Lily Neon Vagabond's Blog, page 20
January 19, 2012
Using Outlines
One valuable lesson I learned is how to actually use an outline. Once I moved on from writing the synopsis, I then got a grip on writing an outline. But knowing how to use it was a different matter, so I sat here, scratching my head.
It's not obvious.
Outlines are never written in stone. Things change, stories evolve, become something different, something unexpected. That's half the fun right there, the "making up fiction" part. I learned that there needs to be a balance between making it up and keeping things organized. In other words, outline and crafting fiction.
For my latest book, I wrote a total of three outlines. Why? Because I was still learning as I went along. The second is a revised version of the first, once the story began changing, so I wrote it all down, including the possible outcomes based on these new events. In retrospect, I could have given the first outline more thought and put most of this stuff in, but again, stories can change in unexpected ways. I can't predict the future, but I can make pretty good guesses about possibilities from my story idea.
The third outline was something different and just for the sake of keeping everything organized as best as I could. It's not easy juggling a mystery. I wrote the third in point form (the other two are in paragraph form), and color coded all the clues. This clue goes with that clue, etc. It was something I decided to do when I was about 10 chapters into the story. I suddenly realized there was a lot more to juggle than expected (the story had changed, again).
I have no idea if I'll do this again. Like I said, I was still learning and probably won't have to write more than one outline for the next book. At least I hope not. It was a bit anal of me...
Then I kept writing, kept checking my outlines, kept making little tweaks, and overall, went back and forth a lot between the outlines and the manuscript. It worked out well, even better than I'd hoped. Having those outlines on hand helped a great deal to drive me to finish the manuscript.
It wasn't always smooth sailing. There were moments of panic where I had to take a long break, take a step back or just go for a walk. Sometimes I needed to let certain ideas brew and simmer in my mind before I could tackle the next scene/chapter.
The outlines I wrote were my navigator, and my ability to write chose the direction. The combination of both, let me arrive at my intended destination. And what was that? My synopsis.
It's not obvious.
Outlines are never written in stone. Things change, stories evolve, become something different, something unexpected. That's half the fun right there, the "making up fiction" part. I learned that there needs to be a balance between making it up and keeping things organized. In other words, outline and crafting fiction.
For my latest book, I wrote a total of three outlines. Why? Because I was still learning as I went along. The second is a revised version of the first, once the story began changing, so I wrote it all down, including the possible outcomes based on these new events. In retrospect, I could have given the first outline more thought and put most of this stuff in, but again, stories can change in unexpected ways. I can't predict the future, but I can make pretty good guesses about possibilities from my story idea.
The third outline was something different and just for the sake of keeping everything organized as best as I could. It's not easy juggling a mystery. I wrote the third in point form (the other two are in paragraph form), and color coded all the clues. This clue goes with that clue, etc. It was something I decided to do when I was about 10 chapters into the story. I suddenly realized there was a lot more to juggle than expected (the story had changed, again).
I have no idea if I'll do this again. Like I said, I was still learning and probably won't have to write more than one outline for the next book. At least I hope not. It was a bit anal of me...
Then I kept writing, kept checking my outlines, kept making little tweaks, and overall, went back and forth a lot between the outlines and the manuscript. It worked out well, even better than I'd hoped. Having those outlines on hand helped a great deal to drive me to finish the manuscript.
It wasn't always smooth sailing. There were moments of panic where I had to take a long break, take a step back or just go for a walk. Sometimes I needed to let certain ideas brew and simmer in my mind before I could tackle the next scene/chapter.
The outlines I wrote were my navigator, and my ability to write chose the direction. The combination of both, let me arrive at my intended destination. And what was that? My synopsis.
January 14, 2012
Synopsis and Outline: don't leave home without them.
Since my personal work has slowed down quite a bit, website is redesigned, new blog layout, etc, I'd like to share a few writing lessons I learned while working on my latest book. To see current and planned projects, visit the Brain.
The first lesson, the meaning of a synopsis and an outline. Like a lot of writers, I also believed I didn't need a synopsis or an outline. I can just sit down and write a whole book, outlines are for sissies! And then I learned...
I began thinking of it this way, a synopsis and outlines are like filing cabinets. The point of both is to create tools that allow me to organize ideas and write a completed book.
The idea for a potential story comes first, then a 1 paragraph synopsis, then a 1 -2 page outline. It's more than the creative process. It's the process of making ideas into something tangible, something real, and more than just a thought jostling around in my head.
