What
does this have to do with novel writing? Working backward may help with novel
planning.
Every novel has a similar structure. One of the easiest blueprints to
follow is Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet from Save the Cat. If I know, for example,
that my character must make a choice at the beginning of Act 2, then I can put
that into my outline, early in the planning stages. I don’t have to plan the
novel in chronological order or figure out all of the events that influence or
lead up to the decision. The next time I outline a novel, I’m going to fill in
the bones first, then flesh it out. I may even begin with the “Dark Night of
the Soul” and work toward the beginning.
3 comments:
It sounds so simple, but I have the hardest time outlining and thinking of these major moments ahead of time. I seem to need to write first and figure it out as I go, then step back and outline. Maybe this is something that gets easier with practice - your brain starts to think that way.
It does make so much sense and Stephen King champions this method. For me to implement it will require more planning before I do any writing...which may be a good thing and end up saving time with rewrites later. My next book will be approached this way. And then I'll compare to my other books where I didn't know where I was going until I got there.
Kristin and Kim: Some writers are planners and some are plungers. I tend to belong to the first group. That's not to say I don't deviate from my plan ...
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