I figured I needed to start well in advance, since I really would love to finally break 100k on a story. The last one I wrote was 83k. The ideas in my head now only make for about 75k in content by my estimations. I know there is more to the story, I just have to flesh it out.
Last time I wrote some of my OC, Merin's backstory. http://www.rprepository.com/c/merin/66247
I'm doing the second half this year. (And hoping it will fit on an RPR page ahahaha)
I know a great deal of Merin's past and what happened, but there are a lot of gaps I need to explore and fill out, and I feel like a detailed outline will help with that, or at least, if I get it done in advance I can see what areas are lacking in content and I have time to brainstorm additional adventures.
Last time I wrote some of my OC, Merin's backstory. http://www.rprepository.com/c/merin/66247
I'm doing the second half this year. (And hoping it will fit on an RPR page ahahaha)
I know a great deal of Merin's past and what happened, but there are a lot of gaps I need to explore and fill out, and I feel like a detailed outline will help with that, or at least, if I get it done in advance I can see what areas are lacking in content and I have time to brainstorm additional adventures.
Wow, impressive! 
You maaay end up needing to split the backstory across a few pages on the same profile, but I believe it'll fit. 
You maaay end up needing to split the backstory across a few pages on the same profile, but I believe it'll fit.
Oooooo so exciting!!
I have a vague plotline, but for Nanowrimo I don't often do outlines. I probably should, but I usually just let my muse take me where it wants to go. Helps me get more written that way lol.
I have a vague plotline, but for Nanowrimo I don't often do outlines. I probably should, but I usually just let my muse take me where it wants to go. Helps me get more written that way lol.
I really want to, but every time I try to write a story I end up overplanning and it's no fun to write since I know all the surprises. This year I'm going in with a vague plan, a few scenes in my head, and an iv drip of concentrated caffeine.
Can't wait!
Can't wait!
Kim wrote:
Wow, impressive! You maaay end up needing to split the backstory across a few pages on the same profile, but I believe it'll fit.
You maaay end up needing to split the backstory across a few pages on the same profile, but I believe it'll fit. Ha yeah the first novel, which is about 83,000 words, just barely barely fits on one page. I had to break it up into a bunch of text boxes and I don't think I had much room to spare.
Luckily a friend bought me the Book of Blank Pages as a Bday present because Merin's site was such a chaotic mess trying to squeeze that much info onto the page limit, so if I run out of space I can always divide the novel into two different pages.
CelestinaGrey wrote:
Oooooo so exciting!!
I have a vague plotline, but for Nanowrimo I don't often do outlines. I probably should, but I usually just let my muse take me where it wants to go. Helps me get more written that way lol.
I have a vague plotline, but for Nanowrimo I don't often do outlines. I probably should, but I usually just let my muse take me where it wants to go. Helps me get more written that way lol.
I used to do that, and it seems to work great, even better for when I aimed for 50k, but it was a nightmare keeping up with what all needed to happen when I was shooting for bigger wordcounts. I kinda picture outlines being a sort of vague roadmap on a long trip, combined with having little cue cards for when you give a huge speech. I have a bunch of events that need to happen. In some points of Merin's story, one event sets off another, which leads to something else, which ties into something much bigger, so I need little reminders which comes first, or to foreshadow a certain thing at a certain point. There are some very important and vital parts of his past I delve into here (and some stuff that is going to be very hard for me to write) that have just been implied before in his RP and storyline, but the story hasn't been fully told.
HwoThumb wrote:
I really want to, but every time I try to write a story I end up overplanning and it's no fun to write since I know all the surprises. This year I'm going in with a vague plan, a few scenes in my head, and an iv drip of concentrated caffeine.
I do kinda overplan but I don't always stick 100 percent to the outline. The first Merin novel stuck to it about 70 percent-ish but I was still very thankful to have it as a sort of guide. I changed up how a lot of things happened and added in some new sub plots and additional adventures that linked the ideas together.
@everyone
Another thing it really helps me with is I tend to break the story up into easier to handle segments. I look at how much content is in a section of the story, and I make a little note at the bottom of that segment of the outline, as to the minimum wordcount I want to have for that section. I try to only focus on finishing that part of the story. I might have segments that are 15k, and I might have some that are only 5k but that way ahead of time I know I should have enough content for at least a certain wordcount so long as I stick to my own guidelines.
I do kinda overplan but I don't always stick 100 percent to the outline. The first Merin novel stuck to it about 70 percent-ish but I was still very thankful to have it as a sort of guide. I changed up how a lot of things happened and added in some new sub plots and additional adventures that linked the ideas together.
@everyone
Another thing it really helps me with is I tend to break the story up into easier to handle segments. I look at how much content is in a section of the story, and I make a little note at the bottom of that segment of the outline, as to the minimum wordcount I want to have for that section. I try to only focus on finishing that part of the story. I might have segments that are 15k, and I might have some that are only 5k but that way ahead of time I know I should have enough content for at least a certain wordcount so long as I stick to my own guidelines.
Sooo I finished my outline a ways back (other than going back yesterday and adding two more fairly big scenes) Today I'm gonna do a quick read through and check for issues with the continuity, any issues with timelines and to make sure it looks like it would flow right and nothing more needs added or moved around.
The outline is 24,000 words so I'm looking at having a novel that might be over 120k o___o
The outline is 24,000 words so I'm looking at having a novel that might be over 120k o___o
Heimdall wrote:
Holy shit, what an outline! O_O
Ha well a lot of it is me overexplaining what I am meaning to imply and my notes for things I might need to reference from the previous novel, names and dates and specific events that Merin would remember and draw from but hell if I can remember correctly... As well as just a vague summary of each chapter 'This happens then this happens then this thing, and this character says something about this' And then in other places I just have things like ' need at least 4 paragraphs here about the town they are in ' Its a mess but it's also the most extensive outline I've done for anything before.
Zhi is just amazing like that 
However, guys I've come up on a problem! I am not feeling inspired to write the story I have a plotline for! I made a new character recently that I'm really interested in and inspired by but she's a completely different setting. Advice?
EDIT:
Problem solved, I think. Came up with a new storyline for the character I'm interested in, and sidelining the previous story for now.
However, guys I've come up on a problem! I am not feeling inspired to write the story I have a plotline for! I made a new character recently that I'm really interested in and inspired by but she's a completely different setting. Advice?
EDIT:
Problem solved, I think. Came up with a new storyline for the character I'm interested in, and sidelining the previous story for now.
I still don't have an outline, character names, planet name, etc. written down. On the bright side, I know the basic plot by heart!
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