Outlining and Plot Mapping

Historically, I've been more of a pantser than a plotter when it comes to writing. This is quite the opposite of how I behave in every other aspect of my life. I love planning and in certain situations require a plan or else. Seriously, if you ever see a distressed woman in glasses rushing through the aisles at Whole Foods, picking things up and putting them back down that's me and I forgot to make a grocery list. 

Ideas for stories usually come to me in pieces. The initial idea sneaks in and leaves me with a premise, a scene, or a character. Once I start writing, I hope the rest of the story presents itself. Usually it does and I'll throw together a shaky outline then. If it doesn't, I'm left staring at my word document until I start to wonder if that flashing cursor could be some form of message like Morse Code. Only I don't know Morse Code and each flash seems to be of equal length. 

In an effort to avoid that I decided to put an outline together for my new story which I'm currently calling TEMPEST. My outline method was the basic Outline Format in Word. I kept it chronological, though I included quick summaries of back story where relevant. Right now it looks like each bullet point is a chapter but it's unlikely they'll stay that way. I know myself better than to think I'll stick exactly to what I have in mind. My characters take over and I generally let them lead the way. 

One thing I know will be an issue in this story is when to reveal information. Fortunately I stumbled upon an awesome blog post by Chersti Nieveen on how to do a basic outline. It explains how to make a plot map just like Jo Rowling uses. The chapters are listed vertically and the top row lists each plot in the story. This makes the plot development visual. Once everything is filled in, a quick glance can tell you if you've lost a plot along the way or have gone too long without mentioning it.

 I know she prefers pen and paper, but why so messy, Jo? Of course, I knew I'd be plot mapping Jo Rowling Style only neater and in Microsoft Excel, because I use Excel for everything. If your familiar with The Order of the Phoenix you'll note how even the best and most successful writers allow the story to change when the characters and plots demand it. 

Can't believe Umbridge's name was originally Elvira. Umbridge was the worst. Just thinking about her makes me grumpy, but as my friend Sarah always says when hoping someone gets their comeuppance, "The centaurs will come eventually." and they certainly came for Umbridge. Thank goodness for that.

Seeing the plots this way is particularly helpful for me since the amount of time I spend writing is not proportionate to the amount I've written. It may feel like forever since I've mentioned the subplot involving my character's best friend, but in reality it may have just been in the last chapter. There's also the possibility that you might forget to wrap up a subplot before you send your book to your first set of beta readers. That happened to me and I'm still filled with regret. If I had this plot map for my last story I could have avoided so much self shaming. Don't be like Monica, friends. Make a plot map.

Books: Now Even Better With Friends

In elementary school all my friends read The Babysitter's Club and together we watched the amazing movie. I personally always connected with Mallory, maybe it was the glasses. Or it could have been all that reading and writing she did...

Next came Harry Potter. One by one my friends and family jumped on the Hogwarts Express and we bonded over theoretical discussions like so many games of exploding snap. At times there were fierce arguments, mostly about Snape's true allegiance. By the way, I was totes right and there was really no reason to get so hostile. You know who you are. I held parties where I turned the dining room into the Great Hall complete with dangling paper candles. We decorated t-shirts, consumed pumpkin cookies, treacle fudge and more recently pumpkin margaritas which were actually quite tasty.

It was only natural that when Twilight came out my friends-who read it first-demanded I join them in their discussions. I obliged and read all four books the weekend Breaking Dawn was released. While Twilight will never be what Harry Potter is to me, I don't regret it one bit. The saga has provided similar discussions and celebrations. For example, Twilight came out in theaters and we had an epic thread of Facebook messages going for weeks after.

Tonight I'm going to see Breaking Dawn Part One with two friends from college. But before the movie we will be making Red Velvet Whoopie Pies-because they are the color of blood and delicious. There will also be a Breaking Dawn Signature cocktail, it's basically a hurricane with plenty of grenadine. The idea being Bella drinks blood to stop her unborn fetus from slowly killing her, so we shall drink blood-tinis to dull the pain to our ears when teenage girls emit high pitched shrieks in the audience. I love teenagers, but why do they do that at the movies?

I chose not to go the straw and sippy cup route.

As I write this blog post, two friends and family members are reading The Hunger Games. I think they are among the last of my circle to read the series and I am bouncing on my heels waiting for them to finish. I need to discuss. I need to relive the series again-this time with friends.

