This sounds a lot like what I do but more detailed. This has helped me with the book I've had stuck in my head for years. I've started this type of 'Date Book' for my characters. It really helps.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Keeping on Track
When Janet Evanovich was asked how she kept track of the elements of her novels, she says that she has a whiteboard that she uses as a storyboard. She has what opens the story, what ends the story and what the crime and who the villian will be. This sounds a lot like keeping a date book to me. She goes as far as to label what events happen to the character on a daily basis: (Wed) Lula in a band - Ranger tells Steph . . .
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This idea that she gives is really a good one. It really hard to keep up with thoughts because our minds wonder so much. I know myself when i comes to writing, I have a million thoughts generating through my mind on what i should write about, but they end up getting lost because I forget about them. I never really thought about writing those thoughts down, but thanks to you reading Evanovich and sharing her great ideas, I believe i have found the solution for my little problem lol....Thanks !
ReplyDeleteI'm sort of intimidated by the idea of writing a book -- that's why sometimes I think the short story genre or poetry is more my style.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good idea. To me its like she is trying to keep some type of diary. A date book is a good word for it also. I belive that you must use something like this inorder to better get an understanding of the direction that you the writer is going in. I am sure many writers have a simular way of keeping track of each individual character.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was in late elementary school I had a book on how to write a short story. It told you to name the characters, location, time, that kinda thing. And then it said to describe the characters.
ReplyDeleteI think it is good to have an outline. For me though, it'd have to be a very loose outline because like Roy talked about in class you develop your characters as you write and you almost need to go back and adjust the beginning to really illustrate your characters the way they end up developing.
I think an outline would be good to have an idea of where you're going. I'm sure this is an approach for a lot of writers, and then I'm sure there are many that don't keep track and just let it evolve.
Outlines are for organized people--which I'm not. I'm a random/abstract & for the most part just jot down thoughts/notes on the nearest piece of paper. Of course this then requires my rounding up all the little pieces of paper & trying to put them in some order. I'm sure I'll never write anything very lengthy as I can't sit still long enough to do a lot at once. Instead, I think & jot as I go about my daily doin's.
ReplyDeleteCarol Ann--hurry & write your book! I'm gettin' old & might not get to read it. I've never read J. Evanovich. Would you recommend her?