The Idea
When we write, we generally have some specific idea in mind. We have a topic or a subject. We may even have a story line. Depending on what outcome we wish to achieve, we need to make sure there is sufficient substance in our idea to be able to carry it through. For instance, my idea is to show how one would go about writing that novel in the month of November. I would never be able to do a novel myself, but I thought I would help others along who are traveling this path. Since I'm not aiming for the great American novel, my idea doesn't need to be accessible twelve ways from Sunday. It does, however, need to have enough depth to create several articles with some meaning. Consider this to be an article series.
A bare bone might be a treat, but it is hardly a meal. We need some real flesh, blood, bone, and brains to carry us through 50,000 words in one month. We need to have a basic idea and a destination. We need to carve some paths to that destination. It may well be that we will want to wander down several different paths before we win our prize. We've got a lot of words to cover and a lot of ground, as well.
As I mentioned before, an outline would be quite useful right about now. If you're like me, though, I write as I go along. Even so, that doesn't mean that I don't need some direction and focus. My outline might be a brief list of topics I want to cover as I go along. I wouldn't want to limit myself simply because that's not how I work.
On the other hand, if you know that you need the assistance, write out a sentence outline. Your book could easily change those sentences into paragraphs and you could be well on our way to success. Make sure that you refer to that outline from time to time in order to make sure you're including everything you felt was important in the beginning.
No matter how you work, always allow some flexibility. It is better to let that paragraph write itself than to try to force it into something that it isn't. As you work, you may find the idea changing. That's okay. Let the changes happen and then try to make your way back to the original idea. This is not always possible since some ideas take lives of their own. If this is the case and you've gone too far off the path of the original idea, review your outline to see if pieces of it are still pertinent and make changes in keeping with the new idea.
If we've only wandered from our destination a little, we might be able to smooth this over much later when we enter the editing phase. Besides, no one has to know that this is not what you originally intended to write. Only you know that. Don't worry about what fits and what doesn't. All of that can come later.
Once upon a time, we might get real lucky and find that our original idea can run parallel to the new idea and co-exist in the same work. If a happy union is impossible, we might be able to expand on both ideas and get two stories out of the same effort. Either way, we win.
If we start with an idea that has enough meat to it, all of these things are possible. Don't interrupt the writing process to adhere to some self-imposed inflexibility. Write today; editing and re-writing can come later.
A bare bone might be a treat, but it is hardly a meal. We need some real flesh, blood, bone, and brains to carry us through 50,000 words in one month. We need to have a basic idea and a destination. We need to carve some paths to that destination. It may well be that we will want to wander down several different paths before we win our prize. We've got a lot of words to cover and a lot of ground, as well.
As I mentioned before, an outline would be quite useful right about now. If you're like me, though, I write as I go along. Even so, that doesn't mean that I don't need some direction and focus. My outline might be a brief list of topics I want to cover as I go along. I wouldn't want to limit myself simply because that's not how I work.
On the other hand, if you know that you need the assistance, write out a sentence outline. Your book could easily change those sentences into paragraphs and you could be well on our way to success. Make sure that you refer to that outline from time to time in order to make sure you're including everything you felt was important in the beginning.
No matter how you work, always allow some flexibility. It is better to let that paragraph write itself than to try to force it into something that it isn't. As you work, you may find the idea changing. That's okay. Let the changes happen and then try to make your way back to the original idea. This is not always possible since some ideas take lives of their own. If this is the case and you've gone too far off the path of the original idea, review your outline to see if pieces of it are still pertinent and make changes in keeping with the new idea.
If we've only wandered from our destination a little, we might be able to smooth this over much later when we enter the editing phase. Besides, no one has to know that this is not what you originally intended to write. Only you know that. Don't worry about what fits and what doesn't. All of that can come later.
Once upon a time, we might get real lucky and find that our original idea can run parallel to the new idea and co-exist in the same work. If a happy union is impossible, we might be able to expand on both ideas and get two stories out of the same effort. Either way, we win.
If we start with an idea that has enough meat to it, all of these things are possible. Don't interrupt the writing process to adhere to some self-imposed inflexibility. Write today; editing and re-writing can come later.
posted by Vickie at 9:43 PM
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