Comments on: The Process of Finishing Up a Book

By: David Lee Jones

David Lee Jones — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:17:36 +0000

…from a Di Francis fan…

Through High School and College, I found that my weakest subject was English. When it comes to mechanics, grammar and technique, I am possibly the worst person to ask advice from. The one thing I have had in me since my childhood is that I am able to tell a story.
I just finished my first novel length story three years ago, but until recently have not set in motion to publish it. I call it “novel length story” until it gets published, only then will I call it “novel” or “book.” Call me superstitious, but I do not want to jinx it!
In the past three years it seems my story writing has shifted into overdrive and I have written more in this span than I had in the previous fifteen years.

I have tried writing outlines, they do not work for me. Everytime I try to adhere to one I lose my enthusiasm and creativity and sputter to a dead end. My ideas do not flow by a map. Maps tend to provide roadblocks or there is simply no road to get to the destination I am seeking. So, instead of a network of roads (structured outline or map) I think of a story as an open field. You see your destination on the other side, but you do not have to take a direct path to it. You know you are there when you get there.
To put it in simplier terms. Listen to your story as you write it. Do not think of typos or runons, you can go back and fix those. When your story comes to the end, IT will tell you, if you are listening close enough. It will just feel right.
This is how it works for me. As long as I think with my RIGHT BRAIN and do not restict the flow of my idea with an outline, I find a dynamic theme always finds a clear stopping point that just FEELS right.

…there is my two cents, anyone have change?

By: Diana Pharaoh Francis

Diana Pharaoh Francis — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:40:57 +0000

Dammit! I wish mine would bite me already! (that doesn’t sound quite right, does it?)

By: S.C. Butler

S.C. Butler — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:04:02 +0000

I’m always surprised when I get to the end. After all those 1500 word days when I tell myself to keep on slogging and not expect to finish any time soon, there it is! Biting me suddenly on the backside.

And then it’s over.

By: Diana Pharaoh Francis

Diana Pharaoh Francis — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:53:19 +0000

Kelly: Well, yanno. If you can make a virtue of your compulsions then they aren’t compulsions anymore. (sort of like the fact that ice cream doesn’t have calories because calories are a measure of heat and ice cream is cold.)

By: Kelly McCullough

Kelly McCullough — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:38:15 +0000

In my case it’s not so much virtuous as obsessive compulsive.

By: Diana Pharaoh Francis

Diana Pharaoh Francis — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:09:30 +0000

Jess: Yep the zigzag thing is something I can’t do. I must write through it. Wen Spencer does this thing where she writes a lot of pieces like quilt squares and then stitches them together. I don’t know she does it. I love her books though. It’s a process that definitely works. But my head refuses to cooperate with that one.

Yeah–you’re a semi-pantser. Half-pants? Half-assed? Anyhow, me too.

By: Diana Pharaoh Francis

Diana Pharaoh Francis — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:07:51 +0000

Kelly: For one of my books I’d reached a point where I just didn’t know where to go and I remember being on a long flight so I sat there and outlined the scenes (something I never do) to the end. I still ended up tossing that out, but the act of writing them down made me think through the plot on a different level and helped.

But I am so impressed that you and Joe both update your outlines as you go. I mean . . . I’m too lazy I think.

By: Diana Pharaoh Francis

Diana Pharaoh Francis — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:05:46 +0000

Kate: And even though you know it’s for the better book, still you have to keep kicking yourself for not dragging the idea up from the primordial ooze sooner! Gak.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:16:43 +0000

Yeah, know the beginning and the ending – and sometimes I just have to give up on the middle until I’ve gotten the ending worked out (which makes people you workshop with a little crazy: to come to the middle of a story and find a zig-zagging line to indicate that I just skipped some stuff. Fun times).

I like Joe’s idea about spread-sheet for plot/scene. I use tables copiously to keep track of character details, but I’ve never done more than the ‘rambling conversation with myself’ sort of outline for actual plot. Which, I guess makes me a pantser. But I’ve met some true pantsers, who ascribe fully to Bradbury’s ‘footprints in the snow’ philosophy (i.e. Rachael), and watching their process is a bit crazy-making for me.

By: Kelly McCullough

Kelly McCullough — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:06:35 +0000

Humbug, the links failed.

http://wyrdsmiths.blogspot.com/2007/03/spanish-exposition-outlines-part-i.html

http://wyrdsmiths.blogspot.com/2007/03/spanish-exposition-outlines-part-ii.html