Well, my word count is still way down because I'm just finishing up the last details on this book so it can go to press. I do plan on drafting my new novel soon, though, and I'm sure my word count will pick up when that starts. (If it goes as well as I think it will) Maybe we can even do some more writing sprints together.
How's your writing going now with kids back in school? I was surprised at how quickly we picked up our old routine. I love nap times for my kids. It really helps to have a regular block of time for writing.
I hope you had a great writing week!
I'm an award-winning romantic suspense novelist, but in my free time I love to review books and my fave TV shows, as well as pass along great book deals, and eat Canadian chocolate---not necessarily in that order.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Book Review: Faith, Hope, and Gravity
Merrill Osmond and Shirley Bahlmann have written a book called Faith, Hope, and Gravity. It is the story of a young man named Liam who occasionally has "visions" of events before they happen. He made the mistake of warning another boy his age about money going missing and such, and the boy thinks Liam has cast a spell on him or has magic or something and he begins to bully Liam. It goes so far as to put Liam in a predicament where he is severely injured and Liam carries emotional and physical scars from that attack for years afterward that affects him in various ways.
The book takes Liam all over the world from Hawaii, to Las Vegas, to Iceland, England, France, and Italy to name a few. In each place he meets another "visionary" or some person that offers him advice and wisdom to works through the after-effects from his injury. I think that's what made it a little hard for me to get into the book because just as I would get comfortable with the setting and what Liam was going through, when we'd be thrown into another setting and introduced to new characters. It made most of the book's characters seem very on the surface to me because we didn't get to know them well before we were on to the next setting. It was sort of like a lot of adventures all in one book. It did occur to me that perhaps it would have worked better as little vignettes from Liam's life or just concentrating on one adventure and having the rest be subsequent books so we could really get a feel for Liam. Regardless, there is a message that ties the book together of faith carrying you through your difficulties and we all have talents to offer the world. Liam does go through a lot in his life, and having his gift is both a blessing and a curse for him. He has a lot of people around him to care for him and help him and that is something we all want in our life---the common dream if you will.
Here is the back copy:
Faith, Hope and Gravity” is the spiritual, magical adventure of teenage Liam Kane as he discovers some of the same lessons Merrill Osmond learned as the world-traveling lead singer of the Osmond Brothers. Like Merrill, Liam is often misunderstood as he helps those seeking for purpose in their extraordinary talents. Liam’s visionary abilities gain him international notoriety as “The Prophecy Boy” who swims with dolphins, dreams of a mysterious red door, and champions those who are often misjudged for their uncommon gifts. Surviving kidnapping, near-drowning, and imprisonment leads to the discovery that despite differences, when people respect each other and their wide variety of abilities, the thread of commonality that runs through mankind grows ever stronger. Turn the pages to join in this unforgettable journey.
And just for your information:
You also have the option of joining Merrill and Shirley for a BOOK BOMB CELEBRATION on August 29, 2012!
When you purchase FAITH, HOPE, AND GRAVITY from Amazon.com (softcover book or ebook) on August 29th you’ll receive several free gifts, including Merrill’s new song, ebooks, training seminars, podcasts, and additional music! Plan to help spread the word because we’ll be posting a fun contest with great thank you gifts for your support.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Back Copy Reveal for All Fall Down
Well, after a long hard road, here is the back copy for my new book, All Fall Down. What do you think?
Ring around the
rosy, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes we all fall down . . .
That simple rhyme turns negotiator
Claire Michaels’ current hostage situation into an international incident.
Claire just wants to help get everyone out safely, but as the crisis escalates
she realizes she’s dealing with an al-Qaeda operative who has the means to
become another bin Laden¾with the potential to attack America. Claire has her own personal reasons for wanting to
stop al-Qaeda, but time is slipping away as negotiations break down. Can she overcome her scars from the past in
order to get the hostage out alive and possibly stop an assault on U.S. national security?
Navy SEAL Rafe Kelly is home on
leave to recover from a knee injury he suffered during his tour in Afghanistan,
and he doesn’t expect to be fighting terrorists on his home turf. But when he is taken hostage and his brother
is kidnapped, Rafe teams up with a hostage negotiator in order to stay alive and get his
brother back. The terrorist is always
one step ahead of them, however, and the situation quickly turns from desperate
to deadly. Will Rafe be able to save
himself and his country without anyone he loves getting caught in the
crossfire?
