Writing Method #7: 30 Day Draft
After chronicling the major writing methods out there (Linear, Snowflake, Kiser, Marshall Plan, Outlines, and Note-cards), I feel I covered most of them. But yesterday, I came across a book I bought back in 2005, called, "First Draft in 30 Days" by Karen S. Wiesner and I feel an examination of the subject fits in well in this series. I won't go into as much detail in this blog as I did the others in the series because I don't want to infringe on the copyright of this author or her book, but I did want to address the notion of writing the entire first draft of a novel in 30 days.
A friend and I were discussing procrastination and how long it takes to write a book sometimes when, as author, you take your time pushing out 1000 words a day, so when I first read the title of the book I envisioned that it was about actually writing the whole book in 30 days and the concept of writing an entire novel draft in just 30 days is something I find a bit mind-boggling. That is, after all, 2166 words a day to get 65,000 (a normal draft amount) done in 30 days. As someone who struggles to do 1000 a day (2000-3000 a day on a weekend), I think if I had to bang out 2166 or more every day after work, I would start to just write gibberish to make my word count. No, on second thought, it wouldn't be gibberish, but it wouldn't be stunning or moving the plot forward in any considerable way. So I was intrigued to see what Wiesner writes in "First Draft in 30 Days."
Upon reading, I see that Wiesner doesn't advocate actually writing the book itself in 30 days, but writing the outline and character sketches in 30 days. That's a different concept than the title alluded to, for me, but I continued reading. Wiesner starts out describing the goals she plans to visit. In a nutshell, it's:
1.) Write the preliminary outline in 6 days;
2.) Research the project in 7 days;
3.) Write the story evolution in 2 days. Story evolution is described as outlining the main conflict and the story goals and completing character sketches;
4.) Spend 9 days formatting the above outlines;
5.) Spend 4 days evaluating the outlines;
6.) Spend 2 days revising the outlines.
In all, this pattern seems like a mix of general Outlining and the Snowflake or Marshall Plans. I perceive a major limitation as being, as I've droned on about before, now that you've spend 30 days outlining the piece, you have 30 less days at your disposal to actually write it. I do like that the outlining system Wiesner describes is more compact than others I've reviewed so that is a plus.
One positive note that stood out to me from this book is the concept of brain-storming by creating mini-movies in the mind. This resonated with me because all of my books and short stories (and proposed books and short stories) play out first in my mind like a movie, so I think this is a useful plot device. I also liked Wiesner's suggestions for overcoming writer's block. She presents a series of 26 ideas, ten of which particularly appealed to me. Two of them are to make a soundtrack for the current project and then to exercise or take a walk while listening to that soundtrack. Interesting concept and I think it can help with creativity. I, for one, hate to sit still for too long so moving about while listening to a "soundtrack" for the project in question seems like a fun, motivational concept.
In the end, I would count this method as a variation on the Outline method I covered earlier, but I think the writer's block suggestion are a fun section of this book to peruse and consider. Have you read it? Did it work for you?
Showing posts with label Marshall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marshall. Show all posts
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Writing Method #5: Outlining
Writing Method #5: Outlining
Now I have to admit that I am a huge fan of outlining. I've never outlined an entire novel but I have outlined just about everything else in life. Like everyone else out there, I first learned outlining in elementary school and, since I went to an awesome Catholic School (I loved it there), I learned the proper way to outline. Later in life (well, high school and college), I used to shudder when I'd see people crafting sloppy, incomplete outlines. I've now moved past that (thankfully) and can come to accept the benefits of outlining without it having to be perfect. The correct pattern of an outline is to have at least two items in every category and at least two categories per section. For example:
I.
A.
1.
a.
i.
ii.
b.
2.
B.
II.
There should be no A, if you don't plan to have a B, etc. So how does this method of basic writing, an excellent model for essay writing, apply to writing a novel? First off, it's a faster, cleaner way of putting your ideas on paper, but I'm sure most writers already know that. So what's the real benefit? It's a good model for seeing how the story flows, how the main scenes follow one another. The thing I like best about it is the ability to move scenes up and down as the story ebbs and flows. It's also extremely easy to interject new scenes as you progress.
