Novelists find it interesting how other writers approach their stories. Some handle each of their books a little differently. While one story might practically write itself, the next one may take a whole new strategy.
I’m working on the fourth novel in my Klepto Cat Mystery series and notice that the process is a little different than the first three. I already have my main characters fleshed out. I only have to develop a few new ones that I’m adding to this book. While sometimes I have the entire story worked out in my head before I start writing, I’m watching this story emerge as I write. Now that’s an interesting process. I took a break yesterday to do a little photography in a nearby meadow (yes, it’s sunny and warm here in southern, CA). I couldn’t wait to get back to my office and find out what was going to happen next.
One thing I’ve done early on with all of my stories is to determine and double check the timeline. When there’s a lot going on and each event hinges on others, it’s important to keep your timeline straight. You can’t have your character out horseback riding when you’ve already established that they’re experiencing a100-year storm and he’s still recovering from a broken ankle. You can’t successfully introduce a piece of evidence as new if you’ve already talked about it a few chapters earlier.
Today I will finish the story—can’t wait to see how it ends. Got some exciting things happening.
Do you write fiction? Are there some mornings when you can’t wait to get out of bed and race to your computer? Most of my mornings are like that these days.
How do you approach your writing? What is the process you use to develop a story? Does it write itself or do you have a rigid outline?
Tomorrow I’ll talk a little about how I develop my characters.