Sunday 29 April 2012

The Importance of Being Thoughtful

I've managed to do a little editing of the latter chapters of Hide and See, although it's far from complete.  A lot of the things I need to change are so small and nit-picky that I'm finding it difficult to motivate myself.  I'm not trying to excuse myself - I really should stop being such a child and do what I'm supposed to be doing - but that's the way it is right now.

Instead, what my brain has chosen to focus on is Book 2.  I've not started writing it yet - I have at least stuck to my resolution of not charging straight in without planning - but it's taking up a good portion of my creative process nonetheless.

So if I'm not writing, what I am doing?

I'm thinking.  Yes, that sounds very woolly, again like the child I undoubtedly am making up excuses as to why she hasn't done the set work yet (Because I was thinking, Miss).  And yet not only am I finding this process fun, it also feels very useful.

You see, I thought I had quite a lot of Book 2 roughly planned out in my head.  It turns out, however, that I've only really got a clear idea for around the first quarter of the book (if that).  I'd been focusing so much on small details and specific scenes, that I realised that I hadn't figured out the whole journey.

This is why I'm very glad I decided not to start writing until I've got a clear plan.  I don't want a repeat of Book 1.  I want my novel to be heading somewhere right from the start.

2 comments:

  1. I think you are being very wise. Jot down ideas as they come to you, but don't actually write scenes. Then you can call your jottings 'a plan' and you'll know where you are going! That's what I'm doing, anyway, and it's working with BT2.

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    1. I'm enjoying all the jotting - the only problem is not losing all the little bits of paper. At work I have to be without my trusty notebook so random scraps have to do :D

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