I'm talking about the writing, people!
:)
I've gone ahead and outlined the final 3-4 chapters of "The Between." It represents roughly 10K worth of writing and I took 2 pages of handwritten notes to sketch it all out.
It is only the broadest of brush strokes, but it will serve as a guide for the end of this story. My only problem? I'm notorious for making outlines and not following them.
It's as if my subconscious is a stubborn 2 year old in full tantrum mode. It likes to stamp its feet and do the opposite of what I tell it to do.
But the funny thing is, I've learned to listen to this particular 2 year old. She usually knows what she's talking about when it comes to story. If she's pouting over something in the outline, it's typically something that needs to be changed. Either the character would so not do that, or the voice is wrong, or the descriptions aren't working.
My job as the writer is to balance the logical, narrative line of my conscious mind with the intuitive, messy, meandering route of my subconscious mind. If I can do that, then the story will emerge in the right way, with the right words, in the right time.
Great way to think about it!
ReplyDeleteThanks--I'm fascinated by the process of writing. I'll read something I've written and see layers and nuance I *know* I didn't plan, or a fully formed plot thread will appear in my mind when I'm busy doing something else.
ReplyDeleteIt's a strange business--this making stuff up!