Going off-roading, an open book blog hop post

 

Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

How do you deal with a change in ideas halfway through your book? Or do you save it for a sequel?
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Well, I'm a "pantser" as they call it--meaning that I don't work from an outline, but just free-form it in my writing life. So, there darn well better be some new ideas halfway through the book or I'll stay stalled forever! 

I have, however, had an unexpected twist--where I really thought the story or characters were going one direction and suddenly, a left turn at Albuquerque. That's what I think this prompt is getting at: when you had one plan, but the story or character seems to have other ideas.

image source
 

When that happens, I usually follow the new inspiration, at least for a while. Sometimes I end up writing a few different versions of events before I settle on the one that really serves the needs of the story. I keep all the versions, just in case I want to explore another one or use part of an abandoned section in another story sometime.

It's probably not the most efficient method for creation, but it is the one that works for me. How about you? Do you make a plan and stick with it in your creative endeavors? Or do you go with the flow, even when it ends up being a dead end? I'd love to hear about it in the comments. 

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