Confessions of a Novel Planner

The Guinness Factory in Dublin, Ireland

So there are two methods writers use when they sit down to write their stories. They either go the planning route or the pantster route. Pansters just sit down and let their fingers and imaginations fly. I envy them. Planners like myself are methodical and precise. We get an idea, then we take it, expand on it, create characters, plan out their entire backstories down to their first kiss or favorite song, then and only then do we start to write our novels.

Let me tell you my journey to becoming a planner.

When I first attempted to sit down and write a full fledged novel it was November of 2010, and I was studying abroad in Manchester, England. NaNoWriMo started during Reading Week. Its the British version of Spring Break during the fall. My flatmates and I had planned a trip to Ireland and since I had never been I certainly wasn't going to pass up the chance to go.

I had an absolute blast. I mean I grew up in Europe so I've traveled a fair amount in Germany and Sweden and other places, but this was the first time I was doing it an an adult and on my own. It was much sweeter the second time around. Well except for getting drunk, but that is neither here nor there.

So back to my original point. Since I knew I was going to be on vacation when NaNo started I didn't really plan out my novel. I just had a basic concept with a few key characters. I felt that was enough to get started and carry me for 50,000 words and 30 days. So the clock struck midnight and I started writing. I felt good. This was my first time attempting an actual novel and boy was I excited! The world was a wonderful place and the Yellow Brick Road was beckoning me onward.

The first day went swimmingly. I hit the work count and everything. The next day we were off to Ireland. I brought my laptop so I could have a working vacation. It worked out wonderfully. I hit my word count every day. I got back from my Ireland trip and I went to a few write-ins at the KroBar and things like that and still everything was going good.

Then I hit a snag. My main character Dasher Lemon, hey I still like that name thank you very much needed a backstory with her nerdy neighbor and I couldn't come up with it. The rest of the story as I soon found out depended on this backstory so I couldn't just  push past it or write around it. So I had to stop and try to figure out their past relationship. Well a few minutes turned into hours and those hours turned into dancing the night away at Tiger,Tiger to find inspiration. I went to bed thinking I could come up with something in the morning after a good night's rest. Well that didn't work out so well. To make a long story short I and my novel stalled out at 15k words.

I learned a lot from that first NaNo experience. I learned that above anything it frustrates me to the gates of Hades when I don't know something about my characters or my stories. That blank hole mocks me and distracts me. When I'm frustrated and distracted am about as good as the Buffalo Bills in the Superbowl. And for all you non-sports fans that is about as good Sheldon Cooper battling a chicken.

So Nano 2011 came rolling around. I told myself that during October I would take then time to plan out my novel and see how that went. I had tried to pansters route and it had slapped me around like a redheaded stepchild. It stood to reason that if something doesn't work try something else.

I plotted and I planned. In 2011 I won my first NaNoWriMo. I ran across that finish like three days before Nov 30 and victory was oh so sweet. Like cookies and cream sweet. I found my groove and his name was Planner.

Now you might be asking, 'How do you plan.' And that my friend is an excellent question *hands you a cookie*

I start with a simple one line plot and a main character. My main characters are always black females. I'm a black female that loves fantasy and I'm getting fed up with all the main characters being white. Since I'm the author I can write what I want. So there it is.

Then the real fun starts. I expand on my simple one liner and I make it a proper plot. I like to know the beginning and the end of my book. I have to see where I'm going to know how to get there. Once the plot it settled. Well it can change but I like it to be as settled as it can be to help my anxiety. Then I create my cast of characters.

Two of my plotting composition books

I always start with a name. A rose by any other name just wouldn't get the job done if anyone bothered to ask me. For me a name either makes or breaks a character. I've been know to put a book down when the character names just aren't doing it for me. Modelland by Tara Banks is a prime example. Tookie De La Creme has got to be the worst name for a character that I've come across in a good long while and that includes Mindy the Model (sorry Stan Lee). I like to have unusual and rememberable character names. I can't name my character Elizabeth or Jessica or Sarah. Those names are just so vanilla. No offense to anyone with those names. They just don't do anything for me and I would never use them. My latest creation is August Eden Grimm, and I am in love with her already.

I create families and backstories for all my characters. I don't know if I will use that, but I have to have a character's backstory. I mean their past is what has created this character. I may use their family or I may just mention them. Either way I need to know these things. Sometimes it takes a lot to get that out of my story or my characters.

Sometimes they don't want to talk to me.

After I get all of that done then I'm ready to start plotting out the story. Yes I have the simple one liner and then I have the expanded plot, but I like to have my actual chapters planned out. I do what some would call summaries. I do one or two scenes so that I know what's going on in that chapter and how it connects the chapter before it and after it to each other and then overall plot.

This is the most exciting part of the ride for me. Surprises pop up around every corner. New characters and plot twists pop up. My plot may change or it might expand. I never know what's going to happen when I get to this point. This is the most crucial part of the planning however. I'm plot focused and I have characters that enhance the plot and not characters who drive the plot if that makes sense.

I'm one of those people that love essay tests because it gives me a chance to write down everything that I know about any given subject. I'm that annoying kid that uses an entire blue book for the exam. So if I just sit down and write I will write and write and write without an end insight. Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes its not. When you need to get to a point and get to it in 320 pages while entertaining someone you have make every word, every page count. So to rein in my rambling imagination I have to keep it in check with my planning.

