages. But what then?

There are many writers, including some very popular mystery writers, who maintain they do not know what is going to happen until they get to the end of a book. I believe that this is possible, and have some ideas about why it can work for some writers (I will explore this topic in a future post).

I’m not sure it is a good idea for a beginning novelist to completely wing it, however. There is too much danger of losing any thread of plot and having to throw out a few dozen or even hundred pages, or--worse--losing interest in the novel. Instead, I recommend a hybrid method of plotting, which is:

3. Plot-as-you-go. This is what I ultimately ended up doing with Pandora’s Genes, and it began before I reached the end of Part I. What happened was that ideas for the rest of the story started occurring to me, almost randomly, so I scribbled them down as I thought of them--sometimes on a page I was working on, sometimes on index cards or scraps of paper. I consulted these notes often, and added to them continually.

I’m doing something similar with the third book in the series, which I’m working on now. I have in my head a general idea of the story’s main themes and where I want it to go. But there are a lot of possibilities, and I just found around a hundred pages I had written a few years ago that I don’t remember. So I’ve stopped writing and am reading--and making lots and lots of notes.

The soap opera doyenne Agnes Nixon once told me, of her soap opera’s “Bible” (the long-term outline for a year’s worth of plots), “it is like a road map. You know you’re leaving from Chicago and ending up in Los Angeles. But you never know what side trips you will take along the way.”

 

 

Agnes Nixon

Tomorrow: The political world of Pandora’s Genes

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11. Keeping Track: Continuity and Consistency

The other day, in response to my post on mapping novel locations, a reader sent me a question by email:

When I've tried fiction, the main problem I've had is consistency.  In other words, I would write something on page 98 that was inconsistent with something I had written on page 28.  How do you get around this?  Do you start from the beginning every time you sit down to write more?  Or do you say, who cares?

In another life long ago, when I was one of several writers for a soap opera, there was always someone in charge of “continuity.” This person made sure that when the Miller family sat down to a dinner of roast beef they did not get up three episodes later from a delicious chicken cacciatori. Every novelist needs to be her own continuity expert. 

To answer my reader’s last question first, of course you must care about consistency! One of the surest ways to lose readers is to write a novel with random character or plot changes. Can you imagine a movie in which a character starts out as Nicolas Cage but ends up as John Travolta? (Okay, bad example, since there IS such a movie. Never use Nicolas Cage in an example.) My point is that when you’re dealing with a large cast of characters and a complicated plot, it’s not always easy to remember everything. Here’s what I recommend to my writing students:

• Make charts and graphs. I do this in addition to the maps I draw of the locations for various scenes. Pandora’s Genes  had three major characters and dozens of lesser characters. It took place in several locations over a period of five years. I pieced together several sheets of paper and made a long timeline that mapped the most important scenes. It showed me where and when everyone was at any given time in the novel.
• Keep notebooks or index cards—or the electronic equivalent--for each character and plot point. I’m an index-card kind of writer myself, but I know other novelists who keep a small notebook or electronic data-base section for each character and each important plot thread. In Pandora’s Children there is an important subplot about a spy among the Principal’s closest aides. I kept careful notes on the clues I left, to make sure both that they were not too obvious and that I did not forget them later.
• Be flexible. Sometimes unexpected plot twists will turn up and ruin all your best-laid plans. Or a character will decide to do something you hadn’t foreseen. When this occurs, if the change seems right for the book, then go with it. But always go back and change earlier scenes so that they match up with the new fictional reality. When you do, you’ll find that all those charts and index cards make your job a lot easier.

Tomorrow: Outline or Wing It?

Technorati Tags: novel writing

10. How Should a Writer Respond to Reviews?

I’m changing the subject today because of two reviews I received recently on Amazon. Like all writers, I’ve had to learn not to take feedback--whether positive or negative-- personally. When the feedback is from an editor, I accept it and work with it, simply and professionally making the requested changes.

On Amazon.com, feedback  from readers as well as professional reviewers is posted along with the book information. This feedback can make the difference between a sale and a click to another page. A couple of weeks ago I received the following review from someone unknown to me, on Pandora’s Genes:

Meh...Interesting plot, lacks skillful writing, and too abrupt of an ending
My title pretty much sums up the book. I really liked the story. The beginning of the book was actually pretty good and I got drawn into it fairly quickly. Once halfway through, I felt like I was being rushed through the plot by the author, wanting to make sure she explained what was going on so we didn't get lost.... Towards the end of the book, it seemed to get even more rushed and lacked any kind of artistic writing skill. It gave the facts, went through the time line and POOF! The End. I will say the plot was really interesting. It could be made into a decent film if anyone ever decided to do so and in this case might be one of the rare movies that's actually better than the book.

