I figured out something during this Nano challenge and my Noble Romance proposal…I can actually PRE-PLOT my story, and it works.

I’ve tried this in the past and failed miserably, so I’m not sure what has changed. Perhaps I’ve just developed other parts of my writing skills that needed work…and now I’m ready to take on plotting?

Who knows?

I don’t get very detailed, but I do get the major plot points and character motivations. Which totally helps when I’m writing. The story I’m just one chapter away from completing followed my outline about 80% of the time, with only minor plot points being added along the way to bolster it.

So, yesterday, I decided to try plotting out my shifter story that has been in limbo. I was horridly stuck and had no idea where I was going. After some brainstorming fun with my writer pal, Dee Carney, it all clicked into place. Now I have a plan in my head and just need to get it down on paper and go from there.

I’ll be out of town for a week starting tomorrow, so when I get back home I should be ready to start my new project with a fresh eye and an outline!

Yes, even pantsters can learn to plot. It’s true! I never thought I’d say that.

This has been probably the weirdest week for me as a writer. Why? Well, I’ve been hit with a few rejections. One of which didn’t bother me. And it should have.

It actually gave me some perspective on my writing, my goals, and how I should move forward. It gave me an oddly positive feeling, when I should’ve been upset.

I still don’t know why.

You know how sometimes you just have those moments of clarity? When you can see past all the trees and see the forest? That’s kinda what happened this week.

I feel calmer. Less anxious about each and every step. More in touch with how I want to proceed and what equals success.

My Nano writing has taken a hit in the last few days as I worked on a freelance writing project. My goal was always to try to reach 35K before I went on vacation the 25th of November. And I still want to reach that goal. Today, I’ll play a bit of catch up with my creative writing after I finish up my paid writing.

Perhaps with this new perspective on my writing career, I will make some major headway.

Authors all have different roads they follow. When I look back over the last four years that I have pursued publication, I see how convoluted and twisted my path has been. But I have moved forward. Sometimes little steps, sometimes by leaps and bounds. But always forward.

I’ve been cruising along with my Nano challenge. I’m staying on target, booking extra words so that when I’m on vacation I won’t get behind.

My first project was to write my proposal book. I had a real outline for once in my writing career. One that broke the story down by chapter. Now, I knew I wouldn’t stick super closely to the outline. Not point-for-point. I just don’t think that is really possible for any writer. But I did stick very closely to how the story develops, the characters and their motivations, and how it will be resolved.

However, I noticed something yesterday. Well, I noticed a couple of things.

One, my story is turning into something a bit longer and more involved than I intended. I think because I started out with two people who have a lot of differences to overcome before they fall in love. But that’s okay. I’m not worried about writing a longer story than I originally intended.

Two, I don’t think I have enough outside stuff going on to make the rest of the story interesting. I got to a point in the story now where the hero and heroine are examining their feelings and motivations for their actions. However, it wasn’t until last night that I realized I need to have some conflict going on with outside characters who are messing up the romance. And those outside people could just be manifestations of the characters’ conflicts. Someone to bounce ideas off of or someone to push them into examining themselves a little more deeply.

What does this mean?

Well, I don’t need to scrap the whole thing and start over. Nope. I’ve set up enough story that works fine on its own. But I do need to bring in a character that I hadn’t contemplated when writing the outline. So it could make my outline not as neat and clean a path to a complete story as I would’ve liked.

What I find interesting is that the more I write, the more I am able to see where I’m going off track and why. Used to be I just wrote a book and afterwards wondered why it just didn’t turn out like I had planned. And a lot of times, I couldn’t tell you what didn’t work.

The minute I feel that emptiness in my writing…like my character is acting in a blank room and going around in emotional circles, that’s when I realize I have to pull someone else into that blank room.

Today will be a writing correction day. I’ll get words down for sure, but I will be writing separate from my outline. Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.