Lesson learned: Outlines are not ideas. They're just a way to organize ideas.
To be brutally honest, I know that there's no way in living hell I would have completed a whole thriller novel without writing an outline first. I strongly suspect this is where aspiring writers fail to finish their project and give the wrong impression of themselves. I know I did that, I'm writing a book! Well, no, it's not finished... I can't tell you what it's about and... um... yeah.
Seriously, write an outline. It will save you so much grief.
Here's another winning point. Having an outline first, allowed me to have much more fun writing the book. It may seem like a contradiction, but it's true. Being organized meant having more fun than just making up BS and hoping (foolishly) that it all makes sense in the end.
I'll put it another way. I've tried to write a total of 4 novels. The one that worked and completed, is the only one where I wrote a full outline first. That's proof enough for me.
Now, about the synopsis. That did take me a bit longer to learn than outline writing. A synopsis should be about 3 sentences, 5 max, and summarizes the whole story. You say, impossible! Yeah, I thought that, too. A whole book, before it's written, in 3 measly sentences?!
Here's why the synopsis should be written first. Once a manuscript is complete, even as only the first draft, it's very difficult for any author to be objective because they see all the connections and can't separate. Every author who truly cares about their work will lovingly craft every single word. And that's the part agents/publishers DON'T want to know, and frankly, neither do the readers. All anyone wants to know is, is it a good story? Does it make sense? Why should I read?
See? The answers are a total of three sentences.
I've read and studied a lot of articles about synopsis writing, and a lot of them were both useless and confusing. It's actually very simple.
Sentence 1 - Introduce main character, setting and purpose.
Sentence 2 - Present the conflict in the story. No conflict? No story.
Sentence 3 - How the conflict is resolved.
Sentence 3 took me the longest to understand. It's not the ending of a story, it's not the resolution, it's how the conflict is resolved. I didn't have to give anything away, just present a choice the character makes, if they choose one or the other, there will be resolution. That's all.
The first lesson, the meaning of a synopsis and an outline. Like a lot of writers, I also believed I didn't need a synopsis or an outline. I can just sit down and write a whole book, outlines are for sissies! And then I learned...
I began thinking of it this way, a synopsis and outlines are like filing cabinets. The point of both is to create tools that allow me to organize ideas and write a completed book.
The idea for a potential story comes first, then a 1 paragraph synopsis, then a 1 -2 page outline. It's more than the creative process. It's the process of making ideas into something tangible, something real, and more than just a thought jostling around in my head.
Lesson learned: Outlines are not ideas. They're just a way to organize ideas.
To be brutally honest, I know that there's no way in living hell I would have completed a whole thriller novel without writing an outline first. I strongly suspect this is where aspiring writers fail to finish their project and give the wrong impression of themselves. I know I did that, I'm writing a book! Well, no, it's not finished... I can't tell you what it's about and... um... yeah.
Seriously, write an outline. It will save you so much grief.
Here's another winning point. Having an outline first, allowed me to have much more fun writing the book. It may seem like a contradiction, but it's true. Being organized meant having more fun than just making up BS and hoping (foolishly) that it all makes sense in the end.
I'll put it another way. I've tried to write a total of 4 novels. The one that worked and completed, is the only one where I wrote a full outline first. That's proof enough for me.
Now, about the synopsis. That did take me a bit longer to learn than outline writing. A synopsis should be about 3 sentences, 5 max, and summarizes the whole story. You say, impossible! Yeah, I thought that, too. A whole book, before it's written, in 3 measly sentences?!
Here's why the synopsis should be written first. Once a manuscript is complete, even as only the first draft, it's very difficult for any author to be objective because they see all the connections and can't separate. Every author who truly cares about their work will lovingly craft every single word. And that's the part agents/publishers DON'T want to know, and frankly, neither do the readers. All anyone wants to know is, is it a good story? Does it make sense? Why should I read?
See? The answers are a total of three sentences.
I've read and studied a lot of articles about synopsis writing, and a lot of them were both useless and confusing. It's actually very simple.
Sentence 1 - Introduce main character, setting and purpose.
Sentence 2 - Present the conflict in the story. No conflict? No story.
Sentence 3 - How the conflict is resolved.