With the official Hunger Games trailer just released on Monday for the movie coming out in four short months, I am preparing for yet another book series to movie series string of social events. I mean look at that trilogy-so many food and drink options for themed-parties.

Who knows what will be next? It will be a while, but I am gonna cast my vote for Divergent.

Do you have any guesses for the next big book series to tackle the silver screen?



Have a great weekend and if you happen to make it out to see Breaking Dawn let me know your thoughts. We can discuss.

And You Guys Thought I Was A Dork

In every social circle that I am a part of, I proudly hold the title of biggest Harry Potter fan. Even at work everyone knows who the Harry Potter expert is. Which explains why I came into the office this morning and found this newspaper on my desk.

Of course, I already knew about the upcoming Wizarding Weekend taking place in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia. They are going to transform downtown into Hogsmeade. There will be Quidditch, butterbeer, ghost tours, costume contests, a pub crawl, and wizard chess.

Aside from being totally amazing, it makes me wonder, if I am a huge dork for all things HP then what are the people participating in these events? This year is the 2nd Annual Philadelphia Brotherly Love Cup, a Quidditch tournament. Who plays in this tournament? Are they just your average Potter fans who are really into sports? Or are they (gasp!) dorkier than me? I think I will have to go to find out.



Being the go-to Potter source for my friends, family, and coworkers is a serious source of pride for me.  So, I won't pretend that being out-Pottered isn't a concern. Unfortunately, there is not a quizzo or trivia contest scheduled for this weekend for me to prove myself. Though for the record, if all my wizarding dreams came true and I was a student at Hogwart's I would not be trying out for my house team.



Ashley-Gryffindor, Jess-Hufflepuff and Me-Ravenclaw



I would be found in the library doing Arithmancy in between my shifts at the school radio, which if they don't have I'd spearhead to get up and running. Bring on that sweet Wizard Rock.

Watching muggles play Quidditch does seem entertaining. I have yet to see it live but I hear the golden snitch is played by someone who runs around the field with the "snitch" hanging from their belt à la flag football in gym class. 

Have any of you seen or participated in a Quidditch match?

 These events are not confined to Philadelphia, you can check with The International Quidditch Association and see if there are any teams near you. A lot of folks are getting ready for the Quidditch World Cup taking place in NYC the weekend of November 12th.

Book Report Monday: The Little White Horse

Title: The Little White Horse

Author: Elizabeth Goudge

Synopsis: When orphaned young Maria Merryweather arrives at Moonacre Manor, she feels as if she's entered Paradise. Her new guardian, her uncle Sir Benjamin, is kind and funny; the Manor itself feels like home right away; and every person and animal she meets is like an old friend. But there is something incredibly sad beneath all of this beauty and comfort -- a tragedy that happened years ago, shadowing Moonacre Manor and the town around it -- and Maria is determined to learn about it, change it, and give her own life story a happy ending. But what can one solitary girl do?

Why did I pick it up?: J.K. Rowling said this was her favorite childhood book. Also there is quote from this book which has stayed with her throughout her life, "Humanity can be roughly divided into three sorts of people -- those who find comfort in literature, those who find comfort in personal adornment and those who find comfort in food."

As she is one of my favorite writers, I picked the book up right away.

Favorite Line: "Don't waste hate on a pink geranium."

My Review: I took my time reading this. Whenever I had a minute to spare I'd read a few pages.Until I reached the middle and then I curled up on the couch and finished it in one sitting.

This is everything a children's book should be. Full of just the right amounts of magic, adventure and romance The Little White Horse is uplifting without being too predictable. Maria Merryweather is feisty and clever but full of quirks which make her believable, the best kind of heroine. Her friendship with the townsfolk, her uncle and the animals she meets along the way is real as well as heartwarming. With every page the fantasy elements increase, so that you feel as though the world of magic is presented in a gentle manner which makes it feel all the more realistic.

Connections to Harry Potter abound. Needless to say that pleased me greatly. One of the most obvious similarities is a tunnel with its entrance hidden by a great tree, exactly like the Whomping Willow. The way food is presented and described is also very similar to the Potter series. As is a particular house cat at Moonacre Manor who like Crookshanks is abnormally intelligent.

