A Writing System Is Essential

About halfway through my first book, I learned that simply writing as I went wasn’t going to cut it. A book is a complex, living entity, and a writing system is necessary to keep it from becoming overwhelming. The system I used to rewrite and finish “A Boy Named Zephyr” has been the basis for how I write today.

The Plot Skeleton

Before I even start the story itself, I find it helpful to write out a skeleton of what I’d like the plot to be. It should be detailed, but not overly so. Basically,...