The Tao of the Inner Outline

Playing on my music player: Take my picture-Filter

If you read my last post on the Inner Outline you might be thinking “This is great stuff!” followed by “But what exactly is it?”

Here is where I try to explain what I mean by the Inner Outline. Try and hopefully succeed. So what is the Inner Outline anyway?

In its simplest form, it is the notes you take while you write.

“That’s it?”

Yes and no.

“What?”

“Huh?”

Let me explain. The Inner Outline is more than just notes. It is the process by which, as you write you explore your narrative. Is the process of asking why.

“Ba?”

No bomb. Now pay attention, eyes front. OK. Let say that you written the first 3 or 5 or 19 chapters. Spend countless hours crafting exciting scenes, elevated prose and interesting characters. That does not mean that you have a story.

“It doesn’t?”

Nope.

The old joke among salesmen is that we have two ears but one mouth. We don’t listen while we talk and we talk when we should be listening. Writing is like talking. It is the flow of information from your brain to the outside world, in this case the page. But while we are doing that we are not listening to what we are writing. And I don’t mean the bad grammar or syntax. Nor am I talking about going back and re-examining every single every sentence for meaning.

The Inner Outline is about taking what you already have and growing it. It is about asking some key questions about your narrative;

Where am I?

What is going on?

Where do I go from here ?

It is the point where you stop talking (writing) and start listening (take notes). By doing this you can step back for a moment and see the narrative as a whole. You allow your characters to speak with their own voice. And you start seeing the paths ahead. You don’t need to ask all the questions at once, nor answer them, but by asking these questions as you write will illuminate the narrative by pulling you back and seeing the forest and the trees.

Think of this process as a having your personal writing group right there with you.

In future posts I’ll tackle specific uses for the Inner Outline, but for now, as you take that break, think of a few questions about where you are and where do you think your story should go next. The answers might surprise you.

AW Blogchain: Art imitates life

And so here ends the AW January blogchain. Razib Ahmed kicked off the chain by introducing the theme of recession and how it affects people across the world, especially people from more affluent nations. Benjamin Solah then concentrates on how people turn on each other in these difficult times. Bad times invite flare ups in the no man’s land of class war. FreshHell took the theme home by showcasing how racial divides still linger on the surface in her home state. WendyNYC reminds us that not all racism is blatant. What we say behind close doors reveals as much as we say in public. Madderblue took on the theme of language and how it differs in different countries. Kat Frass ran with the theme and illustrated how language changes even among those who speak the same mother tongue. I’ll have to watch out for those rubbers! Veinglory caps the discussion on English idioms by tackling gender neutral pronouns. Truelyana takes us to the heights of lyrical construction with her take on language and meaning.

Considering this is a writer’s blog I think I should link this to writing. The words we choose as writers reflect our, social standing, nation of origin, prejudices (blatant or otherwise).  We harvest stories from conflict, whether they be,  economic, racial, cultural or national. While many of us write fiction, that fiction is intimately tied to our reality. We are what we write and we write about who we are. This is true even if our main characters search for buried treasure, slay dragons, explore deep space or struggle with domestic problems.

What we write reflects all these things.

With those words I close this chainblog. Until next time….

The Inner Outline

Amy over at the Purple Patch is working on an outline for a new book (untitled as of yet). In fact many a fellow scribe out on the Internets seem to follow the outliner’s path. I am not one of them.

I just can’t outline before writing.  It feels like am writing the story before I write the story. I am what the folks over at the Writing Excuses podcast call a “discover writer” or a “multiple drafter” (h/t to Unfocused Me for the link). My first draft is my outline he place where the bones of the story rise from the earth, the ghost of the realms of imagination come to life and where all mistakes (every one of the them) is made.

Now I do a bit of outlining (just a bit) before I start a project, especially if its a sci-fi/fantasy one. I do what is called “world building“, not to much, but enough so I have the general parameters of technology, magic, sociopolitical structures, that sort of thing. Again, nothing so detailed as maps or anything like that. That serves the same purpose as the inner outline, to keep everything tight and logical but without wrapping myself in a straight jacket. However I do something slightly different.

I outline while I work.

Say what? Yes I create what I call the “Inner Outline”.  I start writing the first few chapters and then take a brief break. During the break I sit down with my trusty legal paper pad (white) and asks myself a few questions such as:

What is the MC’s motivation? The villains?

How do I transition from scene A to scene B?

Should the MC have a romantic interest?

What happens next?

And so on.

But why do this?

