So, about this plotting board thing…

While Alison lives it up over at Hotel DH (she’s claiming deadline, but she’s getting breakfast in bed), I’m stuck here with this:

Something is obviously very wrong. It doesn’t look anything at all like hers (although, I do note with pride the fact that the first chapter has all the elements, which include both H/H’s pov, the romantic element and an action sequence. But the chapter’s only 6 pages long, so I’m wondering, maybe not such a good thing? Nah — Katie and Larissa would’ve told me. Right?)

Anyway, you’ll notice my plotting board only has enough room for 6 chapters. Which is probably the whole reason Alison uses poster board instead of a dry erase board. Never let it be said that I follow directions.

I have more than 6 chapters written…but they’re not all in a row. (I said that to make Sharon twitch. Hoping it worked, because hey, I’ve got to have my fun somehow.) So when I send it to Katie I say things like, ‘okay, there’s going to be a whole middle of the book and then this chapter will fit somewhere toward the end.’ And she doesn’t seem to run screaming or anything, even though she writes in order. Although, come to think of it, the other day she sent me something that was totally out of order…

Who are you? What do you want? What’s the worst thing I can do to you?

Sorry, got off track. And I already answered those questions anyway (see 1/15 entry: Novel I: Imagine). Did I mention I love them? Yes? Okay, back to the plotting board.

So, I guess my big question is: Do I have to go BACK through the chapters I have written and create sticky-noted, plot points for them? (And yes, I know I don’t have to do anything except pay taxes and die, but I’d really like to use this board) I’m thinking yes, because if I don’t I won’t be able to trace the sequence of the plot and keep track of my subplots. Then I’m thinking, that’s a lot of work. And then I’m thinking, hey, Alison’s published and it’s obviously working for her and for Cherry Adair.

I hate when I answer my own questions.

Now, I wonder what color sticky notes I should use for the, pack of ravenous wolves that come out of nowhere, plot-point?

Steph T.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 30th, 2005 at 1:49 pm and is filed under Craft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.