Monday, September 15, 2008

Almost Five Pages and the Trouble's Begun...

Okay, so I started this outline-thingy for my newest story. I've got almost five handwritten pages detailing the first 4 chapters. And it's already beginning.

Wanting to make changes.

ACK! I'm already seeing where I want to change this and change that, and maybe this doesn't make any sense, and really, how could that happen so early in the story?

Now, mind you - this isn't a rough draft of the story. This is rough outline of the book. An outline. I'm fighting with the outline. Does that even make sense???

But I'm a trooper, so I'll just ignore that idiotic little voice (tie it up, stuff a gag in its mouth - that should do the trick) and keep pressing on. Who cares if the beginning isn't quite there yet, right? Isn't that why it's called a rough draft? So, why can't I just ignore the nitpicky little voice (apparently the gag's not quite tight enough, I guess)? Hmm...

Ordinarily, I'm not a perfectionist. I'm quite the opposite - the anti-perfectionist, if there is such a thing. But when it comes to even a rough draft, I'm editing as I write and that is never good. So, I figure that editing the outline has to be really bad then, right? Right?

Yes. So I'll ignore the fact that I don't think the beginning makes 100% perfect sense. It's okay, for the love of Pete - it's just an outline. It'll all work itself out when I begin to write the story.

And that's the truth. An outline isn't set in stone. And I have to keep reminding myself of that - it's only a rough sketch of the story, not the story itself.

Now if only I could find a way to send that little voice on vacation until I'm finished....

2 comments:

Marian Perera said...

You should see my outlines. They go something like this :

"She goes to the other end of the city - give it a name already! - to let the Malaryk in, not realizing they've already entered. Why doesn't she? Note: whatever the reason is, establish it at the start of the chapter, before G.I.A.N.A. city comes into sight."

In other words, outlines can be anything that helps you write, including a fluid shape that changes if the story demands it.

Kim said...

I'm doing that with town names now - Texas town A, Texas town B - it's fun!) and trying not to get too nutsy about it.

Maybe it's time to write out what I have so far, and then fill out a little more of the outline, and so on... **sigh**