PREP~ It’s has been awhile since I have added to my Novel Bootcamp, but now is the perfect time because I am writing a new book. The book is the third about the Sinclair family, the Seven Deadly Sins. This time I have prepped more than I ever have. Avon author Cathy Maxwell had recommended, once upon a time, that I take the Discovering Story Class by Robin Perini and Laura Baker. I had attended their workshops at the RWA conference once before and so I signed up for the Master’s Class. Amazing. I so highly recommend the experience that I bought my sister (an aspiring author) the Discovering Story Magic initial materials and then signed her up for the June 1 class. Take the Discovering Story Magic Class. Trust me on this one.
If you haven’t read my Novel Boot Camp blog before, you should know that I am seat-of-the-pants writer. It comes to me as I write. Plotting is alien to me. Or so I thought. Through the DSM Master’s Class, I actually plotted–not the scenes or where the story goes, but a few essential bits that make up the story. The inciting incident, the long term goal, the short term goal, the critical flaw, the romance block, the black moment and the resolution. I did this for both my hero and heroine (Lady Siusan Sinclair, who appeared in both To Sin With a Stranger and, the soon to be released, The Most Wicked of Sins.)
Then, I briefly outlined all the scenes that came to me as a result of this brainstorming (I brainstormed with Rob Perini and Laura Baker through this class). I ended up with maybe 30 scenes which I placed on a poster board I had segmented into 20 chapters. Now, it’s time to write. This is the first time I have, dare I say it, plotted on paper instead of inside my head. By thinking through the critical turning points in a story, all the way through, I think I have a better handle on this story from the beginning than I have ever had before.
Will it work? I don’t know. I tend to try another method of writing with every book. I guess I keep hoping that one day I will find the perfect process for me. Every book is different. Maybe a new process is required with each book. But something tells me maybe this is the right approach for this book (officially entitled The Duke’s Night of Sin, Avon Books, June 2010.)
Will you join on me on this journey? I hope so. Ready, set, GO!
