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DEVIN BOND
Thoughts of a wanna-be author and student.


January 12, 2011

Back on Track

There I was, going back to scene two to revise and fill in some of the holes (some gaping holes) that had occurred as I continued writing without a glance back and what happens? I became stuck, frustrated because everything was all mucked up and the main supporting character was fading quickly into nothing but a sounding board for Axel. Not good, my friends. Not good at all. 


So, what do I do? Well, after sitting on the couch and staring at my computer screen with the blankest look ever:
Imitation of the Blank Stare Moments
--which generally leads to talking to Jessica--and after talking to Jessica, it became clear I needed to rethink. I needed to give Liam a more prominent role. I needed to make the bad guy obvious--and give them an actual purpose. And I really. really needed to get the romance in there.

That decision made, I proceeded to wallow--sadly it's hard to make changes! I wish it weren't so--and tried to read some old romance stories from when I was younger. (Harry Potter fanfiction is a total guilty pleasure. Don't make fun of me, I'm allowed some ridiculousness! And there are some really good writers in the fanfiction world.)

Jessica, of course, pulled me out of my mini-pity party (yeah, remember how I told you she'll come up a lot? Good.) She showed me this post from QueryTracker which revolutionized my plotting. Course, she also made suggested I read her copy of ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS--which is every bit as amazing as you've heard it to be. It helped get my mind in the romance mindset (now vowing to read as many romance novels as I can. Research! Any recommendations?)

And NOW~ After finishing the book within a few hours (yeah, I devoured it) I plotted. I'm still not 100% sure I like everything I have--or if it's going to work in the long run, but! It's a start. I was able to get most of my thoughts out on paper and I'm quite happy with what I came up with. There are spots I know I'm going to tweak and it definitely needs to be fleshed out. But, again, it's a start. And it's a start I'm happy with.

Have you ever revised your plot midway? How was it for you?
Posted by Devin Bond at 3:07 AM

8 comments:

  1. Sarah AhiersJanuary 12, 2011 at 6:10 AM

    i'm a plotter by nature, so no, i've never had to redo my plot mid way through. It's pretty set in stone by the time i start writing.
    characters, though, they change throughout.
    And hey, i've written a smidge of HP fanfiction. Good times

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  2. LindsayJanuary 12, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    I'm a bit of a joint the dots planner. I know the beginning, middle and end, but i like to see what happens. I get the first draft done and see what my crit partner's say, and revise according to what I think will work/ideas I get while revising. I'm pretty organic. lol.

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  3. Devin BondJanuary 12, 2011 at 12:28 PM

    Sarah - I've never been much of a plotter, so it really wasn't much of a surprise that I redid it. But~ Still, :( that I had to. And yay, HP fanfics.

    Lindsay - Organic is always good!

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  4. UnknownJanuary 12, 2011 at 9:43 PM

    Hi Devin. Just a friendly reminder that the Blogger's Health Challenge is officially underway, and as one of only a few participants, you have a great chance of winning the weekly reward on Monday if you remember to post your progress for the first week on Sunday.

    As for your mid-plot dilemma, yeah, I've definitely been there. It makes it difficult to just write the story and tweak afterwards when you aren't sure you have the best plot. Good luck. Looking forward to seeing how it pans out for ya.

    Kelly

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  5. Jessica SilvaJanuary 12, 2011 at 11:26 PM

    I'm a plotter BUT, as you know, I change things constantly. The central plot and subplots stay the same, but scenes change a lot (or come from thin air, get deleted) as I write because I find a better way to distribute the info :)

    I think change is good, personally. Keeps your story interesting to YOU. It's never fun reading a book that you know exactly what's gunna happen! I don't think it'd be fun writing a book when you know EVERYTHING about it already.

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  6. Devin BondJanuary 13, 2011 at 3:19 PM

    Kelly - Thanks for the reminder and the luck, I think it's working out great so far. Good to know someone can see where I'm coming from. :)

    Jessie - Yes, I know you change things constantly. It's probably the only reason why I didn't have more of a mental freak out at changing it. I've learned a lot, but I'm still learning even more as I go, haha.

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  7. Lindsay N. CurrieJanuary 13, 2011 at 4:38 PM

    Devin, I'm always tinkering with storylines and often they do morph and take different shapes as I'm writing:) Personally, I think it's good to be open minded about the direction it goes - that way you can let your characters lead you!

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  8. Devin BondJanuary 13, 2011 at 7:23 PM

    Lindsay - Thanks for commenting! It's good to hear other people's takes on plotting and the process of the whole thing. Definitely letting my characters lead me--to a certain extent!

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