Friday, August 24, 2012
First Page Friday---Guest Critique
So, with my vacation and school starting for my kids, I didn't realize that there were five Fridays in August. When I finally realized it and contacted Ms. Shreditor, she was on her way out of town. Not wanting to disappoint my readers, I asked Jordan McCollum to guest critique today. I hope you find it as helpful as I did!
See you next week.
The Entry
Saving Grace
by Kasey Tross
I could feel them before I could actually see them. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and as my pulse quickened I forced my breath to slow. I had learned to pay attention to this feeling. I listened.
“So then, he was like, ‘This is my friend Joey,’ and I’m all, ‘I didn’t come over here to meet your friend Joey’- well, you know, I didn’t actually say that out loud- and he’s like-“ Jana paused in her narrative. “Zo, what are you doing?”
I put a hand up in front of my cousin’s face to silence her and stopped, listening. In the distance I heard a car rushing down the dark, rain-soaked street. Somewhere else in the city a siren wailed. A dog barked.
“Zoe?” Jana whispered.
“Just start walking. Quickly,” I urged her. I clutched my purse tighter under my arm and we continued walking straight ahead, quickening our pace. I knew that our car was only another block away.
The hairs on the back of my neck, however, had been telling the truth. The distinct sound of heavy footsteps rapidly approached us from behind just as a dark figure stepped out of a doorway ahead. Crap, I thought.
I had been mugged once before, but it was when I was 10, and I had been with my parents. There were two men, and I remembered the way my mother had slapped the gun out of the tall one’s hand, twisting him into a headlock, while my father had sucker-punched the other one in the face, grabbed his gun, and thrown him to the ground. I had been the one to call 9-1-1, and I remembered my parents chatting casually with me as they held the muggers at gunpoint, waiting for the police to arrive. I sighed, thinking how I wished they were here now.
Jordan's Critique
Thanks for asking me, Julie! I'm flattered. I've included a few links to more information about some of the topics I mention, when a full discussion of that particular technique doesn't really fit here.
What I like off the bat!
My two favorite lines are:
Things to work on
There's a good idea behind the beginning, but it's a little too vague to be effective. The first sentence leaves us wondering who "them" is, but the second sentence beings with a plural noun which almost seems to define "them." Then the reader is left trying to figure out whether "them" is "the hairs on the back of my neck." I'm assuming "them" refers to the men, but perhaps it would be a little clearer if we used something a little more concrete instead of "them," such as "the men" or "the threat."
It's clear that we're starting at a moment of change, and that's fantastic. Starting with action can be a challenge, though, because readers need to be persuaded to care about characters before they're plunged into danger, or the reader has a hard time caring about the danger. I think we can definitely get to know these characters a little bit more in this short space. (Read more on creating character sympathy.)
Be careful, too, about letting the scene we're setting seem too cliche. It's a dark and stormy night and a shadowy figure cuts them off. I would hope to see something really unexpected happen somewhere in this somewhat stock scene.
Opportunities to dig deeper
Some opportunities I see: It's very hard to judge in only 300 words, but I think we could see more of Zoe's voice, too. Her attitude, her thoughts, her perceptions, and her unique take on things can be such a great draw for readers (and publishers!). As a writer, that was my favorite part of writing my most recent manuscript in first person, and I think the voice is what drew me to my two favorite sentences.
On that note, we can also convey more about the characters, their attitudes and priorities and even physical appearance. We see that Jana and Zoe are cousins, but it would be easy to convey a little more about their relationship with simple vocabulary choices. Instead of "Jana paused in her narrative," what kind of difference does "Jana paused in her prattling" or "in her gossip" or "in retelling her misadventures" make? Those simple word choices help convey their relationship, Zoe's attitude, even her priorities (which obviously aren't Jana and her story right now), as well as lending a little more voice.
The setting could be another way to dig into her voice. We need a little more grounding a little sooner. We open with Zoe detecting a threat, and the first thing she does is try to calm herself (right?), and listen. If she looked at the same time, we'd get the setting anchors that help enhance the feeling of danger. Are they on a street or in an alley? Is there anyone else around? We get this information later, but it could have more of an impact above.
Jana's first line of dialogue fills its purpose, but I think it might be a missed opportunity. They don't have to be talking about orphans or something like that, but those lines could characterize Jana & Zoe more, help us care about them more.