Sentence 3 took me the longest to understand. It's not the ending of a story, it's not the resolution, it's how the conflict is resolved. I didn't have to give anything away, just present a choice the character makes, if they choose one or the other, there will be resolution. That's all.
January 13, 2012
Catching up and showing progress
I know my online presence has gotten a bit dusty lately, due to working on a lot things. I've often wondered how online authors find the time to juggle multiple blogs and social networking. I'm always too occupied with my various creative projects. To me, authors who are online 24/7 isn't always a sign they're an active writer. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy sharing via the blog and facebook, but I can't help to question an online author who's always blogging. Honestly, where do they find the time?! They have superpowers...
That aside, this is a big catching up post. The past year has been quite eventful for me.
First, last winter, my laptop died. It was quite sad, but all files are saved and nothing was lost. So I had to drag out the old desktop, and that's what I've been working with. But, the post-apocalypse story I was working on is now sitting on a disk, and not on a computer. I would like to get back to that one at some point before my death. Either that, or write beyond the grave. Any volunteer hosts for when I'm a ghost?
Second, another story you may recall has the working title of Strays, well, it just didn't work out. I worked on that one, on and off, for a total of two years and wrote four different versions, a good 300 pages each. Here's what happened.
The first version was written in the first person, alternating chapters between the two main characters. It didn't work, mainly because it's not a romance. And it came across as rather amateur. I honestly thought the genre is general drama and didn't think much about that.
So I wrote a second version, third person, alternating chapters. It still didn't work. I realized there's more mystery than drama, and the story didn't reflect that.
Being the stubborn person that I am, I wrote a third version, all third person. It was a lot better, and all that writing was excellent practice. My writing style and author's voice fully developed as a result. I was ecstatic at my progress, definitely getting there with my long-time goal of being a novelist. But I ran into a snag. As I was working on query letters and outlines so I can publish the damn thing, I got frustrated. Lesson learned here, write the outline and synopsis before writing the book.
In two separate conversations, I vented my frustrations to friends. What am I suppose to do? Rewrite all 300 pages as a romance just for the sake of getting published and sell my soul? It's supposed to be more mystery than drama, a little bit of a love story but that's not the main plot. Ugh!
So we talked about some of the ideas in the story, and they both said the same thing. "Huh, that sounds like Hitchcock." And I went........ oh. Oh! Psychological thriller! Of course! Lesson learned here, always choose the genre before writing the book.
I was very excited. My hard work, experimentation, and constant practice was starting to pay off. I had reached that magical point where writing is like flexing a muscle. Writing style, check. Author's voice, check. Chosen genres, Fantasy and Thriller, check. I made it, I'm here!
In my excitement, I sat down and wrote a fourth version, with the focus of psychological thriller. (Stubborn, remember?) I really believed this was it. After I finished and received some feedback from friends, I took a long objective look at the story. It still doesn't work. I got it very close, but not quite. And I could see the only way to fix this was to write a fifth version, clean slate, start over from scratch. After two years trying, I was burnt out with the story. I had to cut my losses and move on.
I don't regret any of it. Working on that story gave me the needed experience to get to where I am now. No regrets at all. But I will admit, I got way ahead of myself and took the scenic route. It's worked for me, but I wouldn't recommend doing things the hard way like I did.
I was still quite excited, wanted to keep trying the thriller genre, so I looked through my Giant Folder of Ideas (that's not what it's really called on my compute, that's just how I think of it). I came across a story idea I had back in 2003, that I didn't know what to do with, so I just wrote a rough one page and stuffed it in that folder. I took one look at it and instantly thought, this would make a fantastic psychological thriller! I was beyond excited, practically shaking with excitement.
I kept in mind my learned lessons, wrote a synopsis and two page outline, then spent five months straight writing a true psychological thriller. And I'm damn proud of the novel. If I died tomorrow, I would die very happy knowing I've accomplished what I set out to do.
Hello, I'm Lily, author of fantasy and thriller, and it's wonderful to meet you.
While I was working on the book, I noticed my website was falling apart. That's a disadvantage of independent author. Working on one thing meant something else was going to fall apart. It's not easy juggling everything by myself. So I decided once I was finished the manuscript, in order to not drive myself insane while editing, I'd do a major re-haul of my website, designed in a way that reflects where I am now as an author and an artist. And I love my new website. It's fun, interactive, and what I always wanted my website to be.
Yesterday, I submitted the first query letter for my psychological thriller. Keep your fingers crossed for me, you never know, it might be published sooner rather than later.