This is a style most suitable for those writers who only want to put general thoughts on paper, not for those who desire a more all-consuming novel writing approach, such as the Snowflake (http://lucyannf-writing-whimsy.blogspot.com/2013/02/methods-of-writing-2-snowflake.html) or Marshall (http://lucyannf-writing-whimsy.blogspot.com/2013/03/methods-of-writing-4-marshall-plan.html) methods.
How would a sample novel outline flow? A sample would look like:
I. Section One: The Set-Up
A. Chapter One: Lucy arrives in town to attend her sister's wedding
B. Chapter Two: The problems between Lucy and Martha come to a head when the groom disappears
C. Chapter Three: The police arrive; Lucy gets involved
D. Chapter Four: Aunt Jenn goes missing; Lucy starts her own investigation
E. Chapter Five: The police investigator suspects Lucy; Lucy finds a major clue.
Once the above is accomplished, it's now easy to go back and flesh out the next layer of the story, such as:
E. Chapter Five: The police investigator suspects Lucy; Lucy finds a major clue.
1. Detective Smith walks into the kitchen and finds Lucy in the knife drawer;
2. Lucy discovers a shard of red glass in the knife drawer after Smith leaves.
You get the picture....
My enthusiasm for outlining is tied, of course, to my preference for a more Linear style of novel writing (as I captured in #1 in my series: http://lucyannf-writing-whimsy.blogspot.com/2013/02/methods-of-writing-1-linear.html). Outlining helps keep ideas together and allows for movement of the story ideas up and down. However, as I wrote earlier, I never outlined an entire novel all the way through but I have used it successfully in short story writing. Have you used outlining while writing a novel? How did it work out for you?
Now I have to admit that I am a huge fan of outlining. I've never outlined an entire novel but I have outlined just about everything else in life. Like everyone else out there, I first learned outlining in elementary school and, since I went to an awesome Catholic School (I loved it there), I learned the proper way to outline. Later in life (well, high school and college), I used to shudder when I'd see people crafting sloppy, incomplete outlines. I've now moved past that (thankfully) and can come to accept the benefits of outlining without it having to be perfect. The correct pattern of an outline is to have at least two items in every category and at least two categories per section. For example:
I.
A.
1.
a.
i.
ii.
b.
2.
B.
II.
There should be no A, if you don't plan to have a B, etc. So how does this method of basic writing, an excellent model for essay writing, apply to writing a novel? First off, it's a faster, cleaner way of putting your ideas on paper, but I'm sure most writers already know that. So what's the real benefit? It's a good model for seeing how the story flows, how the main scenes follow one another. The thing I like best about it is the ability to move scenes up and down as the story ebbs and flows. It's also extremely easy to interject new scenes as you progress.
This is a style most suitable for those writers who only want to put general thoughts on paper, not for those who desire a more all-consuming novel writing approach, such as the Snowflake (http://lucyannf-writing-whimsy.blogspot.com/2013/02/methods-of-writing-2-snowflake.html) or Marshall (http://lucyannf-writing-whimsy.blogspot.com/2013/03/methods-of-writing-4-marshall-plan.html) methods.
How would a sample novel outline flow? A sample would look like:
I. Section One: The Set-Up
A. Chapter One: Lucy arrives in town to attend her sister's wedding
B. Chapter Two: The problems between Lucy and Martha come to a head when the groom disappears
C. Chapter Three: The police arrive; Lucy gets involved
D. Chapter Four: Aunt Jenn goes missing; Lucy starts her own investigation
E. Chapter Five: The police investigator suspects Lucy; Lucy finds a major clue.
Once the above is accomplished, it's now easy to go back and flesh out the next layer of the story, such as:
E. Chapter Five: The police investigator suspects Lucy; Lucy finds a major clue.
1. Detective Smith walks into the kitchen and finds Lucy in the knife drawer;
2. Lucy discovers a shard of red glass in the knife drawer after Smith leaves.
You get the picture....
My enthusiasm for outlining is tied, of course, to my preference for a more Linear style of novel writing (as I captured in #1 in my series: http://lucyannf-writing-whimsy.blogspot.com/2013/02/methods-of-writing-1-linear.html). Outlining helps keep ideas together and allows for movement of the story ideas up and down. However, as I wrote earlier, I never outlined an entire novel all the way through but I have used it successfully in short story writing. Have you used outlining while writing a novel? How did it work out for you?