Technical stuff: simultaneity and 'as'
This lesson comes from Dwight Swain in Techniques of the Selling Writer. Swain points out that reading is a linear activity. Our eyes scan across a line, and our brains process the words in order. This makes clauses that are simultaneous a subtle processing speedbump.
Three sentences use an "as" construction here. Just to use the first as an example: "The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and as my pulse quickened I forced my breath to slow."
This sentence has three responses/actions happening at the same time, but really, I think the first one or two actions are a response to the feeling she's just had, which become a stimulus for the third action (breathing). Breaking them up can also pick up the pace here: "The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My pulse quickened. But I forced my breath to slow."
Of course, your mileage may vary on that particular example, but any device can become distracting if it's used too often.
Technical stuff: filter words
I noticed a few instances of "filter" words or "scaffolding" throughout the passage. When the narrator says, "I knew that our car was only another block away," "and I remembered the way my mother had slapped the gun . . .", "Crap, I thought," or that she's "thinking how I wished they were here now," the narrator is telling what the character thinks, sees, feels or hears.
Too many of these phrases can draw attention to that scaffolding—the words that encase the character’s thoughts—rather than the important thing, the thoughts' contents. It can actually pull sensitive readers out of the story, reminding them too much that they're watching the narrator instead of allowing the readers to live the story through the narrator.
If you establish the POV at the beginning of the scene, and continue to show your character’s thoughts throughout the scene, simple declarations and observations of the world around him don’t require you, the author, to tell us that the POV character is the one seeing/feeling/tasting, etc. Cutting back the unnecessary scaffolding lets the elegant architecture of the sights and senses of your story shine through. (You can read more about scaffolding words.)
How do you do that here? Unless the words really add a shade of meaning or show the character's thought process, the delete key is the solution for a lot of these. In the examples I cited:
Overall
I like a lot of the questions this opening raises. It's done the #1 job of making me want to know more. With just a little bit more polish, it could be a seamless read that sucks even sensitive readers in and refuses to let go.
The Entry
Saving Grace
by Kasey Tross
I could feel them before I could actually see them. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and as my pulse quickened I forced my breath to slow. I had learned to pay attention to this feeling. I listened.
“So then, he was like, ‘This is my friend Joey,’ and I’m all, ‘I didn’t come over here to meet your friend Joey’- well, you know, I didn’t actually say that out loud- and he’s like-“ Jana paused in her narrative. “Zo, what are you doing?”
I put a hand up in front of my cousin’s face to silence her and stopped, listening. In the distance I heard a car rushing down the dark, rain-soaked street. Somewhere else in the city a siren wailed. A dog barked.
“Zoe?” Jana whispered.
“Just start walking. Quickly,” I urged her. I clutched my purse tighter under my arm and we continued walking straight ahead, quickening our pace. I knew that our car was only another block away.
The hairs on the back of my neck, however, had been telling the truth. The distinct sound of heavy footsteps rapidly approached us from behind just as a dark figure stepped out of a doorway ahead. Crap, I thought.
I had been mugged once before, but it was when I was 10, and I had been with my parents. There were two men, and I remembered the way my mother had slapped the gun out of the tall one’s hand, twisting him into a headlock, while my father had sucker-punched the other one in the face, grabbed his gun, and thrown him to the ground. I had been the one to call 9-1-1, and I remembered my parents chatting casually with me as they held the muggers at gunpoint, waiting for the police to arrive. I sighed, thinking how I wished they were here now.
Jordan's Critique
Thanks for asking me, Julie! I'm flattered. I've included a few links to more information about some of the topics I mention, when a full discussion of that particular technique doesn't really fit here.
What I like off the bat!
My two favorite lines are:
- I had learned to pay attention to this feeling.
- The hairs on the back of my neck, however, had been telling the truth.
Things to work on
There's a good idea behind the beginning, but it's a little too vague to be effective. The first sentence leaves us wondering who "them" is, but the second sentence beings with a plural noun which almost seems to define "them." Then the reader is left trying to figure out whether "them" is "the hairs on the back of my neck." I'm assuming "them" refers to the men, but perhaps it would be a little clearer if we used something a little more concrete instead of "them," such as "the men" or "the threat."
