Copyright 2010 Room to Improve. All Rights Reserved.
Snowblind by Themes by bavotasan.com.
Blogger Templates by Blogger Template Place | supported by One-4-All
Planning a novel is a difficult thing. I'm realizing that now more than over. Not only is it difficult, but it's time consuming, and it's a slippery slope that leads to a very sticky web if you're not careful. The more you plan, the better your ideas would get, I should think. But when do you think so much that you over-do it? Can the simple answer be the best answer?
I've been planning my novel for at least two months now, sometimes just thinking, sometimes writing snippets down in a notebook, or typing out notes for myself during my computer classes. But the more I think about my book to be, the more flaws I see, and the more I think, and it's just a never-ending cycle. I mean, my book is not going to be perfect, so if I ever want to see a chance of it ever getting published, I should probably get to writing.
That's difficult for me though. If I don't know what I'm about to write, it feels lifeless. I need to have a clear image in my mind and then I can put a spin on it if necessary. But every time I sit down to do an outline, I realize something that is wrong, YET AGAIN. It's horrible, really it is. I keep telling myself, "Mikey, just do a first draft, you can edit it later..." That seems like a good idea.
But what if I start it too soon? What if I begin my first draft right before I have my breakthrough idea, and it never comes to me? Or is that just wishful thinking? Am I just kidding myself into thinking that if I just keep mulling it over something will just come to ? I would like to believe that this is true, but the more time I spend scratching my head in search for answers, that's less time that I actually spend making progress on novel. Sure, I'd consider planning progress, but when my thoughts never even touch paper - they're just passing inklings - somehow I feel like I'm cheating myself.
So, when do your thoughts reach your paper?
3 comments:
-
November 16, 2009 at 5:22 PM
I am such a planner, partly because I loooove brainstorming and outlining and coming up with plot twists and all that jazz, and partly because I am SO scared of writing 20k and then having to go back and not be able to use any of it. I'm lazy like that, lol. Plus, I agree with the notion that the more you let a plot develop, the awesome-r it becomes. I've been sitting on this one SNI for 8 months, and seriously, maybe once a month I'll get this new revelation that makes the month-earlier story look totally wimpy. But that's just me, the obsessive planner :D
-
November 17, 2009 at 10:12 PM
I want to write, really I do, but I can't help but agree with Emilia. Every time I think of something new for my novel, it always seems soooo much better than what I had before.
Actually, just yesterday I had like a freakin' revelation and I think there is going to be four books in my series.
About Me
- Mikey
- I'm seventeen, living in Colorado. An aspiring writer. I try but fail most times. I'd like to think I pick myself up and keep going though. I have a fetish for the human spirit and abuse it as much as I can in my stories just to show how strong people can be. Lame, I know. I really like Imogen Heap, Lost, Grilled Cheese, Fantasy in general, and movies. I want to learn more about directing, producing, acting, and all that jazz eventually.
November 16, 2009 at 12:54 PM
I just write. Its really that simple for me. I plan scenes, maybe chapters in my head. I did some outlining for my current WIP - its the first time I have ever done this.
Write Mikey! Inever plan too much, because characters have a way of messing things up.
Or atleast, they do for me XD