By Julie Daines
I'm not much of an outliner. I've tried it before, and it just doesn't seem to work for me. I wish it did because it seems like a much better way to write. But no. For me, I just can't.
So, I'm constantly asked, how do you work out the pacing of your novel?
Good question.
I am now going to divulge my secret and never-before-spoken-out-loud trick.
I listen to my gut.
Here's how it works:
I'm writing a scene. It's going great. The dialogue is fun, the action intense, and the conflict building. Then suddenly, I get this wrenching, panicky feeling right in the middle of my stomach. It says, "Oh my gosh, this is getting too long. You're dragging it out. Something new has to happen. You've got to move on." My blood races and my fingers shake unsteadily on the keyboard.
"MOVE ON!" it screams.
I listen. I wrap it up and move on. On to the next scene and the next plot point.
Is this a scientific method? No. Will you find it on Blake Snyder's Save the Cat beat list? No. But it works--for me.
Our guts--our writer's intuition--can often be our best friend if we take the time to listen. Feed back from critique partners, from beta readers, pacing, character names, character reactions, almost any part of our novel will speak to us.
Take a moment, consider carefully all sides, and listen to your gut. It is your friend.
When have--or when do--your writerly instincts kick in and help you?
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Blog: Utah Children's Writers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: writing advice, pantser, pacing, Julie Daines, outliner, Add a tag
Blog: Utah Children's Writers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: mobile author, outliner, pantser, planning, Apps, mobile office, planner, Add a tag
- The Mobile Author, Part One: The Portable Office
- The Mobile Author, Part Two: Getting Organized
- The Mobile Author, Part Three: Managing Your Project
Even pantsers need to do some planning. Today I'm going to tell you about some apps that can help the mobile author plan a story.
Notes
There are many ways to plan a story. My favorite is to make notes that summarize key events in the story. The note apps I described in last week's article are perfect for that. But there are some other useful tools that you might find helpful, depending on your work style.Outline
Many writers like to start with a detailed outline. I'm not one of them, but for this article, I looked for a good outlining app. Outliner seems to be almost perfect for you Android-using planners. It enables you to make a detailed outline, and even create a task list based on the outline. If you're an outliner, you might try this app. I also see several outlining apps in the Apple App Store for a variety of prices. Let us know if one of these works for you.Mindmap
I admit it, I like mindmaps. I've used them to organize projects for my day job. I've also used them to help me spawn ideas by creating word associations and following character traits through a map. If you want ideas for using mindmaps to create a novel, you might start with this article.
There are several mindmapping tools you can try, but the one I've used on my tablet is called SimpleMind for Android. SimpleMind is also free in the Apple App Store, so iOS mindmappers rejoice.
SimpleMind is easy to use, even on a small screen. It's easy to create nodes and move them around, and the mind maps are simple but attractive. I haven't tried syncing a map or saving to Dropbox. You're more likely to want to use this on your tablet than your phone because the bigger screen is nice, so syncing between devices might not matter much unless you have more than one tablet.
Whiteboard
The whiteboard is a perfect tool for story building. What can be better than a blank slate and colorful pens? You can free-associate thoughts and words, make mind maps, do whatever. When you have a blank white board, you have no limits.I've been playing with a whiteboard app called SyncSpace Shared Whiteboard (Android and iOS). In addition to being a cool whiteboard with the features you'd expect and infinite zoom in an out, you can share your board across devices, including over the web, for collaborating. It's free for Android. The iPad version will set you back $9.99, but you get significant additional features.
There are tons of whiteboard apps for both Android and iOS. This is another app category where the best thing to do is try a few and decide what works for you. Go to your app store and search for "whiteboard." If you find a favorite, let us know.
Bulletin Board
I mentioned Trello in the previous article in this series. Trello is essentially a bulletin board that you use to pin and organize cards. Like a real index card, a card has two sides that can contain anything you want it to, and you can organize your cards in a list, which is basically a bunch of cards pinned together in a column.Think of the possibilities. You could have a card for each character and include whatever information you want, including a picture. Then, keep all of your character cards in the character list. Or, you could write a summary of each scene on its own card, then organize the scenes in order or into chapters. You could easily rearrange scenes, add new ones, or discard them into a discard list.
Because Trello is a Cloud application, all you have to do is set up an account and install the app, and your cards are available wherever you are, on any device.