(And now, I'm going to do a badly needed re-haul of this blog).
Update: new blog layut and the poem, Long Term, is now in the Vault.
That aside, this is a big catching up post. The past year has been quite eventful for me.
First, last winter, my laptop died. It was quite sad, but all files are saved and nothing was lost. So I had to drag out the old desktop, and that's what I've been working with. But, the post-apocalypse story I was working on is now sitting on a disk, and not on a computer. I would like to get back to that one at some point before my death. Either that, or write beyond the grave. Any volunteer hosts for when I'm a ghost?
Second, another story you may recall has the working title of Strays, well, it just didn't work out. I worked on that one, on and off, for a total of two years and wrote four different versions, a good 300 pages each. Here's what happened.
The first version was written in the first person, alternating chapters between the two main characters. It didn't work, mainly because it's not a romance. And it came across as rather amateur. I honestly thought the genre is general drama and didn't think much about that.
So I wrote a second version, third person, alternating chapters. It still didn't work. I realized there's more mystery than drama, and the story didn't reflect that.
Being the stubborn person that I am, I wrote a third version, all third person. It was a lot better, and all that writing was excellent practice. My writing style and author's voice fully developed as a result. I was ecstatic at my progress, definitely getting there with my long-time goal of being a novelist. But I ran into a snag. As I was working on query letters and outlines so I can publish the damn thing, I got frustrated. Lesson learned here, write the outline and synopsis before writing the book.
In two separate conversations, I vented my frustrations to friends. What am I suppose to do? Rewrite all 300 pages as a romance just for the sake of getting published and sell my soul? It's supposed to be more mystery than drama, a little bit of a love story but that's not the main plot. Ugh!
So we talked about some of the ideas in the story, and they both said the same thing. "Huh, that sounds like Hitchcock." And I went........ oh. Oh! Psychological thriller! Of course! Lesson learned here, always choose the genre before writing the book.
I was very excited. My hard work, experimentation, and constant practice was starting to pay off. I had reached that magical point where writing is like flexing a muscle. Writing style, check. Author's voice, check. Chosen genres, Fantasy and Thriller, check. I made it, I'm here!
In my excitement, I sat down and wrote a fourth version, with the focus of psychological thriller. (Stubborn, remember?) I really believed this was it. After I finished and received some feedback from friends, I took a long objective look at the story. It still doesn't work. I got it very close, but not quite. And I could see the only way to fix this was to write a fifth version, clean slate, start over from scratch. After two years trying, I was burnt out with the story. I had to cut my losses and move on.
I don't regret any of it. Working on that story gave me the needed experience to get to where I am now. No regrets at all. But I will admit, I got way ahead of myself and took the scenic route. It's worked for me, but I wouldn't recommend doing things the hard way like I did.
I was still quite excited, wanted to keep trying the thriller genre, so I looked through my Giant Folder of Ideas (that's not what it's really called on my compute, that's just how I think of it). I came across a story idea I had back in 2003, that I didn't know what to do with, so I just wrote a rough one page and stuffed it in that folder. I took one look at it and instantly thought, this would make a fantastic psychological thriller! I was beyond excited, practically shaking with excitement.
I kept in mind my learned lessons, wrote a synopsis and two page outline, then spent five months straight writing a true psychological thriller. And I'm damn proud of the novel. If I died tomorrow, I would die very happy knowing I've accomplished what I set out to do.
Hello, I'm Lily, author of fantasy and thriller, and it's wonderful to meet you.
While I was working on the book, I noticed my website was falling apart. That's a disadvantage of independent author. Working on one thing meant something else was going to fall apart. It's not easy juggling everything by myself. So I decided once I was finished the manuscript, in order to not drive myself insane while editing, I'd do a major re-haul of my website, designed in a way that reflects where I am now as an author and an artist. And I love my new website. It's fun, interactive, and what I always wanted my website to be.
Yesterday, I submitted the first query letter for my psychological thriller. Keep your fingers crossed for me, you never know, it might be published sooner rather than later.
(And now, I'm going to do a badly needed re-haul of this blog).
Update: new blog layut and the poem, Long Term, is now in the Vault.
January 12, 2012
Website is live!
The website is live. There might be some broken links and such, if so, leave a comment here. Otherwise, you should be able to view all the fun stuff!
Note: you might have to refresh to view the new pages.
Enjoy!