It's clear that we're starting at a moment of change, and that's fantastic. Starting with action can be a challenge, though, because readers need to be persuaded to care about characters before they're plunged into danger, or the reader has a hard time caring about the danger. I think we can definitely get to know these characters a little bit more in this short space. (Read more on creating character sympathy.)
Be careful, too, about letting the scene we're setting seem too cliche. It's a dark and stormy night and a shadowy figure cuts them off. I would hope to see something really unexpected happen somewhere in this somewhat stock scene.
Opportunities to dig deeper
Some opportunities I see: It's very hard to judge in only 300 words, but I think we could see more of Zoe's voice, too. Her attitude, her thoughts, her perceptions, and her unique take on things can be such a great draw for readers (and publishers!). As a writer, that was my favorite part of writing my most recent manuscript in first person, and I think the voice is what drew me to my two favorite sentences.
On that note, we can also convey more about the characters, their attitudes and priorities and even physical appearance. We see that Jana and Zoe are cousins, but it would be easy to convey a little more about their relationship with simple vocabulary choices. Instead of "Jana paused in her narrative," what kind of difference does "Jana paused in her prattling" or "in her gossip" or "in retelling her misadventures" make? Those simple word choices help convey their relationship, Zoe's attitude, even her priorities (which obviously aren't Jana and her story right now), as well as lending a little more voice.
The setting could be another way to dig into her voice. We need a little more grounding a little sooner. We open with Zoe detecting a threat, and the first thing she does is try to calm herself (right?), and listen. If she looked at the same time, we'd get the setting anchors that help enhance the feeling of danger. Are they on a street or in an alley? Is there anyone else around? We get this information later, but it could have more of an impact above.
Jana's first line of dialogue fills its purpose, but I think it might be a missed opportunity. They don't have to be talking about orphans or something like that, but those lines could characterize Jana & Zoe more, help us care about them more.
Technical stuff: simultaneity and 'as'
This lesson comes from Dwight Swain in Techniques of the Selling Writer. Swain points out that reading is a linear activity. Our eyes scan across a line, and our brains process the words in order. This makes clauses that are simultaneous a subtle processing speedbump.
Three sentences use an "as" construction here. Just to use the first as an example: "The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and as my pulse quickened I forced my breath to slow."
This sentence has three responses/actions happening at the same time, but really, I think the first one or two actions are a response to the feeling she's just had, which become a stimulus for the third action (breathing). Breaking them up can also pick up the pace here: "The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My pulse quickened. But I forced my breath to slow."
Of course, your mileage may vary on that particular example, but any device can become distracting if it's used too often.
Technical stuff: filter words
I noticed a few instances of "filter" words or "scaffolding" throughout the passage. When the narrator says, "I knew that our car was only another block away," "and I remembered the way my mother had slapped the gun . . .", "Crap, I thought," or that she's "thinking how I wished they were here now," the narrator is telling what the character thinks, sees, feels or hears.
Too many of these phrases can draw attention to that scaffolding—the words that encase the character’s thoughts—rather than the important thing, the thoughts' contents. It can actually pull sensitive readers out of the story, reminding them too much that they're watching the narrator instead of allowing the readers to live the story through the narrator.
If you establish the POV at the beginning of the scene, and continue to show your character’s thoughts throughout the scene, simple declarations and observations of the world around him don’t require you, the author, to tell us that the POV character is the one seeing/feeling/tasting, etc. Cutting back the unnecessary scaffolding lets the elegant architecture of the sights and senses of your story shine through. (You can read more about scaffolding words.)
How do you do that here? Unless the words really add a shade of meaning or show the character's thought process, the delete key is the solution for a lot of these. In the examples I cited:
- "I knew that our car was only another block away," becomes "Our car was only another block away."
- "I remembered the way my mother had slapped the gun . . ." could become "My mother slapped the gun out of the tall mugger's hand" (And we might even be able to get away with cutting the static "There were two of them"). This can also help with the perennial awkwardness of past perfect throughout the miniflashback: Zoe establishes right away that this was years ago, so there's no confusion, the biggest reason you need past perfect.
- For "thinking how I wished they were here now," the change is a little bigger. The full sentence is "I sighed, thinking how I wished they were here now." Personally, I'd break this into two sentences, the first being "I sighed." (Well, I've developed a nervous tic every time I type "sigh," so I might go for a more telling gesture there.) And the second sentence would depend heavily on the voice and the story: anything from "I wish they were here now" to "Why couldn't they be here now?"
