Very busy day yesterday, but still worked on my book. I have been watching a YouTube channel called #Katytastic. Right now I'm watching Katy's video on outlining with Scrivner. Although this is not my favorite channel to watch, I have found some very useful information about outlining and organizing a book. I take what I need instead of trying to do my work exactly as someone else does.
Yesterday I completed untangling my first five chapter ideas. When I first began this book, I did not start with an outline, a plan or even the germ of an idea. I just grabbed a stack of paper and began writing. I wanted to feel like I was doing something, making progress on a book. And as I wrote, the idea began developing before I had completed the first page. Several pages down the road I knew I wanted to develop my idea into a full book. So I began my outlining process. (My process so far is no more complex than taking a piece of paper and numbering 1-10 to begin writing down my plot points. Along with that I keep a running list of notes, ideas and plot progress as the story unfolds to me.) I planned out the first three chapters or so as I was writing them.
Then, a week and a half ago I set a deadline to finish the book. So my first step was to finish outlining the book to make sure my chapters would head in the right direction (at this point they were going a bit here and there, uncertain at times which way to go next because I didn't yet have a clear conclusion to the book). So in about 2 or 3 days of work, I made a detailed outline/plan for the rest of the book. Wow! Hard work I tell you. I think that's the first time I ever felt exhausted from working on fiction. But at the same time it was fun and I felt so great that I KNEW I was making progress. I had pages of notes I could show for my efforts.
After the planning was complete, my first four chapters proved to be a bit of a jungle gym, having to climb all over to follow the story, so I literally cut and pasted (everything is written out longhand so far) the different bits into the chapters they were supposed to go according to my outline.
So that's what I achieved yesterday. I am all organized and ready to start on today's work. I am not revealing the deadline at this time because the work for this book keeps growing and I have to move the date to accommodate. My book almost doubled in length after I completed the outlining process, so that's obviously going to require more days than I originally scheduled.
With my updated work plan for the book, I will be completing chapters 5-7 today. Thanks for stopping in. Check back tomorrow to see how I did on my three chapters for the day. And good luck with your own writing. If you would like to share your current work in progress, whether it's writing or some other art, or just progress on where you want to get in life, please leave a comment below or on my Facebook page. I would love to hear from you.
Yesterday I completed untangling my first five chapter ideas. When I first began this book, I did not start with an outline, a plan or even the germ of an idea. I just grabbed a stack of paper and began writing. I wanted to feel like I was doing something, making progress on a book. And as I wrote, the idea began developing before I had completed the first page. Several pages down the road I knew I wanted to develop my idea into a full book. So I began my outlining process. (My process so far is no more complex than taking a piece of paper and numbering 1-10 to begin writing down my plot points. Along with that I keep a running list of notes, ideas and plot progress as the story unfolds to me.) I planned out the first three chapters or so as I was writing them.
Then, a week and a half ago I set a deadline to finish the book. So my first step was to finish outlining the book to make sure my chapters would head in the right direction (at this point they were going a bit here and there, uncertain at times which way to go next because I didn't yet have a clear conclusion to the book). So in about 2 or 3 days of work, I made a detailed outline/plan for the rest of the book. Wow! Hard work I tell you. I think that's the first time I ever felt exhausted from working on fiction. But at the same time it was fun and I felt so great that I KNEW I was making progress. I had pages of notes I could show for my efforts.
After the planning was complete, my first four chapters proved to be a bit of a jungle gym, having to climb all over to follow the story, so I literally cut and pasted (everything is written out longhand so far) the different bits into the chapters they were supposed to go according to my outline.
So that's what I achieved yesterday. I am all organized and ready to start on today's work. I am not revealing the deadline at this time because the work for this book keeps growing and I have to move the date to accommodate. My book almost doubled in length after I completed the outlining process, so that's obviously going to require more days than I originally scheduled.
With my updated work plan for the book, I will be completing chapters 5-7 today. Thanks for stopping in. Check back tomorrow to see how I did on my three chapters for the day. And good luck with your own writing. If you would like to share your current work in progress, whether it's writing or some other art, or just progress on where you want to get in life, please leave a comment below or on my Facebook page. I would love to hear from you.
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