Note: you might have to refresh to view the new pages.
Enjoy!
Excitement!
I'm both excited and nervous that after a total of 3 months of hard work, the new website should go live today. There's still a few things to work on but it's mostly behind the scenes stuff.
New Features include:
Vault - A collection of all short stories and poetry.
Gallery - one that actually works with a neat hover effect.
Brain - see my brain, all various projects I work on (a lot more than just writing)
Vagabond Shop - a number of artwork as cool t-shirts for sale (might be more products, check back often)
Bootleg - Eden Fell free download.
Now, don't freak out, but I've decided to put the Newsletter and Contests on hold until the need arises. It's just me working on all of this and I've realized I've overtaxed myself. I love doing the newsletter and contests, I really do, I just can't keep up for now. Hopefully someday very soon. (I need more web demons working for me).
I'll post an annoucement here when the website is live. Exciting!
New Features include:
Vault - A collection of all short stories and poetry.
Gallery - one that actually works with a neat hover effect.
Brain - see my brain, all various projects I work on (a lot more than just writing)
Vagabond Shop - a number of artwork as cool t-shirts for sale (might be more products, check back often)
Bootleg - Eden Fell free download.
Now, don't freak out, but I've decided to put the Newsletter and Contests on hold until the need arises. It's just me working on all of this and I've realized I've overtaxed myself. I love doing the newsletter and contests, I really do, I just can't keep up for now. Hopefully someday very soon. (I need more web demons working for me).
I'll post an annoucement here when the website is live. Exciting!
December 20, 2011
Get Everything for Free
I've decided to boycott most online retailers. There's been too many problems that have been going on for too long. They have a total monopoly on ebook sales and it's only getting worse.
As soon as possible, Eden Fell will be available as a free download, all short stories and poetry will be free to read on my website.
This is Lily signing off with a big fuck you at the corporate communist retailers, and a big warm message of Don't Buy It, Get It For Free. Because that's how much I love my readers and love writing stories.
As soon as possible, Eden Fell will be available as a free download, all short stories and poetry will be free to read on my website.
This is Lily signing off with a big fuck you at the corporate communist retailers, and a big warm message of Don't Buy It, Get It For Free. Because that's how much I love my readers and love writing stories.
December 2, 2011
It Fits in Your Pocket! It Runs Over your Neighbor's Dog!
Brand new web design coming! Here's a little preview of what's to come. New features will include audio of all writing, full short stories and not just excerpts, and interactive fun. Stay tuned! http://lilyauthor.com/preview/web%20test.htmNone of the links are active yet. If any link works, it'll take you somewhere you probably don't want to be. At which point, look for an escape pod
September 6, 2011
Contest Genres
I forgot to list the named genres for the contest. Mainly because there isn't really a 2nd or 3rd place, just first place.
Anyway, without further ado, here it is:
Melodie - Erotic Fable
That was interesting because I hadn't thought of it as a fable per se. A definite posibility.
Sandie - Paranormal Romance.
In a lot of ways, this genre would have been much easier, since it's such a well known genre and there are rules that can be followed. It was tempting.
Heidi - Erotic Psychedelic Fantasy
Heidi is the first place winner just because I'm utterly fascinated by the possibilities with psychedelic. So that's the first place winner.
'Til next time!
Anyway, without further ado, here it is:
Melodie - Erotic Fable
That was interesting because I hadn't thought of it as a fable per se. A definite posibility.
Sandie - Paranormal Romance.
In a lot of ways, this genre would have been much easier, since it's such a well known genre and there are rules that can be followed. It was tempting.
Heidi - Erotic Psychedelic Fantasy
Heidi is the first place winner just because I'm utterly fascinated by the possibilities with psychedelic. So that's the first place winner.
'Til next time!
September 2, 2011
Winners!
The winners of the Name that Genre contest are (drum roll please):
Heidi
Sandie
Melodie
*CHEERS*
The winners will be contacted soon about the details of their prize.
Next contest will take place in the autumn, so check back often!
Heidi
Sandie
Melodie
*CHEERS*
The winners will be contacted soon about the details of their prize.
Next contest will take place in the autumn, so check back often!
August 20, 2011
The Countdown Begins!
5 days left to enter the contest and win a prize. A new, never seen before short story, Sand Crystals, about a murderous mermaid, will be in the Ebook prize. Choose your prize and win! http://lilyauthor.com/contest.html