Storyboard
Back in December, I wrote a detailed review of the Cardboard index card app and how it can be used for storyboarding. I'm happy to say this app has gotten even better since then, with better terminology and some interface changes. Best of all, the plug-in that included card styles for writers is no longer needed because those cards have been added to the main app. There are cards to help with common story elements, plot in traditional acts, or follow the journey of the hero.If you like storyboarding with index cards, or if you like the storyboarding feature in programs like Scrivener, Cardboard could become one of your go-to apps in your mobile office.
Next Step
Next week, I'll get down to the nitty-gritty with some suggestions for using your tablet to actually write your story. I'll discuss some full office suites, some minimalist text editors, and some ways to use the features of your mobile office to keep you focused on meeting your writing goals.Part One: The Portable Office
Blog: Paranormal Point of View (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Pantser, Julie Musil, HOW?, Elizabeth Craig, Add a tag
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Julie Musil asked "You're a pantser, so how do you know when you'vegot the pacing right, and where you need to insert plot points? "
Great question, Julie! First let me qualify that my process, like everyone, is probably slightly unique. When I started I simply started with a file filled with random notes/thoughts/names/etc. and jumped right in. Lately I've been using more of a format like the Beat Sheet from SAVE THE CAT. Either way, the outcome is the same. When I have the idea, I quickly realize that certain big "events" have to take place in order to tell the story. I also typically have a good idea how it's going to turn out. There are still plenty of opportunities for surprises on the way, trust me!
These major turning points, whether named correctly or not, represent the major turning points in the story. If I have the right characters, and the right inciting incident, it works out.
It's funny how the subconscious works as well. I recall one time where things seemed to be going too fast. But I couldn't exactly stop everything, or force non-essential material in. What happened? My character did the opposite of what I expected, which delayed the inevitable for just the right amount of time and built far more tension and depth than I'd anticipated. Voila! That's what's so great about really letting the characters fully develop.
Hope that answered the question! I guess the point is that it falls into place one way or another. And when it doesn't? You can make it work.
Blog: Paranormal Point of View (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Poetry, Art, Pantser, National poetry month, Add a tag
By: Martha Alderson, M.A.,
on 1/20/2008
Blog: Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: pantser, plotter, pantser, plotter, Add a tag
In a recent blog review, Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers scored a 9 out of a possible ten.
Comments: Good blog, solid advice (even if I don't agree with it all) - a useful resource for any writer.
When I asked the reviewer what he didn't agree with, he replied: "I just tend to avoid plotting. For me, personally, it seems to take some of the life out of the story. I write rough, let the story appear, and then polish it out the way it asks."
Plotters versus pantsers ("writing by the seat of your pants").
Is plot something you do -- a verb? Or, is plot an intergral part of a story, like dialog and authentic details -- a noun?
Pantsers work the story out on the page.
Plotters outline first and then write.
Either method, it seems to me, benefits from a firm understanding of the universal story form. And, the universal story form is directly related to plot. Therefore.......
Oh, well, the battle continues. I've received comments like this since I first started teaching and writing and obsessing about plot. Neither way is right or wrong.
Whatever it takes to get writers to put words on a page. That, to me, is all that counts.
P.S. For anyone who is interested in a "pantser" turned "plotter", please read my interview with Jana McBurney-Lin, author of My Half of the Sky at http://www.blockbusterplots.com/tips.html. Enjoy.......
Read the rest of this post
By: Pam Coughlan,
on 4/18/2007
Blog: MotherReader (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Book Sharing, Coziness, Add a tag
Is there a coziness in the kid-lit blog world that affects reviewing? Probably.
Is there a chumminess in the kid-lit publishing world that affects reviewing? Probably.
We have blog tours, shout-outs, and round-ups. They have publisher lunches, book launches, and award ceremonies. We know some authors. They know some authors. We might get free books. They definitely get free books. We don’t get paid. They do. Other than the fact that we do this for free, what’s the difference that would make bloggers more likely to be soft on authors?
Roger suggests that here we’re all one community, and it’s tricky to knock someone you know. Well, maybe that’s true.
I’ll take that chance.
Because what is gained here outweighs the hazards of mixing authors and reviewers in one big blog party. Maybe sometimes an author gets a softer review than deserved, but I can live with that for the opportunity to have a book dialogue that involves librarians, teachers, authors, mothers, editors, poets, and book lovers. We don’t just have book reviews, we have an opening for discussion. It’s a new paradigm that even involves a type of cross-promotion and targeted marketing.
