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This Month's Feature - Writing Advice
The Doldrums
--by Bev Vincent Whenever the subject of writer’s block comes up, I usually say that I don’t believe there’s any such ...
Time enough, at last….
It’s not the writing that’s the problem. It’s finding the time to write. Oh, I know a lot of people ...
Both Sides of the Table (Reader/Writer Courtesy)
If you're a big fan of books, there's a good chance you've attended an author event at some point. You ...
The Deep End of the Shallow Water
There are a lot of lakes and ponds in the Triangle, many of them man-made. There's one I pass driving ...
Tracking submissions
by Bev Vincent In his endnotes for the short story “N.” in Just After Sunset, Stephen King postulates that “everyone suffers ...
Steve & Melanie Tem: SHOCKING READS
Steve: On various boards lately I’ve been reading discussions concerning “extreme horror,” use of explicit and graphic detail, whether writers are ...
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6 Comments, Comment or Ping
David Niall Wilson
Wow. That one made me do some thinking, and one thing is true for certain. We are all endlessly curious about the workings and habits of other authors. I handle the changing outline differently. I usually outline the entire book, but when the novel itself diverges so far from the outline, I usually sort of ditch the outline. It’s usually far enough along that my mind has completed the new outline for me, but the initial structure has gotten me past the danger of writing a convoluted mess (for the most part).
I love the idea of layers, too. I’ve written about it before. One of the best authors at writing in deep layers is Peter Straub. His series about author Tim Underhill starting with Koko and particularly in that book, Mystery, and The Throat, where he writes and rewrites lives, events, and experiences and each time you think you understand, you see there is an entire level beyond where he can still take you without losing his thread.
Anyway…great essay, Justine, thanks.
David
May 20th, 2006
Janet Berliner
Great essay. Thank you. I do the same thing. I revise the outline many times en route to completion and I take breaks when the excfitement diminishes and I feel the ice cracking under my feet. Those breaks are essential for reading and researching and writing letters and essays and short stories. Mostly they’re essential for sanity.
–Janet
May 20th, 2006
Justine Musk
Sanity. Yes.
At some point I’d like to write a novel — more likely a novella — without an outline, just to see what happens and how it goes. But I feel like I’m groping around in the dark enough as it is.
May 20th, 2006
David Niall Wilson
I did it the other way around. My novels were all done “without a net” until a few years back. I had partial outlines a few times, but for the most part I just wrote…..then when I decided to do that Nanowrimo challenge, a novel in 30 days, I knew the madness had to end (lol) Ever since then I’ve outlined, and would not go back…
D
May 20th, 2006
Lisa Boyle
Hi there…Thanks for the nice read, keep up the interesting posts..what a nice Sunday
Oct 28th, 2007
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