It's official. I've started laying out the plot for the sequel to Aileen's still unnamed book. It'll be the first sequel I've written so I'm a little nervous. Hopefully, it'll be easier because the world and characters are already established. Either way, I'm hoping that extensively outlining the plot will make the writing itself a breeze or at least not an uphill battle from start to finish.
It feels like I learn something new with every book, whether that's how to fix the pacing issues to the importance of a good outline BEFORE I start writing. For Aileen's first book, I spent several weeks fleshing out the story. It seemed to make the writing go easier. Instead of sitting and staring at the computers for hours trying to figure out what happens next, I could just let the words flow because I already had a road map of where the characters needed to go and how they would get there. An unintended benefit for this method was that the rewrites were nowhere near as extensive as they were for previous books. It cut down on the writing and editing process from start to finish.
That said, this beginning stage is both exciting and frustrating. On one hand I get to let my mind wander down uncharted roads that lead to fantastical ideas. On the other hand, it can be tedious and there are days/weeks where it feels like no idea is germinating anywhere in my brain. It's enough to make someone want to tear their hair out. :-)
Let's hope I still have hair at the end of this.
It feels like I learn something new with every book, whether that's how to fix the pacing issues to the importance of a good outline BEFORE I start writing. For Aileen's first book, I spent several weeks fleshing out the story. It seemed to make the writing go easier. Instead of sitting and staring at the computers for hours trying to figure out what happens next, I could just let the words flow because I already had a road map of where the characters needed to go and how they would get there. An unintended benefit for this method was that the rewrites were nowhere near as extensive as they were for previous books. It cut down on the writing and editing process from start to finish.
That said, this beginning stage is both exciting and frustrating. On one hand I get to let my mind wander down uncharted roads that lead to fantastical ideas. On the other hand, it can be tedious and there are days/weeks where it feels like no idea is germinating anywhere in my brain. It's enough to make someone want to tear their hair out. :-)
Let's hope I still have hair at the end of this.
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