Almost There...Right?

So yeah...still outlining. But I've had a ton of busy stuff this week, so I knew I would be going slow. Plus, in taking my time I changed the first two chapters and I didn't have to rewrite the whole thing, just the outline! Phew, that would have killed me.

But I am to chapter 19, that's 3 more closer to finished. Yay! That's 2 revised chapters, 3 extra, I'm almost done. I'm taking my time, I'm really happy with it.

Plus I shared my synopsis with my writing partner and a close friend and they both loved it. That makes me even more excited to start this thing.

I'm determined to finish before Monday. Wish me luck!

How is your writing coming along?

Why I Outline, and Why It Hurts

Today is the day. I have researched for 4 days straight, I have written over 100 pages of notes in my notebook Petunia (see yesterday's post for that), and I am ready to GO!

So I get my laptop set up, a giant cup of green tea, some grapes (my writing munchies, red grapes only), and Petunia is at page uno.

And then it hits me. I am actually outlining this.

And.

It.

Is.

Hard.

I know what I want the outcome to be. I know the intro, I know the middle, I know the characters. But how do I get there?

I spent all day outlining, I'm on Chapter 16, aka, not even halfway there. I'm ripping my hair out at this point! I just want to write it already!

But listen, gather round. Outlining is important for a writer like me. Some people can write a whole book without outlining, some can write the intro and go from there and have the perfect novel. I'm not that kind of gal.

Here is why outlining is for this gal *points to herself*:
- I have the memory of a fish. I can hear or see something and minutes later forget what I heard or saw. If I thought of a genius idea and then didn't write it down in my outline, I know I will forget.
- In writing the outline I never get stuck when writing my first draft. I will never say "what now?" because it is right there in my outline where to go next.
- I have an idea of how the pacing goes before I even start. If there is so much detail in the outline in one chapter, I might reconsider taking some of it out to make the pacing stay at a steady pace.

Another reason I like to outline is when I get a final draft done, I can look back and see how it all original went down. And laugh. And nod. And think "oh yeah that's how it originally went." It's cooler than you think, trust me.

So...I'm going to work on the outline again tomorrow. I'm going to work on it the next day too if I have to. I may want to scream, and cry, and throw my grapes on the wall for something to look at other than my laptop screen, but it will be worth it.

What about you? Do you outline? Why or why not?

My Notebook, My Love

I had an idea 3 days ago. An idea so epic, it trumps anything I've done with my writing and I had to work on it right away.

A YA steampunk mystery with romance, suspense, drama, and epic adventure. I know, right? I was impressed with myself, believe me.

From this incredible idea, I had to get everything down. That's where my love comes in.

Here is where I exclaim my love of my notebook. I buy a small five star notebook for each of my book ideas. Each one a different color, and I'm a dork and decorate the front with a theme. I use the whole notebook for ideas and research.

I bought a new one, she is pink and I've named her Petunia. Petunia is my new best friend and I think she will be for a long long time.
Here are some of the things I wrote down inside:
- character name ideas, surnames, and name meanings
- clothing of the nineteenth century for men and women
- history of new york city, Victorian era, and Ireland in 1800s
- definitions of Victorian titles such as Marquess, Rakes, and Governess
- character bios of MC and love interest
- riverboats!
Petunia is over half full in three days. She and I are exhausted, but hey, this idea is worth all the effort and more.

When it's not 2 in the morning I will show you Petunia and her greatness, but for now just know from my crazy rant she is amazing.


So do you carry a notebook? How do you organize your notes? Are you weird and name your notebook like people name their car too?