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Methods of Writing #4: Marshall Plan
Methods of Writing #4: The Marshall Plan
In my last three posts, I've explored some writing methods such as Linear, Snowflake, and Kiser. Tonight, I wanted to take a few minutes to explore the well-known Marshall Plan. I know many writers who swear by the Marshall Plan. I haven't used it myself. As I said, I'm not a big fan of the formulaic methods but I have to admit that, on the surface, the Marshall has promise.
To go off on a tangent for a second, I love anything that feels like homework so I do like the fact that there is a workbook to go along with the instruction book. I know, I know, how weird is that? So the idea that there is a workbook is intriguing to me. However, I still feel that if I spend time filling in the workbook, I would be taking that time away from the actual writing of my book.
There are 16 parts in all to the Marshall Plan. Step 1 is to decide what the is right novel for you to write. I agree that is important. Personally, I think prospective authors need to pick the type of book that flows organically from their perspective and isn't just a case of "what's hot right now and what can I mimic?"
Steps 2, 3, 4, and 5 cover shaping story ideas, creating the protagonist, writing the supporting characters, and formulating beginnings. There is a lot of good in building a strong foundation in these areas for new authors. After an author starts to get comfortable with the writing process, knowledge of how to master these areas should become common practice.
As the Marshall Plan progresses, middle steps in the process cover story line progressions (Step 6) and learning how to surprise the reader and keep the interest flowing (Step 7). It moves on in a natural flow to Step 8 which covers how to write effective endings.
In all, the above Steps 1-8 cover the writing of the first draft of your book. Steps 9, 10, and 11 cover revising the draft and working on dialogue and action, among other writing topics. It all leads to Step 12 which discusses creating the final draft. Steps 13 and 14 cover the editing process.
The Marshall Plan moves towards an ending with Step 15 on writing proposals now that your book is finished. The final chapter (Step 16) covers how to approach editors and agents.
After reviewing the Marshall Plan, my opinion is that it's an excellent plan for a first-time writer but I don't know if it has the same merits for a second book or a writer with a lot of experience. I'd be willing to hear what others think. Have you used the Marshall Plan? Did you find the workbook helpful? What do you think?
In my last three posts, I've explored some writing methods such as Linear, Snowflake, and Kiser. Tonight, I wanted to take a few minutes to explore the well-known Marshall Plan. I know many writers who swear by the Marshall Plan. I haven't used it myself. As I said, I'm not a big fan of the formulaic methods but I have to admit that, on the surface, the Marshall has promise.
To go off on a tangent for a second, I love anything that feels like homework so I do like the fact that there is a workbook to go along with the instruction book. I know, I know, how weird is that? So the idea that there is a workbook is intriguing to me. However, I still feel that if I spend time filling in the workbook, I would be taking that time away from the actual writing of my book.
There are 16 parts in all to the Marshall Plan. Step 1 is to decide what the is right novel for you to write. I agree that is important. Personally, I think prospective authors need to pick the type of book that flows organically from their perspective and isn't just a case of "what's hot right now and what can I mimic?"
Steps 2, 3, 4, and 5 cover shaping story ideas, creating the protagonist, writing the supporting characters, and formulating beginnings. There is a lot of good in building a strong foundation in these areas for new authors. After an author starts to get comfortable with the writing process, knowledge of how to master these areas should become common practice.
As the Marshall Plan progresses, middle steps in the process cover story line progressions (Step 6) and learning how to surprise the reader and keep the interest flowing (Step 7). It moves on in a natural flow to Step 8 which covers how to write effective endings.
In all, the above Steps 1-8 cover the writing of the first draft of your book. Steps 9, 10, and 11 cover revising the draft and working on dialogue and action, among other writing topics. It all leads to Step 12 which discusses creating the final draft. Steps 13 and 14 cover the editing process.
The Marshall Plan moves towards an ending with Step 15 on writing proposals now that your book is finished. The final chapter (Step 16) covers how to approach editors and agents.
After reviewing the Marshall Plan, my opinion is that it's an excellent plan for a first-time writer but I don't know if it has the same merits for a second book or a writer with a lot of experience. I'd be willing to hear what others think. Have you used the Marshall Plan? Did you find the workbook helpful? What do you think?
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