Plot Outline

I think it's time for a novel, or to at least seriously pursue the novel. And now that I have an idea as to how I want to do it, I think its time to stop beating around the bush and find out if this is the right way to go about it.

So the way that I usually write is to create a series of notes, store them in separate files under the working titles name, number it and forget it. Like my novel My Red Eyed Girl, my notes are under files called 'Red Eyed Girl Concepts 001' and so on. Usually this doesn't help and I have list upon list of concept pages for all kinds of novels, most of which I'll never get around to, at least in the foreseeable future. So I'm going to approach the new novel a little differently with a plot outline.

A friend of mine suggested it last night, though a little indirectly. She asked me if I wrote everything down before hand and worked from there or let it flow. I guess I sort of wrote down when I was inspired but never actually got the chance to get around to putting the inspirations together. So I thought hey, why not make a rough draft about a page long summarizing everything that I want to happen in the book first and then write it out. That way I could write the individual scenes, which is basically what the book is, little interconnecting themes, then put them all together, then edit them out for tone and flow later. Then I'd have the book I desperately want to write. So simple, why didn't I think about it before?

So that's what I'm doing and already I can see where my troubles with this book is. While I've thought about it a lot, it isn't finished. I don't have enough scenes or character development yet to connect the rising action to the climax and as is, my character's development is incomplete. But I'll work on that. If I can have this concept page done, I'll feel like I've accomplished much.

I'll give you updates as to how this is working out for me as I go along, but so far this has helped out a lot and I recommend it to anyone who wants to write their book. But for now, I'm off to write. Talk to you soon.

Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110209