Holy crap! Look at the time!

By Alison

So I read Jeff's post, hum a few bars of Waterfalls without thinking at all about his book club question and the next thing I know, it's like six hours later and Neil is putting horrible images in my mind of Kate plus 8 starring in slow-motion music videos and I STILL HAVEN'T BLOGGED!

What the hell is wrong with me?

What's that you say? Wrong, wiseass. I've actually been busy outlining! I'd decided to try writing this book I'm working on without an outline -- because so many writers do this and love this and I thought it was worth a try -- and everything was going fine until one morning, I woke up in a cold sweat thinking, "Oh my God I HAVE NO IDEA what is supposed to happen in my book!" It was an awful feeling -- something like paralysis of the brain, with a huge helping of Itotallysuck thrown in for good measure. "I'll never write a word again," I thought. "And the world will be better for it."

Once it hit me that I'm on contract with a deadline looming -- and besides, curling up into a fetal position isn't really a valid life-choice -- I put the pages aside and did something a little more practical: I started outlining. It was hard at first, but now that I've got 13 single-spaced pages of plot and dialogue snippets, I've been really enjoying this. I'm almost done with the outline (hense being tardy on other stuff like blogging and eating and registering for freaking BoucherCon. Must do that today.) But by and large, the outline is pretty good. And I'm breathing the world's biggest sigh of relief. The outline may change as I write, but with this thing beside me, I can write a book the way I like to write books -- which is running through a whole bunch of pages a day, checking off scenes, telling a story with an eye on the horizon. In short, knowing where the hell I'm going with this.

I've always admired those outline-free writers. They seem so spontaneous and creative and conduit-y. You know? In my heart of hearts, I feel a little inferior to them. But if Im inferior -- if I'm that much weaker or more pedestrian or less loved by the Muse -- so freakin' be it. My name is Alison. And I'm an outliner.

Are you an outliner too?

Comments

[N]

Nooooooooooooo. No outlines. I just drive around til I find something...then try to hit it.

[Jeff Shelby]

I'll tell you exactly what the hell is wrong with you.

You are an outliner.

(I am not. Like all the other cool kids.)

[AlisonGaylin]

Oh yeah?? Well I'm STILL not thinking about your book club question.