So I finished my second outline the night before last. I should premise by saying that I wrote the first outline the summer after high school, so I don't know if that really counts. It was fairly embarrassing to read over. I didn't actually use an outline for my first book. I mean, I had a clear view of my beginning, end, plot, and some points along the way, but I really wanted the story to carry me, not the other way around. And it did. But this one is different. I expect greatness from it, as it is my masterpiece and something I've had fighting to get out of my head for nine years. The thing I really liked about using an outline this time around is that it allowed me to tie in a bunch of twists and foreshadowing that I wasn't able to do before. Will save me a lot of time having to go back and fix things or add things that come into conflict later in the story.
That being said, I am both excited and nervous. Having a novel in your head is a very heavy burden to carry, and kinda makes me feel a bit crazy from time to time. I think I know why people like Steven King, Chuck Palahniuk, and Dean Koontz come off as such crazy fucks. It is a lot to walk about with dozens of characters, scenarios, scenes, and plot lines (some of which are strange, or downright disgusting) fighting to get out of your head. I go to sleep and dream of scenes (usually the same ones played over and over and over, with slight changes); I wake up wondering if this or that was a good decision. If this character is believable. If it's fair to do this to the reader, etc. So I'm excited to get it out, a sort of therapy for my author's psychosis, but I'm nervous because I know that it's SUCH a long, consuming process and that I will be eating, sleeping, and most especially DREAMING this book for the next six months to year. And despite edits, once it's out, it's out. You really can't go back and change anything fundamental without having to rewrite the entire book...not happening.
So as recommended by one of the heroes, Stephen King, I will set down the outline for a few days, to distance myself from the world of my characters and allow me a more objective view when I sit down to write and get up a year later.
I need a drink.
Song of the Blog- Crystal Castles-Reckless
That being said, I am both excited and nervous. Having a novel in your head is a very heavy burden to carry, and kinda makes me feel a bit crazy from time to time. I think I know why people like Steven King, Chuck Palahniuk, and Dean Koontz come off as such crazy fucks. It is a lot to walk about with dozens of characters, scenarios, scenes, and plot lines (some of which are strange, or downright disgusting) fighting to get out of your head. I go to sleep and dream of scenes (usually the same ones played over and over and over, with slight changes); I wake up wondering if this or that was a good decision. If this character is believable. If it's fair to do this to the reader, etc. So I'm excited to get it out, a sort of therapy for my author's psychosis, but I'm nervous because I know that it's SUCH a long, consuming process and that I will be eating, sleeping, and most especially DREAMING this book for the next six months to year. And despite edits, once it's out, it's out. You really can't go back and change anything fundamental without having to rewrite the entire book...not happening.
So as recommended by one of the heroes, Stephen King, I will set down the outline for a few days, to distance myself from the world of my characters and allow me a more objective view when I sit down to write and get up a year later.
I need a drink.
Song of the Blog- Crystal Castles-Reckless
WTF that link at the end was just a video of some person learning how to use paint!
ReplyDeleteAs for the novel... what are your goals for it? Is it to make money or just to get your thoughts onto paper?
You'll need something sellable if you want to get it published. I know too many people who poured their hearts and soul into a novel and watched some editor from a publishing company rip it apart in front of their eyes. So get yourself prepared for that possibility!
-Tired Troll
Haha that was the only video for the song, so...
ReplyDeleteAnd my goal is to write a story that speaks to and entertains as many people as possible. So I'll push as hard as I can to accomplish that.
Editors are editors. And if you're too self-inflated to think that a professional doesn't know better than you how to communicate your story then you shouldn't be trying to get published. Obviously my soul is in this book. It's in every book I write, and every author should feel the same or they're not really authors. But I also understand that personal investment clouds your judgement when it comes to what should and shouldn't stay in the story.