This reader gave me three stars, and had some positive things to say, but all I could see was the phrase “lacked any kind of artistic writing skill.” How dare she? I thought. What does she know about skillful writing? She’s probably never written anything more complicated than a grocery list. I have to admit that this review stung. But, as with all feedback, I shoved it into a corner in the back of my mind and returned to working on the third Pandora’s book.She is, after all, just one reader, and most of the other reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

Yesterday, I received this four-star review from someone unknown to me, on The Ptorrigan Lode.:

A nice read
This was definitely a short one..What I found amazing is the author was able to set up a world, several well defined characters, and introduce a well devised conflict in such a short period of time. I found the protagonist self-absorbed (as he should be based on his circumstances) and related well with the course of action that he chose. If the author chooses to expand on the ground work that this story laid, I would purchase it.

Ah, what a difference! This reader is obviously a man of great literary acumen. He GETS what I’m trying to do. I wonder if he’d like to be my Faceboook friend? I will eventually shove this review into that corner in the back of my mind, with all the others, but for now... I’m basking in it.

Technorati Tags: Pandora's Genes,The Ptorrigan Lode,Literary Criticism and Reviews

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9. Keeping it Real: how to make imaginary locales seem realistic

In yesterday’s post I told you about the maps I consulted for my fictional works located in Washington, D.C., and New York City. They helped me keep the basic details of my books true-to life. Even in the case of Pandora’s Genes, which takes place toward the end of the present century, knowing what those places looked like back in the 1990’s helped me to imagine what a century of neglect and bad weather would do.

But what about completely imaginary locales? What about, say, fantasy or science fiction locations? One of the commenters on yesterday’s post is an sf writer who sets her stories on made-up planets. She says that having been an atmospheric scientist in real life helps her to construct (in imagination) her locales.

I have never been a scientist, but I’ve read a lot of science and science fiction, and that has helped me have a feel for many possible science fictional locations.
My hard-sf novella THE PTORRIGAN LODE takes place on a space station in the asteroid belt. There are no maps for such a place, but I’ve been visiting such structures in science fiction stories since I was a teenager (for example, in The Rolling Stones, by Robert A. Heinlein), so  I already had  a general idea of what such a place (one with artificial gravity) might be like.

I did some further research on the web, perusing scientific articles describing the sort of space station I had in mind. I drew my own map of “Station,” so I could keep track of where the main character was at any given time, and how he would move from level to level. And I spent a lot of time inside his head, trying to imagine how it would feel to live in a sealed, closed station, no matter how big it is.

When writing about my fictional space station I did not go into a great deal of detail, because the novella is largely a story of character, but I worked to make those details I included seem plausible and familiar to readers of today. Jay’s small cubicle on Station,  for example, is small and bare, with everything built-in, but he keeps an old-fashioned acoustic guitar on the shiny metal wall.

A few short scenes toward the end of the novella take place inside a small spaceship and on the surface of a tiny asteroid. To create these, I mainly drew on my years of reading sci fi books and watching sci-fi movies. My general knowledge of science let me know what seemed realistic and what didn’t, and my imagination helped me to feel what the characters felt in these places.

I think the takeaway here is that research is essential to constructing the scaffolding of your novel, but it takes hard thought and imagination to bring the story to life.

Tomorrow I will continue with what keeps it “real,” in a discussion of continuity.

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8. Where in the world are we? The novel’s geographical and local setting

For those who haven’t read Pandora’s Genes, or who have read it but couldn’t get a fix on the location, it happens mostly in the area in and around Washington, DC. I have lived and worked in the Washington area, and always liked it, especially the historical buildings and the beauty of the surrounding countryside.

I never said directly that is where the book takes place, but dropped plenty of hints, including the fact that the area ruled by the Principal is known as “the District.” . A number of scenes take place in the Principal’s private office, which has “rounded walls.” Other parts of the White House are featured too. I needed to get a detailed map of the White House for some of this material.

Many scenes take place on the Mall, which they actually do call “the mall” in the Pandora’s books, and a crucial scene occurs at the Lincoln Memorial, which is described but not named. Zach’s and Evvy’s travels take place through Maryland into Pennsylvania and Ohio.

A scene from the Prequel that made it into Pandora’s Children takes place in the Metro. The Principal and Zach begin their final assault on the corrupt, evil President from a distant station across the river. The only identification that survives are the letters A SQUA. Which were on the sign for Virginia Square, the station near my parents’ apartment in Arlington.

Even though I was familiar with all these locations, I consulted maps, and even made a map to keep track of where my characters were at any given time. After writing my first draft, I revisited the Mall area to refine my descriptions, though I never did visit the White House (“the Principal’s Great House”).

I’ve made use of maps and personal visits for other books as well, most notably my YA novel GOING TO SEE GRASSY ELLA, which takes place mostly in New York City (where I lived for 20 years). After finishing the manuscript, again I went back and double-checked my recollection, especially for the area where the girls encounter the seedy Elvin Hotel.

