Outlines or Not – That is the Question

April 18, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 43 Comments

I don’t know about you but I’ve read so many articles on outlining versus pansing, my head is spinning. For the most part, I am one of those who write by the seat of their pants. I let the muse and my characters take me where the story needs to go.

Since I’ve been working on my first novel (for a while now), I decided to look at outlining and novel mapping as a way to help me get the book finished and ensure I had all the necessary bits and pieces.

I use Scrivener and it has proven to be an invaluable tool in outlining what I’ve written to date. It is particularly helpful utilizing the custom meta data.

In additional, I started an Excel worksheet that maps out my novel. Columns include Character, scene number, timeline, setting, goal, conflict, action, reaction, stakes raised, and plot advancement. Each row is a scene. While Scrivener’s outline is similar, I like having something tangible to look at and make notes on while I’m writing.

Before you begin the outline, there are three things you need:

The premise of your story – what is the basic idea?
Your Characters – make a list of essential characters. Understand the events that have placed the character is this situation and what things influence his/her reactions.
Establish settings.
Sketch out scene ideas.

Complete your outline, scene by scene. You can elaborate or use a single sentence.

Outlines come in a number of formats: the linear, skeletal, summary, snowflake, contextual, visual map, or software. Choose the one you’re most comfortable with or none at all. Not every writer uses outlines and that is perfectly okay. After all, it’s your story, write it the way you want to.

Want to see examples, check out 8 Ways to Outline a Novel by Robbie Blair. You can find out more about outlining scenes at C.S Lakin’s, Live, Write, Thrive and K.M. Weiland’s, Outlining your Novel.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, and Contently.

Loglines – What DoThey Do for You?

April 14, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 19 Comments

Day 12: #atozchallenge

What in the world is a logline? A one or two sentence description of what your story is about. Think of it like a five-second sales pitch.

What Does it Do for You? A well-written logline enables you to answer without any hesitation the question, What is your story about?

In addition, it helps you, the author, stay on track and spot problems within the story structure.

Essential elements of a logline:

The protagonist
The end goal
The stakes

These elements are critical to include, but be concise and use phrasing that creates interest and hooks the reader.

Here’s an example from my current work in progress: (Be kind, I’m still toying with it)

When Bostonian Claire Nelson (protagonist) is called home after sixteen years to care for her estranged mother (goal), the secrets of her past reveal a darker betrayal (stakes) and she forced make a choice (goal).

Have you written your logline? To learn more check out: How and Why to Write a Logline for Your Story by Becca Puglisi

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

The Struggle of Backstory

March 14, 2016March 13, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 12 Comments

Many things go into the process of writing a novel. There are innumerable books and websites to help you bring the dream of your novel to fruition.

The dreaded backstory or info dump, is one of the elements that give many authors grief, including me.

As I began my journey, everything I read said to avoid info dumps and backstory. I wondered why. Isn’t the history of what drives your character the foundation of your story? It left me confused and, at times, discouraged.

I wrote and re-wrote chapters trying to make sure I wasn’t introducing too much or too early. Maybe that’s the newbie author in me but thanks to Lisa Cron from Writer Unboxed I finally have a grasp on the concept of when and how to use backstory effectively.

Backstory is important, even in the first chapter. The key is to make it seamless. Lisa gives numerous examples from published novels which clarified this issue for me better than anything I’ve read or studied to date.

So, if you’re struggling with the backstory issue, check out The Shocking Truth About Info Dumps.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.