73,050 Words
STORY VS PLOT
I'd be interested to know how established crime writers conceive their plots. Do they begin at page one and just let it form itself along the (linear) way? Do they brainstorm it all out in a big spiderweb, adding 'story' into the gaps as they go?
My writing falls somewhere in between. I started off as the former type. Then, at about the halfway point, I panicked and started doing the brainstorming thing, creating a pinboard-full of scribbled yellow post-its. My big, halfway point re-write involved adding some of these new ideas in, and emphasising others that were already there. Eventually, when I felt able to move forward again, I carried on with the straight linear approach, just banging the words out, but with the benefit of all the extra thinking I'd stopped to do in the middle.
The main difference is that, as I write now, and I'm very close to the end, I'm having to go back and add 'clues' (for want of a better word) into earlier chapters. I just hope they won't stick out like sore thumbs. I don't want the plot to appear 'tacked on'. It does seem a very false way to do it but this book is definitely more about 'story' than 'plot'. I hope that isn't seen as a drawback.
I've been at this too long and I'm accomplishing very little. I was up at six with a snotty baby (poor thing). I need to get out of the house and buy some chocolate.
A
I'd be interested to know how established crime writers conceive their plots. Do they begin at page one and just let it form itself along the (linear) way? Do they brainstorm it all out in a big spiderweb, adding 'story' into the gaps as they go?
My writing falls somewhere in between. I started off as the former type. Then, at about the halfway point, I panicked and started doing the brainstorming thing, creating a pinboard-full of scribbled yellow post-its. My big, halfway point re-write involved adding some of these new ideas in, and emphasising others that were already there. Eventually, when I felt able to move forward again, I carried on with the straight linear approach, just banging the words out, but with the benefit of all the extra thinking I'd stopped to do in the middle.
The main difference is that, as I write now, and I'm very close to the end, I'm having to go back and add 'clues' (for want of a better word) into earlier chapters. I just hope they won't stick out like sore thumbs. I don't want the plot to appear 'tacked on'. It does seem a very false way to do it but this book is definitely more about 'story' than 'plot'. I hope that isn't seen as a drawback.
I've been at this too long and I'm accomplishing very little. I was up at six with a snotty baby (poor thing). I need to get out of the house and buy some chocolate.
A
posted by WorkingOnABook at 7:22 pm
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