- "Crap, I thought." The italics are already an indicator that this is a direct thought, so we don't need the "I thought." However, I'm not sure we need the italics, either. In a first-person narrative, we know everything we're seeing and hearing comes through this character's eyes. All the commentary comes directly from her mind as well, so why italicize direct thoughts? It pulls us out of her head.
Overall
I like a lot of the questions this opening raises. It's done the #1 job of making me want to know more. With just a little bit more polish, it could be a seamless read that sucks even sensitive readers in and refuses to let go.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Almost Couple vs. Couple--Which One is More Interesting to Read?
So I was having a discussion this morning about what is more interesting to read in a romantic suspense book---a couple that is working their way toward each other during dangerous circumstances and having those first stirrings of attraction/love, or a couple that is already together.
At first my response was, it depends on the story and how well-written it is, because if the plot is stupid, it doesn't matter about the couple. But then I thought a little more about it.
There are movies like Mr. and Mrs. Smith about a married couple in the spy business, but I don't think those are the norm for a reason. As many TV writers tell you, it is hard to write material for a couple when they're already together. The tension leading up to a couple getting together is what sells it. (I'm reminded of one of my favorite spy shows, Alias, and one of the things that totally sold that show was the relationship with Sydney and Vaughn. I loved them). I think the same may be true in books. Who didn't love the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth? *le sigh*
But if we go back to TV shows for a minute, in my favorite show, Castle, (only a month until the season premiere. Eeee!) many people have been clamoring for Kate and Rick to get together for at least two years. The writers have thrown obstacles in their path, some of them stupid, but regardless, it's taken four seasons for them to get close to taking their relationship to the next level. Writer/producers/fans have all gone back and forth and it came down to, "we don't want the Moonlighting curse." Meaning, of course, that old show Moonlighting with Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis which is "proof" that supposedly once a couple is together it kills the show. (Although I think there were extenuating circumstances beyond the getting together on Moonlighting, but that's another story.) Then the creator of Castle came out and said that he feels there's a lot of intricate stories you can tell once a couple is together. Yay! I think so, too, but it takes more creativity and work, I think. I hope he makes that come true for Castle this season.
Anyway, I digress. For me, in my favorite books I love the tension with the couple, the dance and the romance while skirting terrible danger. In my own books, I always write the couple as getting to know each other and falling in love under stressful circumstances. In the project I'm mapping out now, though, it's the sequel to Ribbon of Darkness, and Kennedy and Ethan are already together. This is a new experience for me and I'm wondering if I can do it justice just because dynamics are different when you have a couple that is already together vs. one that is just getting together. It's fun and exciting and scary, too.
What do you think? Do you find almost-couples or already couples more interesting to read about? Who are your favorite fictional couples?
At first my response was, it depends on the story and how well-written it is, because if the plot is stupid, it doesn't matter about the couple. But then I thought a little more about it.
There are movies like Mr. and Mrs. Smith about a married couple in the spy business, but I don't think those are the norm for a reason. As many TV writers tell you, it is hard to write material for a couple when they're already together. The tension leading up to a couple getting together is what sells it. (I'm reminded of one of my favorite spy shows, Alias, and one of the things that totally sold that show was the relationship with Sydney and Vaughn. I loved them). I think the same may be true in books. Who didn't love the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth? *le sigh*
But if we go back to TV shows for a minute, in my favorite show, Castle, (only a month until the season premiere. Eeee!) many people have been clamoring for Kate and Rick to get together for at least two years. The writers have thrown obstacles in their path, some of them stupid, but regardless, it's taken four seasons for them to get close to taking their relationship to the next level. Writer/producers/fans have all gone back and forth and it came down to, "we don't want the Moonlighting curse." Meaning, of course, that old show Moonlighting with Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis which is "proof" that supposedly once a couple is together it kills the show. (Although I think there were extenuating circumstances beyond the getting together on Moonlighting, but that's another story.) Then the creator of Castle came out and said that he feels there's a lot of intricate stories you can tell once a couple is together. Yay! I think so, too, but it takes more creativity and work, I think. I hope he makes that come true for Castle this season.
