Monday, October 1, 2007

Outlining and changing the plot a bit

Preface
Dear all, I'm just a beginner at writing a larger piece.
All those writing exercies I find here and there are extremely helpful in polishing my skills. Also are the constructive comments I got from you.
To have or not to have an outline
I started writing 'Copper Moon' without an outline.
In fact I wrote a piece and then decided to extend it along the lines of the story.
As I saw the protagonist in my head, her features and actions were clear as they could be.
But when I started writing it, my mind wondered over here and there and I felt that I was loosing it.
(Like this entry....)
What was the problem?
I kept repeating myself 'I should have done an outline' and 'I am suffering the lack of a neat outline'.
But my problem might have been either the lack of outline or something else.
Changing the plot
The thing is that the protagonist does not fit into the 'box' the very first piece suggests.
I was reluctant to change the protagonist to make her fit for the expectations AND to give up ANY of the suggestions occurred in the first piece.
In fact I was stuck to the 'outline' provided.
All right that was not an outline, per se...
If you read it HERE, and read some of the readers' comments, you see what I mean.
Writing a story about a werewolf and or serial killer seemed interesting. And it still is, to me!
But as far as I see, and as far as I see it NOW, this suggested atmosphere does not fit my protagonist.
Feeling right ->Back to writing
So, after gaining some confidence via writing completely different things andreceiving friendly pattings on my virtual shoulders, I'm focusing on the story again.
I feel stronger than ever that the flow and the potential outcome has changed....for better or worse?
The point is this: I feel no guilt for making this change.
This has been a great breakthough for me.
Perhaps, this, the fear of changing the plot, was blocking me. We'll see.
This story and the one in the oven
After all, it's my story and there's no plotline, other than mine, that is, other than the one that serves best the purpose of writing it up to my highest possible standards. I'm going to write this story to make the impression on the reader the clossests to the concept I have in my head - I hope I will succeed in doing so.
The changes I made fits the protagonist better.
When I wrote the first piece I had no intention of turning it into a 'large' short story. The first piece had a strong character and I wished to build p a story around her.
I kept her as a protagonist but the focus shifted.
The shifting happened quite early, but I was hesitating.
I still think the first piece is good and I might write another story about that protagonist. This werewolf/serial killer thing will surely give me at least one go. I think it's in me, but not this time. Not now.
Thanks for following me.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

is plot necesarry? I don't think. I think life is spontaneous without plot and you can "put it to paper".

Bernita said...

Some writers outline, some do not; and some outline only some of the time or in general terms.
You have to find what works best for you.

SzélsőFa said...

Ropi, optimism at its best. Perhps, you are right after all. You know for some people it's like that - and my best 'poems' are those I did not outline.
Perhaps the same applies to my prose...?
The thing is that this would be my first longer attempt at writing.
I am, perhaps, scared.


Bernita,

yes, I'm working on it. Accepting a change to the original plot was a really hard decision.
I don't think a strict outlining would suit me, for the very same reason.
But also I think I need some limitations.
Like a loose net in the river, where fish can go ALMOST wherever it wants, but not ANYWHERE.

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

I think of my outline as a map. I tell my characters where they need to go and the best way to get there, but I don't tell them what to do along the way.

If I want my characters to go from New York to Los Angeles, it's okay for them to stop in Denver along the way. But if I find them going to Buenos Aires, we have a problem! :-0

SzélsőFa said...

I can totally agree with your nicely visualized analogy, Bunnygirl!
Thanks for dropping by,
hope to see you more often in the future :)