Even though your work is fiction, it’s important to be as true to life as possible. This will give your made-up parts added credibility. Anything that CAN be checked, MUST be checked. Maps are easy enough to find and to consult. But what about fictional places? Tomorrow we’ll take a closer look at keeping it all as real as possible.

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7. Five Reasons to Write a Novel*

Of all the writing classes I’ve taught, my favorite has been Writing the Novel, because--as I always tell my students--writing a novel is one of the most rewarding things a person can do in life.

I know from my own experience and what my novel-writing students have told me that the most rewarding part of writing a novel is not the finished product, but the process of writing it. So without further ado, here are five reasons to write a novel*:

*whether it gets published or not

1.  It’s a chance to play god. Do your family, friends and colleagues sometimes disappoint you? Do you become hoarse trying to explain to friends what you REALLY mean? Well, writing a novel offers a chance to create other human beings from scratch. You can give them any character traits you wish (though many characters will disconcertingly take on a life of their own).

Many fictional characters are based on people the writer knows. You need to disguise them, of course, but within the constraints of libel this is a chance to improve your brother-in-law’s character or get even with him.  As a teen, I wrote stories about my ex-boyfriends. My mother once said about a fellow I dated but broke up with after two years: “You’re not over him, you know. You haven’t written a story about him yet.”

2.   Writing a novel will Improve your writing skills. Whether you write nonfiction, term papers, or emails, writing a novel is an excellent way to improve your writing skills. A novel is long. It’s offers lots of practice. For your novel to work, you must learn to handle point of view, write good descriptions, and master dialogue. It’s a great chance to learn by doing. I will discuss each of these writing skills in future posts.

3. Novel-writing forces you to get organized. Remember how hard it was to write your first term paper? You had all this research and no clear way to put it together. The same thing happens when you are writing a novel. You may start out with a strong story that grabs you (as the white-hot draft of the first part of Pandora’s Genes did me). But after the first 100 or so pages are down on paper, what then? Do you keep ideas on note cards? Write a formal outline?

A novel forces you to be organized in your daily life too. Writing a novel is a real commitment, of time and psychic resources. You will never be able to do it if you don’t schedule regular time to work on it.

4. Novel writing is a chance to learn more about yourself, both as a writer and as a human being. You will quickly learn which writing situations are easiest for you--and which most difficult. For me, writing Pandora’s Genes taught me that I’m good at depicting thoughts and dialogue, and that the hardest thing for me to write is description, especially of people. Knowing this, I always pay extra close attention to anything I read to see how other writers handle this technique.

5. Writing a novel is fun! When I’m writing a novel,  I find myself thinking about it in odd moments, scribbling notes on napkins, having imaginary dialogues with myself. Writing a novel is the surest way I know to wake up my brain and make me feel alive. This is beginning to happen with the new Pandora’s novel I am currently working on.

Looking back to writing the rough draft of Pandora’s Genes over twenty years ago, I remember  thinking, “This is what life is about. This is what I am meant to do.”

Tomorrow: WHERE in the world are we?

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6. How to Avoid Writing

This post is for anyone who has ever written anything on assignment--from a commissioned book to a term paper. If you are like most writers, your mind will find any number of things to do other than actually writing your assignment.

If it is a term paper or an article, the temptation is to over-research. I have done that many times with nonfiction books and articles. I was surprised to find out that over-researching was also an occupational hazard when I began writing Pandora’s Genes.

Like character names, research is important to the final product, but at some point you need to say “enough” and start writing. I did not do much research when I first started writing Pandora’s Genes, because of the way it spilled out. But when I got to the remaining three parts of the book, I needed to do geographical and scientific research, particularly on genetics. I also had to research the history of technologies, and some ancient fighting methods. This was all fascinating, but I had to force myself not to overdo.

Here’s what I learned about avoiding Paralysis by Research: begin with general research only. For example, learn the basics of how aerobic exercise works, but don’t worry about the specifics of how many calories each form of exercise burns per minute. You can always find and insert that information later. But if you sweat the small stuff in the beginning, you may become so taken by the details that you never even start the actual writing.

Once you have a good grasp of the period, or the genetic mechanism, or whatever your overview involves, just start writing and keep going. When you come to something for which you need further research, put a squiggly line under it or otherwise highlight it to research more fully later, after you have finished your draft. Then forget about it.

A related problem a lot of beginning--and established--writers have is spending too much time on small grammatical or stylistic details. Trying, for example, to get that first sentence (or paragraph, or even chapter) JUST RIGHT before going on. This practice is a trap, because perfection in writing is elusive and usually impossible. Besides, when you get farther along in the story you’ll often find that you didn’t need that sentence or paragraph in the first place. You may also find that the first thing you wrote down was fine as is.

To become a professional writer you must learn to be ruthless with yourself. Do not allow yourself too much time and energy on procrastination of any sort. For most of us, It’s much better to just keep writing and work out the details later.

Tomorrow: 5 reasons to write a novel.

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