Anyway, I digress. For me, in my favorite books I love the tension with the couple, the dance and the romance while skirting terrible danger. In my own books, I always write the couple as getting to know each other and falling in love under stressful circumstances. In the project I'm mapping out now, though, it's the sequel to Ribbon of Darkness, and Kennedy and Ethan are already together. This is a new experience for me and I'm wondering if I can do it justice just because dynamics are different when you have a couple that is already together vs. one that is just getting together. It's fun and exciting and scary, too.
What do you think? Do you find almost-couples or already couples more interesting to read about? Who are your favorite fictional couples?
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Word Count Wednesday
You know, I was thinking I should have counted all the words I edited this week. Because that would be a lot! Maybe I'll make up a number. I edited at least four billion words this week and am coming to the end of my editing and soon this book will be gone to press. Woohoooo!
All right I didn't edit four billion words but it felt that way. And hopefully today, I will be editing the last chapter. The. Last. Chapter. I can hardly believe it. When I hit those choice words---The End---then it will be party time bay-bee! If I invite you to my end-of-editing party, will you come?
How did you do this week?
All right I didn't edit four billion words but it felt that way. And hopefully today, I will be editing the last chapter. The. Last. Chapter. I can hardly believe it. When I hit those choice words---The End---then it will be party time bay-bee! If I invite you to my end-of-editing party, will you come?
How did you do this week?
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Writing Direction . . . Do You Know Where You're Going?
When we were in San Diego last week, we were using our GPS to help us find somewhere to eat. With just the press of a button, the GPS told us we were about a mile and a half from a Wendy's. The kids were ecstatic and we set off.
After following several twisty and turny roads, we were within 500 feet of the restaurant. Or so we were told. When we made the last turn, instead of seeing a Wendy's restaurant, we saw SDSU. The GPS had taken us to the university campus instead. (Yeah, I know there could have been a Wendy's in a food court somewhere on campus, but still . . .)
The kids started joking around that because our GPS is old, that maybe SDSU had bulldozed the Wendy's to make the campus. (Sadly, since that wasn't the only time our GPS led us astray on our trip, I'm thinking it's time to update. We seriously cheered when it actually found somewhere for us.)
I was thinking today how that is sometimes like our writing. We're in unfamiliar territory when we're starting a new manuscript. We think we have the direction we want and we cheer on the way there, thinking all is well and we're moving right along to where we want to go. But then we make that last turn and realize where we thought we were going isn't there at all. Then we have to turn around and try again, either in a new direction or detouring around the old until we figure out where to go from here.
That happens to me a lot in my writing. I used to be a total pantser, letting my writing take its own course and seeing where it took me. But as I've written more and more books, I see the need for me to outline, at least loosely, so I have a direction. So many times, however, the direction I thought I was going in ends up not being the way I end up traveling at all and I detour around and find a new path. It's exciting and a little scary, but I think it's made my story stronger and more interesting in the end.
Have you ever had your plot or characters take you in a direction completely different from where you thought you were going?
After following several twisty and turny roads, we were within 500 feet of the restaurant. Or so we were told. When we made the last turn, instead of seeing a Wendy's restaurant, we saw SDSU. The GPS had taken us to the university campus instead. (Yeah, I know there could have been a Wendy's in a food court somewhere on campus, but still . . .)
The kids started joking around that because our GPS is old, that maybe SDSU had bulldozed the Wendy's to make the campus. (Sadly, since that wasn't the only time our GPS led us astray on our trip, I'm thinking it's time to update. We seriously cheered when it actually found somewhere for us.)
I was thinking today how that is sometimes like our writing. We're in unfamiliar territory when we're starting a new manuscript. We think we have the direction we want and we cheer on the way there, thinking all is well and we're moving right along to where we want to go. But then we make that last turn and realize where we thought we were going isn't there at all. Then we have to turn around and try again, either in a new direction or detouring around the old until we figure out where to go from here.
That happens to me a lot in my writing. I used to be a total pantser, letting my writing take its own course and seeing where it took me. But as I've written more and more books, I see the need for me to outline, at least loosely, so I have a direction. So many times, however, the direction I thought I was going in ends up not being the way I end up traveling at all and I detour around and find a new path. It's exciting and a little scary, but I think it's made my story stronger and more interesting in the end.
Have you ever had your plot or characters take you in a direction completely different from where you thought you were going?
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