Recommendation: Children and fans of The Secret Garden and The Hobbit will enjoy. It will appeal more to girls.

Next Week: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Distractions



More Distractions



I have been very lax about keeping up with Twitter and posting on Blogger. Edits are taking longer than I thought. I wrote the rough draft in about three months, so I hoped to edit quickly as well. I want to get it to a good enough place to let some Betas and Critique Partners have at it.   

Additionally, I have this new idea banging around my head. Begging to be outlined and plotted and I have to push it away. Be a good shiny new idea and wait your turn. Here I am, egging it on. Making playlists and jotting down random notes on scrap paper or on my Blackberry, so I don't forget to include this or that when I start working on it for real. Times like these I wish I had a Pensieve, and you know, the ability to deposit my thoughts into it. Imagine how helpful that would be to the writing process. Plotting would be a cinch.



Is it awkward when your characters tower over you?



Of course, I don't even need to mention the Harry Potter excitement happening tonight-but I will. In preparation for the Deathly Hallows Part 2; I am reading the book again, baking, eating fish and chips, watching part one and potentially decorating shirts. It's no surprise I am distracted when I sit down to edit.

I have never gone to a midnight showing, I usually go on Friday night. This year however, I am going to be a very patient person and wait until Saturday. My friend Ashley is flying from New Mexico this weekend and we are going to celebrate the final film together. There will be wands, dress up, tears, laughs and someone will probably spike the pumpkin juice. Things could get a little out of hand!

How are you celebrating?

Keep on Pottering

Why does Jo Rowling love to torture us? For years she dropped clue after clue about the Harry Potter books and as fans we hypothesized, reread the books and lost sleep over the possibilities. Okay, maybe that was just me. Now, my peaceful vacation is interrupted by yet another Potter Teaser.

Rowling announced that she will be making a Potter related announcement. That's just evil. The website has a link to a YouTube countdown. We have to wait 6 days to hear what it is. The announcement will inevitably lead to even more waiting. Oh and she promises it is not a new book, and MuggleNet calls it the Pottermore Project.

There are many theories circulating. They range from a London based HP Theme Park, an interactive online game, and the long awaited HP Encyclopedia.

I don't know what to believe. Rowling is tricky and even though they say it is not a new book, I question their honesty. Remember when Dobby swore whatever was happening at Hogwarts had nothing to do with Voldemort? Rowling loves to torture us with semantics.

Do you have any theories?

First Comes Book Love

I got this from my friend Ashley who is getting married this September.

Inside she wrote a sweet note and even promised we would "party it up Harry Potter style!" How could I say no to that? I couldn't. Honestly, I was so flattered to be a part of her wedding day I teared up a bit. We only see each other once a year or so. After college Ashley moved away with her boyfriend, now fiance, who is in the Air Force. They live at an Air Force Base in New Mexico. No, it's not Area 51, I already asked.

Why did she mention Harry Potter in her adorable wedding related note? Ashley is one of my Harry Potter friends. During English 101 we decorated our journals for extra points. I covered mine in HP stickers. Ashley was in my class and made a mental note of it. This was when we were still waiting on Half-Blood Prince to come out and I was in the height of my HP love.

The following semester we had another class together. One day she said, "Monica, you read Harry Potter, right?" and I said I definitely read and re-read them and then she said the magic words which changed our relationship forever: "I have a Harry Potter question for you."

It started casually enough. While Ashley read the books for the first time, she'd ask me a question before or after class. I was full of theories and could regurgitate certain lines (or paragraphs) verbatim. During Order of the Phoenix she ran to my dorm room in tears because of Sirius. My roommate looked terrified and excused herself. Before our second semester was over we were more than book friends we had become actual friends.

Ashley (Gryffindor) and me (Ravenclaw) at one of my HP Parties.




Ashley credits me for making her love the series so much. She says it was our long talks, my detailed theories and ability to recall practically any fact from the books on command which fed her passion. Be careful kids, book love is contagious!

Even though the last book has been out for years and the final movie installment is due in July our friendship born from fiction will continue on in the real world long after the lines at the theme park subside. I know it's dorky but this is the power of a really great story, to bring people together. First you're bonding over books and baking pumpkin pasties and before you know it you're putting on a bridesmaid's dress.


Happy Friday!