Outline Forward...Write Backward

Hi Everyone! Audra here.

I’m hot. Not in a super model way (no snickering!) but, rather in a very I-dislike-94 degree-hot temperature way. I’ve never been a fan of hot weather, except maybe when my kids were young and we spent the day at the lake – back in the days when I dared to wear a swimsuit in public, LOL! Ah the days, but I digress.

So, now it’s the middle of summer, it’s hot outside and…

I’m writing a Christmas novella.

Have you heard? The Seekers are creating two collections of Christmas novellas – one contemporary and one historical. I’ll be contributing to the contemporary collection using secondary characters, RJ Westin and Shayna Leon from my Love Inspired book, Rocky Mountain Hero. RJ and Shayna have a story, just not one long enough to stretch 65-70K words.

A novella! This is so exciting!! And frightening. I’ve never written anything this short and honestly, I had a hard time figuring out how to do it. Went back and reread some of my favorite Christmas novellas trying to find the key to creating a full-bodied, satisfying story using 15-20K words.

Copyright: nastia / 123RF Stock Photo

I know, I know. Write tight; no sub-plots; it’s all about the romance. That’s fine advice, but a novella, no matter how short, still needs the basic construction and elements of a novel. Every time I sat down to sketch out an idea, my brain couldn’t get past the concept of limited story.

So, I started thumbing through some how-to books on plotting. My favorites are:

From the Inside…Out, Susan May Warren

The Story Within, Alicia Rasley

And my hands down favorite –

Rock Your Plot by Cathy Yardley.

This little indie published gem holds a well-worn spot in my Kindle. There’s something about the way RYP guides you through the plotting process that connects with my mind…which in some cases, is a very dangerous thing! I’ll have to write a post entirely on RYP sometime, but right now, let me share how it took the fear out of writing short and put my brain right back into creating a well-rounded story.

The element I latched on to is Outline. Now, being the pantser that I am, trying to write a scene by scene outline is like trying to organize a bowl of spaghetti. My noodled ideas slip through the cracks and tangle themselves with other possible thoughts, digging me deeper into a book that could possibly rival one of Julie Lessman’s in length.

Definitely not good for a novella.

Rock Your Plot held my hand through the process, refusing to let go when the slippery slide of the pasta trail sought to tug me to the bottom of the glutinous bowl. For the first time in my writing career, the components of creating a plot outline clicked a compatible switch in my simple, little brain! Why did this take so long?

I applaud all of you who figured this out long ago. Wow. I finally stopped looking at a novella as a challenge, and started seeing it as an adventure.

As I said before, a novella is short, but it still has to capture the essence of well-rounded romance. Once I identified all the components of the story, I realized the trick was going to be using my few words to their fullest rather than cutting back on the expected components.

Rock Your Plot has you identify, and write down, the following elements:

Inciting Incident

Plot Point 1

Pinch Point 1

Midpoint

Pinch Point 2

Plot Point 3

Black Moment

Resolution

I went old school on this. 3x5 index cards. I had just enough room on one side of a card to identify the element, the POV character, the conflict. It’s the conflict that keeps the story going people!! Conflict!! Those of you that know me well are probably laughing right now – I’m the queen of avoiding conflict!! Now keep this little tidbit of information in the front of your mind. I’ve overcome my fear of conflict and I’m going to tell you how I accomplished it…in just a little bit : )

Now, back to outlining. Completing the assignment suggested at the end of each chapter helped me define and refine the direction I loosely planned to follow. As I thought through the assignments, I filled out an outline chart that made me think of the why’s behind every action that led to the next scene.

As I identified each scene, I uncovered some new element about RJ and Shayna or their GMC that made me understand them better. I understood the deeply buried fears within them that they protected at all costs.

By the time I came to the conclusion of the story, I knew RJ and Shayna inside and out. A couple of secondary characters surprised me, too. Ahhh, things are never as they seem, are they??

There it is, pure and simple, I overcame my fear of conflict by recognizing and achieving my HEA. Going through the struggles RJ and Shayna faced – and overcame – step by step – made me see they could get through any obstacle thrown at them. Of course I know the characters in all my books have a HEA, but deep in my gut, I often wonder if they truly will. Anyone else ever wonder that? At least for this Christmas novella, my fears have been slain.

Now I have an outline. A step-by-step guide. My roadmap. I’m ready to go, right? Perspiration beaded on my brow at the thought of writing Chapter One… Isn’t this just the stumper? A blank page. After all the discoveries I’d made and issues I’d resolved, I still didn’t know how to begin the book…so…

I began my book at the end.

Think about it. It makes perfect sense. Having just struggled through an outline, I knew the entire journey of the story. Why in the world should I go back to the beginning and try to write it as if I were a reader opening it up for the first time? I just overcame all the tough stuff; I know the ending the best.

The End became my Chapter One.

I poured all the unlocked emotions into the scene I knew would give them a Happily Ever After … oops, did I need to post Spoiler Alert on that? LOL. Yes, HEA.

Drafting my novella backwards removed the brain freeze I always experience whenever I begin a new project. But you know what else it does? Writing the draft backwards identifies the little details I need to address earlier in the book for that HEA to make sense. I use Scrivener as my novel writing program so it makes it easy to scribble notes in already identified scenes reminding me to hint at the emotion, the fear, the dream – whatever the character is now confronting in their conflict or resolution.

Ha, it’s like seeing where to spackle all the holes before you apply the final coat!!!

Revisit Jane Choate’s excellent post here in Seekerville, Writing Cut and Paste Style with Jane Choate. I guess I’m not the only one who can’t walk a straight line down a yellow brick path. Anyone else?

Let’s talk about how you confront projects outside your writer’s ken. We all face challenges in this business, share how you’ve overcome yours.

I have three digital copies of Rock Your Plot to give away. Let me know if you’d like to be in the drawing!! Winners announced in the Weekend Edition.

Second Chance Ranch

Once high school sweethearts, Jennifer and Zac have wounded each other, and the scars run deep. Jennifer is forced to reveal a secret she’s protected for twelve years. Will past mistakes jeopardize the future of both of their dreams or give them a second chance?