Monday, August 29, 2016

Take Off Your Pants!

As many of you know, I do NOT have the brain of a plotter! I've never started writing a story with more than a few scenes in mind. I generally know the ending, the beginning, the backstories of the 2 MCs and maybe another scene. Because I know I'm working toward a happy ending, I have the end goal in sight and off I go.

There are several BIG problems with working this way, but the biggest is that editing takes forever and I never have much an overall game plan to guide me. I need more.

Recently, someone pointed me to Take Off Your Pants: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing by Libbie Hawker.

As the title implies, it's a plotting books for people who don't plot. It's making sense (mostly) to my brain! YAY!

Some of it is a little too visual for a kinaesthetic learner like me (inverted triangles, I'm looking at you!), but I'm starting to get the hang of it.

I've followed the book through for an older story I knew wasn't working It didn't take long for me to realize the big issue in the story and it's helping me work out a way to solve it while keeping true to the story itself (which I love).

For the first time, I have some hope that I may be able to tighten up the pacing in my stories without driving myself completely crazy.

How about you? What resources do you use for plotting & outlining? Or, do you?

36 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I have that book although I haven't read it. (I'm a dedicated outliner. Couldn't write without one.) Glad it's helping you.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

You're learning how to plot!

Mason Canyon said...

Sounds like a good book to have. Glad that's it has pointed you in the right direction.

Thoughts in Progress
and MC Book Tours

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Wow, I just saw a post today that was meant for pantsters! http://writersinthestormblog.com/2016/08/craft-books-for-pantsers/ This sounds like one that should be on the list!

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

I struggle with plotting and pacing in my longer works. I'm working on it, though, and hopefully will have a better handle on it come NaNo time. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

It's feeling good right now! We'll see :)

Jemi Fraser said...

I know!!!! Terrifying! :P

Jemi Fraser said...

I hope so!!!

Jemi Fraser said...

Awesome! I'll check that out! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

I love NaNo!!! Don't know where I'll be in November, but I love joining in the fun!

Beth said...

Oh, how exciting for you!
I'd put myself about halfway between plotter and pantser. I found John Truby's Anatomy of Story very helpful.

Jemi Fraser said...

That's the book that Libbie Hawker recommends in this book!! I'll have to check it out. Thanks :)

Denise Covey said...

I get that you're supposed to plot big time. I've read some awesome writers might spend 2 years outlining. It just doesn't work for me. My stories come alive as I write, truly. I pause occasionally and work on that very rough outline I started cuz I was supposed to, but really, it's a time waster for me. :-)

DEZMOND said...

some of the popular YA writers, if not all, should, methinks, read it too, I swear some of them have the writing level of a 10 year old bad pupil

JeffO said...

I remember Libbie from back when we both used to be on Absolute Write all the time! I believe she's also proving to be a success story as a self-published author who is able to make a living from her writing. Keep us posted on how this works for you!

I can't say I really have a resource anymore, or that I ever did. I read a fair number of writing books, but I can't say I have any that I go back to--I just write.

Jemi Fraser said...

Denise - I'm similar, but I can NEVER get the pacing right. I've always got lags and gaps and I'm hoping this will help me tighten it all up! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

We're definitely reading different YA books! I've been super impressed by almost of the writing I've encountered!

Jemi Fraser said...

That's awesome!
I do as well, but my nature is to fix things, not make things worse, and that doesn't help the book get better!! :)

DEZMOND said...

I did Aveyard, Marie Lu, Tahereh Mafi, Casandra Claire for my publishers... they're all extremely flawed writers, some of them to the point of being ridiculous :( Mafi, for example, would fail miserably at my classes, if she was my student.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

I am certainly an outliner. I will check this out. I was drawn in by your title--hee hee.

Jemi Fraser said...

LOL - yay!!! I wonder how many people have been a bit surprised by the content!! :)

Leslie S. Rose said...

Gotta giggle at the title! My current "go to" for story structure is a fab book called INTO THE WOODS A FIVE-ACT JOURNEY INTO STRUCTURE by John Yorke. It's amaze!

Anonymous said...

This looks like a helpful read. I use a chapter outline that I found online. I've used it for all my books except my first.

Jemi Fraser said...

I know - I love the title! :)
Sounds great - thanks!!

Jemi Fraser said...

I've just never found anything that is compatible with my brain - hoping this one works! :)

klahanie said...

Hey Jemi,

That book seems like a plot in itself. Whatever that means.

Never plot or outline writing. I leave that up to a certain celebrity dog.

Do I drop my pants here...here for dry cleaning?

Have a good Labour Day weekend, Jemi.

Gary :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Penny does such a good job on the writing, I don't think you'll ever have need of such book!!
And... you might be better off at the actual dry cleaners!!! :)

cleemckenzie said...

Whatever it takes to make a good story, I'm for that. Glad you're finding a way to re-work that story so you're happy with it.

Nas said...

Jemi, what works for you in the best thing for you to do :)

Kelly Steel said...

Hi Jemi! I clicked through and read about that book and then bought it. Thanks for sharing about it.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Lee. I know the problems, but I'm hopeful this is helping me solve them!!!

Jemi Fraser said...

And I'm hoping this is it!! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Yay! I'm really finding it helpful! Hope it works for you as well!!! :)

Romance Book Haven said...

Thanks for the link to the book.

DMS said...

This sounds like a great resource and I am glad it is helping you with your technique. :) I can see how editing would be tough!
~Jess

Jemi Fraser said...

It is!!!