The Dirty O word...Organizing!

Photograph by Steve Jurvetson

**Repost due to NaNoWriMo insanity**
Organizing is an often maligned idea when it comes the writing process. 


Particularly by "Pantsers" or people who just go with the flow of their story or characters...


I have no idea how this works because I tend to plan EVERYTHING...just check my refrigerator for the monthly menu...yeah, that's me.


Research is one thing you should really try to stay on top of though, whether you're a seat of the pants writer or not.  


There's when to do it, how much, where to keep it and how to access it efficiently, why you shouldn't skip it -- its a serious matter for a writer.  But it's not as intimidating as it seems and the pay off for proper research usually comes in spades.

• First off, WHEN do you do it? - I asked a few authors this and the overwhelming response was BEFORE you need it.  Don't wait until you're on the plane, your MC struggling to keep the nose up, glancing with wild-eyed panic at the instrument panel....only to stop and have to look up what an altimeter looks like and where it is, not to mention how to read it...You don't want to ruin the flow of writing so do your research AHEAD OF TIME.

• The second question is HOW MUCH research do you do? - Well, that depends on what you're writing. If its Historical, then probably a lot unless you already hold a degree in  your genre or have another interest that overlaps information.  You'll need to understand the in's and out's of a particular profession if your MC's career is outside your experience. Maybe the setting is a place you haven't visited or lived in, so you'll need to do some research. DETAILS are what make a novel believable, so don't skimp on pictures or GOOGLE EARTH.   On the other hand, you don't have to describe the origin of every bead on the bodice of your heroine, so be careful not to overload the reader.

• WHERE TO KEEP IT - Close at hand, is my experience. I tend to bookmark sites that are helpful under a file name with my novel's title. I print out pictures and articles that I need and put them in my novel binder (I'll totally get to what that is in a minute.) Often saving PDF and other files directly in a file marked with your novel's name on your desktop works well. The point is to file it...FILE IT...as soon as you get it. Why? Because when you need it, searching through every scrap of paper on your desk, in your desk, or in the trash, is a pain and disrupts the flow of writing.  Trust me on this...FILE IT.

• WHY YOU SHOULDN'T SKIP IT - Nothing throws a reader out of the fiction dream you've created faster than a blaring mistake. What's worse, nothing screams unprofessional like being caught 'winging it'  in the facts department.  Take the time to know your business...details like interstate numbers, landmarks and local landscape details are important. The most annoying mistakes for me as a reader are TIME WARPS, especially in historical fiction. Don't talk about zippers, if they haven't been invented yet...its just rude.

Finally, I've found that a three-ring binder with dividers, the kind you used to have in high-school, is very helpful for keeping all of your research in one place.


So when you have written your 50,000 Nano behemoths...take a few days to really make sure you've been accurate. Your readers will thank you for it. 

Binding My Thoughts - 3 Ring Style

Photo by Clicksense

For those of you who know me, its an understatement to call me a Type-A personality. And nothing truly gets my organizing juices going like creating a new binder for a new novel. Yup...I'm THAT wild and crazy.


All jokes aside, creating a binder for your work in progress, can be both time and sanity saving. First of all, many of you may say that as a "Panster" you just go with the flow, run with the moment, shift like the wind. You have no need for atrocities like binders!


Uhm...no.  You DO need to do some sort of research or note taking to keep on track.  Be it notes about a certain scene or reminders to insert such-and-such a clue for your detective, chances are you'll have occasion to jot something down on paper.  Chances are...you'll lose it five minutes later if you don't put it somewhere specific.


When I start a book, I usually buy a three-ring binder and dividers, a pack of legal pads, sticky notes, and colored pens.  This is my "Writing Survival Kit", there may be some chocolate in there as well. 


In the binder go all of my Snowflake printouts - sentence, paragraph, and page long threads I use to expand the story out.  Then my character sketches, my plot blocks, and usually a list of conflicts for both the romance and the suspense plot.


Then I have a section for Returned Critiques. Stuff other writers have written on my chapters that I found true or helpful. I use this section extensively when I'm editing.  Details that I need to add later that might be missed if I toss the critiques in a drawer and forget about them.


I have a Research Section...a large section...that has all of my printouts and photocopies and notes. I try to look over this before I start a chapter. 


Do I know what the building looks like? Have I made sure to take a look at personal accounts of things in the city like Yelp or other blogs? Have I at least taken a peek with Google Earth?  


Details can really make your story great, pulling the reader into the moment with you. But poor details or inaccurate ones can really irritate them to the point of closing your book. 


Next are my Nocturnal Notes. I keep note cards on my nightstand and sometimes when a thought strikes me I have to jot it down right then and there otherwise it'll be gone. I have a pocket folder in my binder for all the little card and scraps of paper that I generate.


Finally I have sticky notes jutting out at all angles reminding me of things I feel I need to watch in my own writing. "High Stakes!" one reads. "Include the Weather!" another one shouts...I'm writing about a town during a hurricane so its kind of important.


Of course, if you don't use your binder, then its not worth anything. Take the time to look over what you've written in it, saved, or tucked into the pockets. All that information is nothing but a coaster if you don't open the binder once in a while.


What are some tricks you have for keeping things straight and sane during your writing process?


Until next time...Go Write!

O is for Organization

I often wonder how people go about the business of writing their books. How do you "O" is for Organize your story before you write? If you could peer into my workspace via the computer screen you'd see sticky notes, binders, resource books, and well...just a bunch of stuff. 

I have a critique partner who writes using the SOTP style...Seat-of-The-Pants. Apparently she just sits at the keyboard and starts typing. Being utterly too type 'A' and controlling I watch in horror as she highlights and deletes chapters at a time without the slightes hesitation.  She, on the other hand, can't understand all of my outlines and lists and plot blocks.

This got me wondering about the different writing styles out there. Do the Organization types match up with genre?  Are the fantasy people total intuitive storytellers, while the romance/suspense schlumps in my corner plot and nail bite?  I decided to do some digging into styles of organization to see if I'm missing something.

My friend's style is found throughout the interweb. Sites and contests like, NaNoWriMo, and WRW, World Romance Writers, holds a Book-In-a-Week contest the third week of every month. Just email: WRW_BIAW-subscribe@yahoogroups.com  to join the group. Both of these approaches favor quantity first, then quality as the finished work is edited and pared down.  Not my cup of tea, but it seems to work the world over because it is by far the most popular style.

The next one I'll talk about is the one I use. It's called the Snowflake Method. I found it on a blog written by a guy called Randy Ingermanson. It's methodical, disciplined, and fractal in its approach, and very solid. Since I started out as an outline type of person, this method works well for me. It also helped me get my out-of-hand sticky note problem under control.

A few critique partners from my online group said they use a method called  How-to-Write-a-Novel-in-Six-Months.  This style doesn't break down the novel itself so much as the time you dedicate to each step. I thought this was interesting because it had a bit of both of the previous styles. The structure and the freedom.

What type of style do you espouse?  Is it structural, more creative and brain-stormy, or a combination?  I'd love to know. If you do comment, please include your genre.

Until next time...Go Write!

Photograph by Muffet, Uploaded December 25, 2008. Photograph by @boetter, Uploaded on October 6, 2005.