Wednesday, May 22, 2002
The writing was slow and painful today, but I made it through 1,132 wds. I have the dentist tomorrow, which makes tomorrow almost useless, but I should still be able to finish Chapter Seven by Friday. Which is, by the way, my birthday. I loathe birthdays.
Tonight a question from Marcus Grimm (http://hitchcocksmacguffin.tripod.com/thelastword.htm), who asks:
"What's the outline process (assuming there is one) that you use when writing
your novel? How extensive is it?"
Generally speaking, I do not write from outlines. I know many writers who do, but I have only used them for prose in a few instances. When I write comics I do very sketchy outlines, just enough to get stories past editors who require outlines, and to allow me to block out the pages. When you only have 22 pp., every word counts. With novels, however, I have, generally, simply begun writing at the start and worked straight on through to the eventual conclusion. I have said before that, for me, it's a process of watching the story happen as I write it (which may be one of the sources of my aversion to past tense). More often than not, when I sit down at the computer in the morning (or afternoon), I have only the faintest idea of "what happens next," and the farther I "look" towards the end of the book, the less clearly I "see." This may be one reason that I write somewhat slowly.
Low Red Moon differs from both Threshold and Silk in that I did spend a few weeks making notes, back in November and December, before I began work on the book. Not exactly an outline, per se, but I wrote out the major plot points and played around with the characters. So, in that respect, this book is a new experience for me.
Overall, I have no particular feelings about outlines or synopses one way or the other. If they work for you, use them. If they don't, do not believe writing instructors who tell you that they're necessary. I hope that answers your question, Marcus. Thanks for asking.
Here in Burningspam, the weather remains too cool for a proper May. Hopefully that will change soon.
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