Paul Manytravels
asked
Romeo Preminger:
As you begin a new book project, how much time do you spend outlining and doing the things that precede actually creating the novel?
Romeo Preminger
Hi Paul!
Thanks for stopping by. You know, for me it depends, generally based on the complexity of the story.
I’ve been writing novels fo a while now (I started out 10 years ago under another name). When I was starting out, I absolutely needed the outline process, and I followed the guidance in James Scott Bell’s Plot and Structure, which has you thinking about scenes and chapters as building blocks for moving the story along. If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend it.
At some point, I found that way of thinking about my writing became ingrained, so as long as I have the story pictured in my head, start to finish, I jump right into the writing. I finish the first draft, step away from it for a few days, then I go back for a clean-up job where I catch any inconsistencies with plot points or the timeline, as well as ways I can make the writing stronger.
I did create a calendar for my upcoming novel Bad Stepfather, because it’s a bit more complex than my previous books, and I wanted to pace out the romantic storyline while a lot of other things are going on for the lead character. But nowadays, I rarely use that method. As long as I can hold things in my head, I’m good.
Thanks again for your question, and I hope all that was helpful. :)
Thanks for stopping by. You know, for me it depends, generally based on the complexity of the story.
I’ve been writing novels fo a while now (I started out 10 years ago under another name). When I was starting out, I absolutely needed the outline process, and I followed the guidance in James Scott Bell’s Plot and Structure, which has you thinking about scenes and chapters as building blocks for moving the story along. If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend it.
At some point, I found that way of thinking about my writing became ingrained, so as long as I have the story pictured in my head, start to finish, I jump right into the writing. I finish the first draft, step away from it for a few days, then I go back for a clean-up job where I catch any inconsistencies with plot points or the timeline, as well as ways I can make the writing stronger.
I did create a calendar for my upcoming novel Bad Stepfather, because it’s a bit more complex than my previous books, and I wanted to pace out the romantic storyline while a lot of other things are going on for the lead character. But nowadays, I rarely use that method. As long as I can hold things in my head, I’m good.
Thanks again for your question, and I hope all that was helpful. :)
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