I’m not a serious plotter. By that, I mean I don’t know every single scene and how many words each chapter will be or how many chapters the story will actually have.
I do know my major plot points, beginning and end. Everything in the middle is a discovery to me. I can fix any issues in the editing process.
I’m plotting a new story (major plot points); it’s in the baby stages–not even ready to send to my agent to say, “What do you think? Should I run with this or call it a day?”
Craft books have come in handy for sure, but truth is I like to apply that knowledge (mostly) when I go into the editing process. My first draft is all about imagination–seeing it play out like a movie in my head and exploring along with my characters.
I’m looking forward to figuring out the middle main plot points so I can write up a synopsis and send to my agent. I haven’t written from a clean slate in over a year. Maybe two. I had so many mss under my belt, I’ve been taking them from first drafts to polished pieces. Although I admit, after all the editing/polishing they are like new books. I’m finally about to send off the last ms to my critique partners and get a green light on this new book to write. Hopefully. I’m pretty excited about it!
I’ve been reading Story Structure Architect and it’s wonderful. I’ve been using it to plot out my main stuff and it’s been very helpful. I’m curious how much tighter my first draft writing will be compared to my previous ones.
Check out my Pinterest page to see more craft books I’ve thanked God for! Also, you can catch a sneak peek at my new plot ideas for the book. I tend to develop ideas as I research, so I’ve been imagining a few things!
