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| Pants are evil. Down with pants! |
But what ELSE is there to do?
Character Sketches
You don't need EVERY character in the book, but it's good to have your MCs and the 'critical to the plot' secondary characters... and some backstory... stuff that may or may not make the book, but that is important to motivation.
I ALSO create a character page in my spreadsheet. As I write, when I add a character that wasn't in that original plan, I write the name and role. It takes a little time, but it SAVES a ton of time.
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| NOT how I diagram (mine look more like mind maps) |
Who doesn't LOVE a plot diagram? Mysteries in particular are SO WELL suited to DRAWING. Not that my drawings are beautiful, but they're FUN... *cough * I also like to diagram relationships as those are fun surprises to pop in later...
Word Count Charts!!!
I love the BuNoWriMo wordcount too because it's pertiful... but I am a girl who likes to balance my goals against what I accomplish visually. I use the Open Chart program. My TABLE currently looks like this:
Where I have my doc total, a column to subtract yesterdays total so I know today's addition, my MANUAL day count, a sum of the two, and my GOAL (both by day and cumulatively). Note that I try to write more weekends and use that to lessen the daily total later... starting is easy, but then the story gets harder... better to just plan on that in my world...
And then I have my graphic display because somehow it serves better as reinforcement... pretty pictures and all...
Brief Scene or Two
These books that stew... I almost always get a feel for an interaction or two that helps me define a relationship or character... I let myself write them. They nearly never make the book (so I figure for a WriMo it's not cheating). It is more an exercise in voice, characterization... all that...
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| Who doesn't know this map? Seriously. |
Oh, MAN, maps make me giddy! Anyone else get off on making maps? I made a map of the BUILDING (it is actually two with a narrow alley between) where my microbrewery is. Kenny gets 1/3 of the bottom floor of one. At the other end, only on two floors, is an Art Gallery/art supply. Between, but only half wide is a music store on the street, and BEHIND the office for a wellness center, which teaches yoga above the microbrewery. The building across the alley has a fresh produce place, a Romanian owned bakery, an Asian fish market, and an Import market (baskets, wicker furniture, pillows, rugs). Buildings are 4 floors, all with businesses and offices on first two floors and lofts on the top two. HooHooHoo!!! (can you TELL how much this excites me?) But not only that, it helps me keep things straight. I know who owns each, how they get along, who lives there... as this is intended to be a series, and these details will matter, if not now, eventually.
What do/did all of YOU do to prep for writing?
BuNoWriMo progress, for the curious:
Microbrew Mystery
is 8% complete
04014 / 50000 words written