Because the one thing I hate is logical inconsistency. I hate when characters go off their behavioral rails or when an author adds things just because he think its cool.  Think of it as a compromise. It gives me the freedom to write with minimum preconditions but allows enough control so that the narrative remains consistent. The inner outline grows from what is already on the page as opposed to something that comes from the outside imposing its will on it.  It takes what it is already there and expands it, turns the country road into a six lane highway without (hopefully) driving the narrative into the corn fields.

So my approach is a hybrid one, part inspiration, part pesperiation. Hopefully it will lead me to success.

Neither Here Nor There…The Movie Redux

The dream of many a writer is to see their story come to life on the silver screen (although they will settle for a Lifetime/Sci-Fi movie of the week to be honest).  I made no secret of my ambition to one day turn this humble project into a future sleeper hit/Golden Globe/Oscar/Palm D’Ore contender. Which means I need a cast to go with the movie. Now this book may never get published but imagining my characters as actors helps me visualize them and describe them effectively. So here is the revised cast list for Neither Here nor There… The Movie:

Anthony/Antonio Mendoza: Up for grabs. Still can’t imagine anyone playing him but me. He is, in many ways, a fictionalized version of me, better in some ways, worse in others. However I am NOT an actor so that right there might kill the whole project.

Michael Mendoza: None other than Rupert Grint. Why? Right age, right comedic timing. I can’t think of any actor of the right age and temperament to play the part. Also I am a fan of his work beyond Harry Potter. Check out Driving Lessons and you will see what I mean.

Cristina Miller: I’ve decided that yes, Eve Myles is the best candidate for the job. Smart, with a terrific voice, the perfect choice for hard working and smart Cristina.  Fans of Torchwood rejoice!

Michelle Miller:  Emma Watson gets the nod the first time around and she is still around. Yes, she and Rupert have great chemistry born from years working together in the same movie series. But she also brings looks, brains and an air of quite confidence that would allow her to play the sunny yet clever Michelle.

Mr. McMillan: I may end up changing the name, but not my choice for actor. Another member of the HP alumni association Alan Rickman. He is a great actor that gets a lot of bad guy movie roles but I can’t imagine anyone else playing the solicitor.

Charlie: Antony’s right hand man at Quick Derby Delivery Service.  Simon Pegg got the nod the first time around and I see no reason why he should not keep the job.

Jimmy: That honor goes to Nick Frost, of course. He definitely has the chops to play the hard working, hard drinking, cookie munching every man.

The Man from Lloyds: One of several cameos, but not one that should be dismissed lightly. The honor goes to Colin Firth.

John the Vicar:  The spot is reserved for Paul Bettany although I could settle for Rowan Atkinson.

The Sinclair’s: For those of you who rad the first draft, you will be forgiven for not recognizing these two, but they come in a big way in the second. Hugh Grant plays Arthur Sinclair along side Minnie Driver who plays his wife. Slimy fake people who live for the sale, not to be trusted.

Rescue Shelter Volunteer: Another bit part that goes to a third alumni from the cast of Spaced,  Jessica Hynes.  I’m sure Nick and Simon would be glad to work with her again, if only behind the scenes.

Patty: Michelle Ryan snagged the part from the beginning and is hers to keep. The character has grown a bit from Antony’s would be love interest into a independent figure of her own and critical to a new subplot in the book.  She definitely has the body to fill those distracting tight clothes that Patty’s is known for  in and out of the office.  You might know her as the lead in the short lived remake of the Bionic Woman.

Lady Execeter: A new character. She is Patty’s aunt and a member of nobility. Of course she is not as noble as she looks, but she definitely looks great. The role goes to none other than Martine McCutcheon. You might remember her as Hugh Grant’s love interest in Love, Actually.  She has experience playing characters on British soap operas so the role of an aggressive Cougar/Black Widow should not be hard for her to play.

Hobby/Comic Book Store attendant: Yet another bit role, but one that would make Dr. Who fans smile, since this new role in the expanded scene of the double date/romantic weekend gateway to Cardiff goes to Billie Piper. Expect to see a big blue Police Box in the scene along side some mannequins sporting some peculiar clothing combinations.

As I think of more character/actor combos I’ll post them here along with the revised soundtrack.