There are some out there that swear by worksheets, character sketches and all that jazz. I mean if that's how you plan then do you honey. Writing is personal and what works for me might work for you or it might not. Don't think you have to do exactly what I do. I'm a uniquely created woman. One of a kind. how I get to the mountain top should not be the only trail that is blazed. You feel me? I don't use worksheets because I don't want to try and fit myself, my novel, my characters, my plot into someone else's mold. That's just not me. I like my method of panster planning.

Now I can just hear you saying, "But that sucks the soul out of writing." I can see where you are coming from if you as a panster sort of person, but I feel like my writing comes alive once I start writing. I take all of my plans and my pages and I use my computer to bring them to life. When I plan out a chapter and a scene comes up that I like I can't wait to get there so I can finally write it. That anticipation makes for a better scene for me. They say sex works the same way but I still can't see it.

I hate looking at that blinking cursor and making plans helps me battle that foul beast. So I am a novel planner hear me roar!

Fireflies, S'mores and Rope Swings oh my!

So we are 3 weeks out from the start of the first Camp NaNoWriMo session! I am a tad excited if you can't tell! I never went to camp as a kid because I grew up in Germany and surprisingly they don't do the camp thing during the summer. We traveled and went to amusement parks over the summer. Which was fun but I would have loved to have gone to a creative arts or science camp during the summer. Something about being in a nerdary with other geeks just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside

This year the sessions are in April and July. There was a furious debate about the feasibility of having the camp sessions during April and July.

I personally love the new months. Last year it was June and August. For most kids they are still in school in June and during August families are trying to cram in their vacations before they have to rush back for school to start back. I think april works well for everyone all around, and it gives an opportunity for the Script Frenzy people to have something official to do since OLL canceled Script Frenzy.

I was sad to see it go, but I just never participated because scripts just aren't my thing.

There have been some upgrades to the Camp NaNo site and I have to say I love them. First and foremost you have the ability to set your own goal. Which I think will really work for the people that want to participate but know going in that they are going to be too busy for 50,000 words. It allows them to get that accomplishment in the midst of  the chaos of real life. It also helps those overachievers who know they can blaze through 50,000 easy. Last November my NaNo novel went better than I could have ever imagined. I crossed the 50k mark on Nov. 16. Once that happened the energy just drained out of me. I was able to limp along and win with 62,313 but I felt like I cheated myself in the end. So I'm happy that I can set my own goal because it will keep me pushing and I might just be able to finish an entire novel during the camp. Which has me as giddy as if I had eaten an entire box of red velvet cupcakes.

The next upgrade I think that I am going to like is the expanded option package for the cabin selection. Now we have the ability to set the cabin activity level. Last June I lucked out and got most of the people I requested in my cabin and we worked great together. We created a facebook group simply because we weren't that active in our cabins and in the August session only two of us were active. I like a lot of activity and talking. Especially when I'm stuck and I need help on something. I like having someone as a sounding board or just someone to shoot the breeze with when I need to decompress for a bit.

So I am looking forward to using the site once camp starts.

I was teetering back and forth between two different plots. One was a steampunk, fairy tale inspired throwback noir book. I had all the research done and I thought that was what I was going to do, but then my Castle inspired book kept calling my name. When the sight went live everything just clicked for me and I decided to go with my Castle muse.

Title: Inventing the Grimm

Genre: fantasy

Protagonist: August Grimm. She is a twenty something NY best selling author. She is funny and sarcastic. A real child at heart. Though she doesn't believe in the fairy tales she is writing about. They are just stories to her. She is still in the honeymoon phase of her stardom. Not really believing that its all true, but loving the fact that people love her books.

Other Characters: Ezra is going to be another voice of the book. She is the Fablehaven police chief. Or I may just make her an inspector and make someone else the chief. Not sure if that will change just now or never. Balthazar, the Big Bad Wolf is going to be the love interest in the novel. Not sure if I want it to be a Bridget Jones love interest sort of thing because I am so bad at writing romance or if I'm just going to wing it. There is going to a steady cast of re-imagined fairy tale characters so this is going to be a fun ride for me. :)

Antagonists: The Queen of Hearts and the Sheriff of Nottingham. both of them I am thinking of them as Bonnie and Clyde. They thrive of the psychotic vibe from the other, but the Queen is going to be in charge and the Sheriff is just her knife man. the Queen is going to be a disgraced and penniless monarch living on the outskirts of the city. Sort of like the crazy cat lady with a murderous streak.

Plot: August Grimm is living the high life. She is a celebrated best selling author of the popular Apple White series. A fairy tale detective series based on Snow White. Does August think fairy tales are real? Of course not. Unfortunately for her in Fablehaven fairy tales are real and someone is killing its citizens. Just like in her books. And if these murders are going to get solved Fablehaven is going to need her help...if she can get passed the flying monkeys.

Setting: The initial setting is going to be Neptune, NC, but the majority of the story is going to take place in Fablehaven. The fairy tale capital city. There are going to be some border countries like Oz and the land of the Trolls, but I haven't come up with the name just yet.

Point of View: Third person limited for August and sometimes Ezra and other characters as need be

Story Notes: I am planning on this being a novel series and I've got 4 books plotted out already and I am thinking its going to be seven books so I have to take in account how the books are going to bed from the very beginning. So I can drop little hints and tidbits along the way throughout the books. I want each book to be a stand alone book but I want a natural progression from one to the other. If that makes any sense.