I envy J.K.Rowling and her ability to plot not just one book, but seven, and do it all in advance, with clues to the denouement laid out carefully in all the books.
My problem is that when I lay out a plot like this, and then try to write the book, the writing comes out stiff and wooden. I work best when I sit at the keyboard with just the idea for the first chapter, and as the characters flesh out, inspiration takes over and I start to day-dream about the characters and then simply write what I've dreamt. Everything that happens is a delicious surprise and discovery.
I also re-write as I go, endlessly polishing what I've written, and frequently going back to change something or foreshadow events, as the direction of the book changes.
Is this an inefficient way to write? I don't know, but it should give you an idea of the trouble I'm having with the synopsis for my competition submission. For how can I write a proper synopsis when my book is unfinished and there might be a development that I don't know anything about?
The re-writing too changes the book. I was suddenly struck with the realisation that my opening didn't have enough conflict in it. So I had to go back and change the first three chapters. Good job I hadn't already submitted the first chapter to the competition!
If the worst comes to the worst, I'll just skip the competition and submit the novel in the normal way. Better to submit something that is good, than to hurry and submit something not fully thought through. The value of the competition is that it is making me write and think my novel through, rather than the prize (though the prize would be nice).
Monday 28 January 2008
Why I've set up this blog
My aim this year is to write a romance novel for the Mills and Boon "Modern" line. I actually started writing my novel in April last year, and have been picking it up and tinkering with it in short bursts.
When I saw that Mills and Bon were having a writing competition, I thought I'd better get my finger out and complete the book. They allow you to submit multiple entries as long as you have never been published and the deadline for the competition is Feb 14th 2008.
The competition requires you to send in your first chapter (which can be up to 5000 words) and a synopsis. My dilemma is this - should I post off my first chapter and synopsis based on what I've written so far? Or should I write a lot more of the novel in order to do justice to the synopsis? I've written some 37,000 words of the novel so far, and Mills and Boon novels have about 50-55,000 words. If I'm reasonably disciplined in the next few weeks, I should be able to finish the book, or as near as I can, but it's a big ask. Oh well, here goes!
When I saw that Mills and Bon were having a writing competition, I thought I'd better get my finger out and complete the book. They allow you to submit multiple entries as long as you have never been published and the deadline for the competition is Feb 14th 2008.
The competition requires you to send in your first chapter (which can be up to 5000 words) and a synopsis. My dilemma is this - should I post off my first chapter and synopsis based on what I've written so far? Or should I write a lot more of the novel in order to do justice to the synopsis? I've written some 37,000 words of the novel so far, and Mills and Boon novels have about 50-55,000 words. If I'm reasonably disciplined in the next few weeks, I should be able to finish the book, or as near as I can, but it's a big ask. Oh well, here goes!
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