As I said in a previous post, I was going to set aside my finished manuscript and work on another one. Instead of closely following an outline and slightly deviating from it, I’m going to try a loose outline that allows more exploration.
This isn’t a school essay I’m writing, after all. Novels should be organic things, constantly growing or shrinking depending on need and imagination.
I’m glad to say that it’s working. I don’t feel dread like I did when beginning Cheering Up Zander. That’s not to say that I didn’t feel accomplished while writing or finished that story. And while I learned more about executing plot, I didn’t really feel like I’d grown emotionally or creatively as a writer.
But letting loose without a guide of some sort sounds like a recipe for disaster, a story with too many loose ends and too many words. Trust me, it happens. Many a time I’ve gotten a new idea, and, without thinking it through, sat down to bring the story to life… only to abandon it when it all became too overwhelming.
So I’ll have my loose outline; a general idea of what I think should happen throughout the story.
I can already see the changes that will take place as I write, but it feels safe to have an anchor. And it’ll be interesting to see how an original idea has morphed into something more tangible.
But getting back to the story itself… I’m really enjoying it. I haven’t finished the first chapter but I can tell already that hanging out with these characters and watching them fall in love as they literally create worlds is going to be a treat. In fact, I wouldn’t mind hanging around this story for a few months. Maybe even half a year, if it takes that long to write a first draft. When I’m ready to reveal them, I hope readers will also fall in love with Cecilia Dinale and Liam Fortabee.
It’ll be a long wait, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it.