In a way, it all comes down to marketing. Publishers’ lunches, book launches, blog tours, author interviews, ads in Horn Book, ALA exhibits, book signings, book awards, etc. Down at the base, we’re all promoting what we love, whether that’s our magazine, our new book, our own blog, or even just reading in general. Maybe even just being in love with our own voice. Talk about influence. I would say that we are influenced by all of the above, including our own angle.
For more influence, look to the baggage we bring to any review. Do I like cats or dogs? Do I hate abstract imagery? Does it matter if I have a good relationship with my parents or my kids? If I love the South? Or dislike the books where the mother is dead? The influence of a free book or an interview seems silly when you look at all the ways we are influenced before we’ve even seen the book.
Here, I want to embrace the subjective review. Know me, know my kind of books. Like me, like my kind of books. My blog peeps are the closest I get to having a friend to share her favorite titles. In fact, I don’t want to do book reviewing. I want to do book sharing. I want to be able to say, “Hey this is what I thought about this book. Me, with my two school-age children and my love of summer and corn. Me, with my propensity for humor and aversion to china rabbits. Me, with my disorganized house and my reformed hippie parents. This is what I thought about this book. What about you?”
Now, how cozy is that?
I don't consider myself a panster, but I think it pays to not be too constrained by the outline, either. I always write a loose outline and am always surprised by how things change, so now I just go with it. And I've noticed the same thing about the major turning points--those usually remain intact, even when the path the characters take to reach those points gets more twisty than I expected. Off to check out your guest post!
Great post!I really need to read Save the Cat. My recent project has some pacing issues, and I'd prefer to fix them on the front end next time :)
If we read enough, I think we instinctively know when to slow or speed things up or when to increase pacing or when a disaster needs to strike. Even though I plot I still experience this.
The most valuable point, for me, you've made here is about letting the characters fully develop. As we pace those scenes and plot points, remembering to allow the characters to develop on a scale is vital. Love this post!
Great advice! Personally I tend to plot things ahead of time, but that doesn't always mean for perfect pacing the first draft through. Revision is still necessary.
I outline after I use STC to create the beats (love that book!!!!), but my outline is very flexible. Much more so now than what it used to be.
Characters do know best when you allow them to develop.
Great post, Lisa!
I am such a pantser. But I haven't had to work under a deadline yet, so that may change. Usually, I have ideas about big scenes first, then I can figure out where to place them based on the character and the journey they're taking. I can go back and fill in along the way. It's pretty haphazard and disorganized, but that's how I roll!
Excellent answer! Like Matt, I plot ahead of time, but that doesn't mean the pacing is right. Gah! Thanks, Lisa.
Now I'm off to Elizabeth's blog!
Yeah, in my pantsing, I often get the pacing too fast. But I fix it in revisions. I like the idea of having the character do the opposite of what I expected. What a fun twist... how will we get out of this? :D <3
Great advice. Thanks! :)
♥.•*¨Elizabeth¨*•.♥
Lisa, your process sounds a lot like mine. I also like what Laura said in comments. So much of writing is based on instinct, which comes from having read a lot or otherwise listened to stories. But then we need other readers to make sure we're not fooling ourselves. :-)
Great answer! I'm a pantser too. I can never manage to stick to an outline. I like to write fast paced stories, so I'm very consistent with my pacing. Yet if there's a bump somewhere, it gets taken care of in the revisions anyway!
Here, here to Laura on the instinct aspect. I think the movie running in my head as I write helps me feel the pace. If part of the story prompts a popcorn break - out it goes.
A lot of storytelling is intuitive, even for hyper-plotters (like me). Making sure something "feels right" or following your intuition can craft some pretty awesome stuff. Great post! ;)
Great post! I usually have a rough outline, but I like how you mention having the major turning points somewhat figured out. This would help make sure you have a solid plot. I'll have to check out this STC Beat Sheet. Thanks!
One of my MC's did just as you mentioned: something unexpected and now is in a place of learning, but out of the story line for a bit...right where she belongs.
I'm a Pantser. Wouldn't you like to be a pantser, too?
Great post! I do struggle with pacing - but I'm definitely getting better at the ebbs and flows :)
Pacing is tricky. I always fuss with the pace of a novel in revisions even though I outline before the first draft. I know how I want the pace of the story to be, but it takes the revision process to get it right (or, what I think is right).
I guess the point is that it falls into place one way or another. And when it doesn't? You can make it work.
These are words I really, really needed to read right now. Thanks. :)