method and madness

One of the things I'm coming to realize about myself as a writer is that I tend to jump in feet first and then realize once I'm treading water that I should have had a better plan. So, usually I'll start off with an idea, then I'll write a couple of chapters, then I'll go back and write an outline.

I'm working on a murder mystery right now. I started writing it with only one idea in my head: wouldn't it be funny if a bestselling crime-fiction writer got tangled up in an actual crime? I had a ...