I Can Haz Story?

 
It's been 3 weeks since I saw a story emerging from my Gunwitch2 notes. 3 weeks is a long time. Longer than I expected.
 
As I reported back on 3 November, I had the first third of the novel pretty well mapped out. I even thought I saw how the novel would proceed and end.
 
Turns out I saw nothing of the sort.
 
I kept bumping into issues of character motivation, story flow, and the urge to include more and more "cool stuff" from the setting that just didn't seem to fit anywhere. I even had entirely new characters jumping out of my notes and demanding–demanding!–to be in the story (though seldom offering clues about how and where, the little buggers).
 
After another couple thousand words of notes and outline sketches, though, I'm happy to report that I now have a high-level outline and the full shape of the story. And the best part is: Most of that first third of the outline I had mapped is still usable. Some of the backstory has changed, but most of what I had designed up until my stall is still intact.
 
This coming week I should be able to get the details of the outlines filled in, name all the important characters, and maybe (if I'm lucky *and* industrious) even start writing.
 
I will make no estimates of how long it will take me to write this novel (2012 is looming, after all). I'm also not going to promise the story outline won't change between now and "The End" (it usually does; battle plans, the enemy, all that). Still, I'm excited. Progress!
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
A Story EmergesPlanning (Almost) FinishedWalking the Path