Question: Do you plot series events ahead of time?

[Beth]

This was an interesting question I was asked on my recent interview at the Writing From the Peak blog, and I thought I'd share my answer here:

I don't plot series events ahead at all. I bet that surprises you! I feel that while I'm working on a book, I should hold nothing back and throw every trial and tribulation I can think of at the protagonist. In other words, I should write that book like it's the last one I'll ever write. Then when I'm done, I might set up something in the last chapter about what could be coming over the horizon in the protagonist's life, because by then, I have some ideas.

One thing I do try to do is make sure my protagonist has enough important people in her life and enough interests and pursuits that I have a rich source of material to work with to create new stories and murder cases.

[Terri]

But if you just throw everything out, do you also delete it if you find it isnt working?

[Beth]

Hi Terri,
I don't "just throw everything out" while I'm writing. I prepare a detailed scene-by-scene outline before I begin writing the rough draft. That's when I try to cram in every trial and tribulation I can think of to challenge the protagonist with. And yes, if something doesn't fit in the book's plot structure, it gets thrown out. Sometimes the issue might go in a later book, but usually it was relevant in some way to the current book's theme, which is why I thought of it in the first place. So, it won't fit in a later book either. Great question!