tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208953.post114341412091786450..comments2024-03-13T13:27:33.666-04:00Comments on Sandra Scoppettone's Writing Thoughts: A Hundred PagesSandra Scoppettonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00149336752789641751noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208953.post-1144816166024024252006-04-12T00:29:00.000-04:002006-04-12T00:29:00.000-04:00It's funny: I thought I knew how everything ended ...It's funny: I thought I knew how everything ended up. But as it turned out, the ending in the final draft was very different from what I'd originally planned.<BR/><BR/>So I guess there was still that element of improvisation at work.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12613235957316838052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208953.post-1144428323987217342006-04-07T12:45:00.000-04:002006-04-07T12:45:00.000-04:00Duane,I definitely don't call that an outline. I m...Duane,<BR/>I definitely don't call that an outline. I make notes, too. Not quite what a character should do and when, but my own kind of notes. Character traits. Or something that might happen. Or inclusions I mustn't forget. <BR/><BR/>I was thinking more of the type of outline you have to hand in to an editor. Hateful. You're not writing an outline, I don't think.<BR/><BR/>Do you know how everything winds up?<BR/><BR/>I anxiously await The Blonde.Sandra Scoppettonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00149336752789641751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208953.post-1144374469369454432006-04-06T21:47:00.000-04:002006-04-06T21:47:00.000-04:00Sandra--The next one, THE BLONDE, is due in Novemb...Sandra--<BR/><BR/>The next one, THE BLONDE, is due in November.<BR/><BR/>Maybe this makes no difference at all, but my "outline" was really nothing more than notes to myself. Stuff like, "Okay, punk--at this point, you need to have X run across town, hail a cab, then comb his hair with his fingers while humming a Kelly Clarkson song." There's no way I'd ever show this "outline" to another human being (and definitely not my editor), but it kept the storylines in place for me.<BR/><BR/>The concept is also a little weird, so the outline assured me that it all would probably (we'll see in November, I guess...) work.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12613235957316838052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208953.post-1144250587269518882006-04-05T11:23:00.000-04:002006-04-05T11:23:00.000-04:00Duane,I hear you and that might be true for you bu...Duane,<BR/>I hear you and that might be true for you but I don't think it's ever going to be true for me. I've written 20 books now and I've never written an outline. Partly because I feel the way Rob (above) does and partly because I really don't know how to write one. Even thinking about it makes me squirm.<BR/><BR/>When is the outlined book coming out?Sandra Scoppettonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00149336752789641751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208953.post-1144023757309265712006-04-02T20:22:00.000-04:002006-04-02T20:22:00.000-04:00To paraphrase Joni Mitchell, I've looked at plots,...To paraphrase Joni Mitchell, I've looked at plots, from both sides now. With <I>The Wheelman</I> I totally winged it, from start to finish. Everytime I tried to plot, the damned thing shut down on me. It wanted to be spontaneous.<BR/><BR/>But with my next novel, I wrote 6,000 words and realized that if I <I>didn't</I> plot, I'd be in deep trouble. So I spent a week mapping out every minute, and I'm thankful I did. (I don't think I would have finished it without an outline.) And this didn't take the fun out of it, because getting from point, say, P to Q still took quite a bit of improvisation.<BR/><BR/>Maybe books are like kids. What works with one child doesn't necessarily work with another.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12613235957316838052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208953.post-1143597485465741282006-03-28T20:58:00.000-05:002006-03-28T20:58:00.000-05:00I'm with you on the no outline thing. I hate writi...I'm with you on the no outline thing. I hate writing them and refuse to do it. If I'm going to write an outline, I might as well not write the book. All the gas would be gone...Rob Gregory Brownehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11952008139132652259noreply@blogger.com