Countdown and planning

Will do...'course it would be easier if I'd stop tossing one novel idea for another...I'm on my second now...and so far resisting the urge to 'save the idea for later'.

Jo's Lines aka Joanna S.

That's great Joanna. What I've done is I am using a word document file and just throwing ideas down on paper that would or could happen in my story. I've kind of got things on a timeline, but anything can happen.

The future is unknown, but the past contains many secrets...secrets that can help us, and secrets that can be deadly.

I sort of have a loose plot synopsis for the first half of the book, but mostly all I have is a VERY messy and jumbled list in Word of random things I'm planning on putting into my story. XD My main character has been through about 5 names in my planning process, as well. >_> I have gotten to a point though where I don't think I *CAN* do any more planning, at least not until I actually start writing my story and get a feel for the characters. My mini character bios aren't quite enough. But not knowing where the story is going to end up until I get there can only help, I think.

cups of tea: 16 cocoa: 3 coffee: 3
bottles of water: 15
episodes of frustration: 8
epiphanies: 4

I have found that it helps me to keep a Binder. I carry that binder around with me everywhere and just have regular notebook paper in there. Whenever i get ideas i just write them in there. I started my research three weeks ago and it's been a lifesaver!

"When people ask me why I write about other worlds when I'm living in the real world right now, I ask them one simple question.
Who is to say that the world we live in right now is the real one?"

I've been doing a lot of freewriting about my characters and their backgrounds and histories. I actually had to completely alter my main plot when I discovered it was impossible for my characters to do what I expected of them. However, once the characters were better defined, a new plot line emerged. I am pleased.

I'm a perfectionist about outlines (to my disservice) and can't really put together random notes - I've discovered I try to organize them all too much - so the "open brain and write" method has been working for me. Does anyone else here work that way?

If it makes you feel any better, NONE of my characters have names. When I write about my characters, my main character is referred to as BTV (Behind The Veil), another guy is named Would-be, and the main love interest is named New Guy. I'm hoping their names will suddenly burst upon me in a fit of inspiration, but naming tribal people from another planet is a little beyond my experience.

I completely understand!!! I did my first Nano last year and I had to do the "open brain and write" method. I usually do my research in advance, and I am a nerd when it comes to science and politics, so I can get sucked into research. I usually have my main plot in my head, the setting, and the main character (s), but they don't really start to come to life until I start writing about them. If I try to set too much detail in stone before doing Nano, I find I'm just enabling my inner editor, and then I get sort of paralyzed.
A lot of the detail can be done in a rewrite later on. I'm about halfway through rewriting my Nano novel from last year. That's when I've found my inner perfectionist can actually make herself useful. :)

I make a rough outline. I know my story, start and end, and I know each chapter will be about 2000 words, so I'll need at the very least, 25 chapters. I plan what each chapter will include, and as I plan, the plot develops. I better get back to planning!

I stopped planning for this year...because I found that I was getting more and more frustrated...and the more I planned the more I lost interest. I decided it depends on what 'type' of story I am writing as to how much planning I can do beforehand. When I was working on more serious topic (pandemic-first idea for nano this year--I'm putting off til later--too long of a book for nano) I had outline, indepth details, and even a lot of research done. But for the book I finally decided on something fun and cheery...but I don't dare overplan. So...to cope w/ the pre-nano blues (can't start til Nov 1st!), I am keeping myself busy by writing very poor poetry for my facebook page and torturing my family by making them read it...hah!

I like that expression, was it 'open brain and write'? That's what I'm planning on doing...no matter how scary that thought may be to those who eventually may be asked to read whatever happens to come out of this brain!

Oh, and hardly any of my characters have names...and that is the thing that is bugging me the most...just two have names...and one of them died before the story begins--so I don't think that counts.

Jo's Lines aka Joanna S.

My characters don't have names either. I just can't seem to settle on names.

But my plot is shaping up nicely! And I am starting to find out who my characters are.

Writing Fiction for Women & Other Human Beings
http://stonoff.com

http://thenamegenerator.com/

Here's a nice tool for coming up with random names :)

I did it a few times, asking for male names. And then it gave me: Mary Mccrabb o.O

Does that mean my next novel is going to have to be called A Boy Named Mary?

If you're not using that, can I borrow it???

*collecting random novel ideas...*

Please, please, please post your synopsis!!

Of course, borrow away! Just remember to toss a few pennies my way if anything comes out of it ;)

OK. I tried it, just for fun, though i was convinced I would never choose a "random" name. The third name that popped up was PERFECT for one of my main characters.

I eat my words.

Writing Fiction for Women & Other Human Beings
http://stonoff.com