Writers – Page 38 – Jean's Writing

What is the best way to write that book?

Published on June 30, 2017June 30, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell37 Comments

Writing with an outline, by pantsing or somewhere between.

Where do you fall?

Everyone has an opinion, but there is no right or wrong solution, just the right one for you.

I spent most of this year studying various outlining styles, trying to find one that fits my style. What did I learn in the last six months?

What did I learn in the last six months about outlining?

There is a multitude of ways to outline.
An outline can be fluid.
You can choose to write without one.
Outlining can suck the life out of a story even before you start writing.
Or can be a road map to the end.
Scrivener is still a writer’s number one go to for outlining.
There is no right or wrong way.

I also learned…

I’m a panster. Stick with what you know is a good thing.
But I can outline a “little bit” as I go.
When I get stuck, stop, do a little micro-plotting.
Outlining is not for everyone.

But now what? After all of these months of research? Where am I?

At the bottom of a pit with a bunch of crap! That’s where. My WIP is barely recognizable as I’ve attempted to organize it in one after another of these different outlines.

Ouch! Ibuprophen has done little to alleviate the writer’s block headache.

Now it’s time to get back in the saddle and make writing fun again. To hell with outlining. No offense to those who find it fun. But I gotta be me. LOL

For more about Outlining and Pantsing – Keep reading. I’ve listed lots of great articles for you.

Let me know, which are you? Pantster or Outliner?

Do you find Outlining a chore or fun?

Do you outline all of your stories? Even the short ones?

Do you have a favorite outlining style or program?

How To Write By The Seat of Your Pants by RUTH ANN NORDIN

How to Outline a Novel (Even If You’re Not an Outliner) by Jerry Jenkins

PANTSING: WRITING BY THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS by Janalyn Voigt

7 Steps to Creating a Flexible Outline for Any Story Writers Digest

3 More Outlining Methods That Help Your Novel Along by Rachel Poli

Writing by the Seat of Your Pants by Carolyn Kaufman | @CMKaufman

Waiting for your comments, please leave me one.

And don’t forget to go over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon, on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

Do you know how to micro-plot?

Published on June 23, 2017June 22, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell15 Comments

Hold on- no charts involved.

I know you’ve heard all about all kinds of plot points. Turning, climax, action, rising, falling, characters, conflicts, well you get the idea. However, for most of us, pantsters, plotter’s, or half-assters we are all looking for better and easier ways to get the job done.

So how about trying micro-plotting?

Yes, you heard right. I just added another plotting point to think about.

What is micro-plotting you ask?

Today I read an article by David Farland about micro-plotting and had an ah-ha moment. If you’ve read many of my posts you’ll know I just love those flashbulb moments.

If I understood David right it’s where you give the reader a reason to care about the characters. A micro-moment in the story. A sympathy point.

So if you feel like something is missing in your WIP, go back and add a note to make the reader care.

In mine, I added stuff like (show Jack is furious) then found another place to add information about a different emotion I wanted the reader to feel and inserted that (show Em is hurt.)I discovered this sped up my writing process. It stopped me from rewriting the same thing over and over. I could add a little snippet about what I wanted to convey to the reader and get back to the story at large. This gave me the freedom to come back later and write about Em’s frustration.

Want to read David’s article? Click here… David Farland’s Writing Tips

So what do you think?

Will this stop you from getting hung up on rewrites before the first draft is finished?

Is this something you already do?

Do you have a better trick/tip?

Leave me a comment. I love talking to Y’all.

Please head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon, on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

When was the last time you backed up your website?

Published on June 21, 2017June 20, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell26 Comments

We all back up our computers, either to the “cloud” or to an external hard drive. But what about your blog?

Have you thought about backing up your blog?

What would happen if your blog content vanished? Years of hard work gone in the blink of an eye. How could that happen? WordPress has been around for eons! Ever heard of MySpace? Haven’t? There is a reason.

What would I do should WordPress suddenly vanish into web space?

Cry, eat Bluebell Ice cream and drink Margaritas. Not in any particular order. Then I’d sit down and begin to vent. I mean, write.

Of course, the best thing would be to avoid such a catastrophe.

Here is today’s no excuse, public service announcement, brought to you by Suzanne Bowditch.

Click and read Suzanne’s terrific step-by-step instructions on how to backup your website. Don’t lose that amazing website you’ve slaved over for months.

Backing up your Blog Content by Suzanne Bowditch.

Tell me:

Have you ever backed up your website?

How often do you back up your blog?

Do you think it’s an important or unnecessary part of housekeeping?

Leave me a comment. I love talking to Y’all.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

Do you love creepy, unusual, and odd subjects?

Published on June 19, 2017June 19, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell20 Comments

The creepier the better to write my dear.

Am I right?

Well, I’ve stumbled on a couple of terrific ways to expand your imagination. Hang on to your hats.

I love writing prompts. Give me an odd word combos, a challenging word count or subject matter and my mind goes nuts. So I really went bonkers when I stumbled across not one but two totally unique ideas!

Have you ever thought about using mug shots for character development? Not me! Not until now.

Go to Arrests.org and pick a state, any state, you won’t be disappointed. The visual is worth a thousand words.