The Joy of Great Conversations

Rocking my iPod: Human-The Killers

In recent days I’ve had some very interesting conversations with fellow bloggers on the comment sections of their blogs. For example:

• Creative A discusses a new take on writing for the market. In that post she explores the question of whether writers should write “for themselves” or try to create/ride existing market trends.
• Donna over at Fantastical Imagination tackles the issue of a rating system for books geared to inform parents (in theory) about the suitability of certain books for certain ages. That is if the book may be above an 11 year’s reading skill. We agree that it is a bad idea, but you can jump in and add your two cents if you like.
• And our friend Amy calms our fears with a rundown of the steps from pen/keyboard to publishing success with the appropriate humorous commentary to keep the weary writer’s ego untrammeled.

I really enjoyed these conversations. They are the kinds of conversations good friends who share a passion (such as writing) can have over coffee or beer. I hope you enjoy them too.

Tag, I’m it!

Playing on the iPod: Ordinary World-Duran Duran

Just came back from Starbucks. That explains the LOLCat on top of the page. In other blog news, I just got tagged by Amy over at Purple Patch. Problem is that most of the blogs she linked too are the ones I wanted to tag myself. Oh well.

So here is the way this meme goes:

• Write about six things that make you happy.
• Link to six victims…I mean fellow bloggers.
• Drop by their blogs and announce that you tag them.
• Write down the rules of the meme for all to see.

So lets start with the six things that make me happy:

1. Sex: Yes Amy, you are right. Getting my grove on makes me very happy indeed.
2. Writing: Having a blast. Just finished a short story that I hope will make the rounds in competition and/or publications. Fingers crossed.
3. Coffee: Makes writing possible.
4. Chocolate: Comfort food, nuff said.
5. LOLCats: I love cats and dogs but don’t have any pets at the moment, so if I want a quick laugh I go there and get it. Plus no scooping poop afterward.
6. D&D: Yes, I am a gamer. I thought that was obvious by now. If not, now you know.

Now for the six people I have to pass on this meme on too:

Kathleen Peacock

Headdesk

Fantastical Imagination

The Unfocused Life

A Way Back to Myself

Ten Percent

OK, that is it for this internet meme. Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

BTW, Firebrand Literary has announced a Query Holiday. Go Check it out!

Not done yet….

I’ve sort of gone around the bend with the second draft of Neither Here nor There. It kept taking me more time than I expected. That is until I realized that the darn book wasn’t finished yet. Yes, it has all the major characters and a solid plot at it’s center. But the loose threads from which a bunch of minor characters where hanging from was driving me crazy. Finally I came up with a secondary plot line that should, should put things in order without detracting from the main narrative. As soon as I finish the final chapter I will hop back again into the editing train and get this monster ready for querying.

More Writer’s Blogs

Continuing in my quest to highlight the writer’s blogs that I like and you should read, I give you three more samples of most excellent blogging:

• The Unfocused Life: Always crazy, sometimes wrong, or so he says.
• Something She Wrote: A mom, a writer and a christian all at the same time. Oh and a latte drinker to boot!
• Headdesk: For the moments when your novel doesn’t make sense and what to do about it. I would listen to her if I where you!

So these are the new entries on the “blogs from writers I like” or should I say the “writer’s blogs I like to read” or some such. Until next time….

Five Questions

Unfocused Me stopped by and laid down five very interesting questions for me to answer. So I did. Here are the answers:

1. Your house is on fire. All the people and pets are already out and safe. You can take only one thing with you. What will it be and why? (Harriet asked me this question, and it flummoxed me, so now I pass the flummoxing on to you.)

My notebooks. Too many notes, too much information. If everything else is safe then I’ll take them with me. Why? They represent what I have achieved this last year and what I hope to accomplish in the future.

2. The job interview question: where do you see yourself in five years?

Well, any work I take in the short term would exist to support my writing. In five years I see myself in London, writing and publishing more books, probably working on TV and or movies and starting production of the film adaptation of Neither Here nor There….

3. I tracked this meme back through several iterations and found this question. I like it, now it’s yours: What would surprise people about you if they met you, having only known you from your blog?

I don’t know, really. I laid my life bare on these pages, I doubt anyone that read them would be surprised by anything they see in real life. If anything it maybe how much I resemble what I write or that I am not as handsome as I portray myself!

4. You get one do over. What is it?

College. It was great but I would have liked to graduate sooner, with better grades and taken more writing courses.

5. How do you fit your writing into the rest of your life? What have you had to give up? (Again, largely taken from Harriet’s questions to me.)

It is not so much what I given up but what I gained. I gained a sense of purpose, enhanced my routine and found my calling. Writing is what I do, who I am. I may not be a good writer, but I am one and I hope to improve with every word I type.