Comments on: The Not-Really-An Outline for Plots

By: Donnell

Donnell — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 03:49:55 +0000

Months after the original post, this blog is still being talked about, hence the reason I’m here. Wonderful explanation. Thank you!

By: Savvy2

Savvy2 — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:24:23 +0000

This stuff is so fascinating it makes me wiggle in my chair. Thanks! for sharing.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:50:41 +0000

Both the soundtracks and the collages are non-verbal ways of getting into the world of the story. A soundtrack is just what it sounds like, a list of music that fits the story including character themes, love themes, etc. Collages are a bunch of words, objects, and pictures glued together that create the world of the book visually. I’ve put up several here, and I’ll be putting up the finished Wild Ride Collage in March. It’s all just ways to create the world of the book while I write.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:46:03 +0000

I find the need for food and electricity a galvanizing influence on my work.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:45:34 +0000

It’s only a matter of time, Judy.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:45:01 +0000

Sure.
My scenes are numbered 2:7. That means it’s the seventh scene in Act 2.
The number in parentheses at the end in the number of words in the scene.

Now the question is, Why?

The 2:7 is for organization. The number of words is for pacing and development. If you look at the second scene in the Lavender outline, it’s only 900 words which means it’s not developed. So I’ll go back to that and either develop it or cut it and get the info to the reader a different way. Most of the scenes in the first act will be 2500 to 3000 words, so any scene that’s too much of an outlier will stand out, and I can fix it and keep my pacing smooth.

Maybe I should do a post on Scrivener. It’s such a great piece of writing software. Scrivener and Curio are the two programs I can’t write a book without these days. Unfortunately both are Mac Only programs, I think.

By: JulieB

JulieB — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:40:31 +0000

Hi Savy, I don’t know the answer, but I suspect the number in parenthesis is the word count at this time.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:37:05 +0000

No, no, I’m COMPLETELY sane. I make my living from those voices in my head.

By: Judy Long

Judy Long — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:14:52 +0000

okay i’m going crazy – the computer made a note like it wasn’t taking the first comment about soundtracks & collages so i made another one. oh well, at least i didn’t bedazzle my twat!

By: Lori J.

Lori J. — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:35:49 +0000

I’m amazed at how you’ve been writing back-to-back books ever since Don’t Look Down. Just when you finish one book you immediately have another one waiting for you to get started. That’s a lot of dedication, stamina and tenacity. And did I mention stamina? Go Jenny!

By: Dee

Dee — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:00:07 +0000

Here’s the link to her essay on collages. I didn’t see anything on soundtracking immediately, but I know I’ve read stuff about it here and there. Explore the site, especially the “For Writers” section. Them thar hills, they’re filled with gold.

http://www.jennycrusie.com/for-writers/essays/picture-this-collage-as-prewriting-and-inspiration/

By: Judy Long

Judy Long — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:09:13 +0000

Sountrack? Collage?

By: Judy Long

Judy Long — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:08:22 +0000

I’m a relatively new Crusie fan & visitor to this website. Can you tell me about the ‘soundtrack’ and ‘collage’ thing? Or can anybody give me a link to this in a past website. I’m not the most technical computer wiz in the world.
Thanks.

By: Savvy2

Savvy2 — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:46:37 +0000

May I ask what the numbers are for? Like:
7. Liz vs. Mom: Bears (2235)
I often don’t get the simplest things. But I love how you break things down.

By: toni

toni — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:40:35 +0000

I am dragging in my entire family and showing them that. I tend to stay up ’til four, sleep ’til 11, and they think I’m crazy.

Of course, this doesn’t actually mean that you’re not crazy, too, so maybe I’ll rethink that plan.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:53:52 +0000

Act 1. 7 – she encounters the bears in the woods.
Act 1, 8 – she heads to the store for bear spray
Act 1, 9 – she gets the heck out of town.

Don’t mind me, I’m delirious from the boredom of work.

By: Terrio

Terrio — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:42:10 +0000

Brenda – I have the classic problem of making things more complicated than they need to be. Seeing the breakdown above opened my eyes to the fact I’m doing it in my story too. Admitting it is half the battle, right?

By: Terrio

Terrio — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:33:11 +0000

Thanks to both of you! I do have one Big Bad guy, and the H/H eventually team up to fight against him. But all of this helps me find the conflict in each individual scene, even when Big Bad isn’t anywhere around. That’s what I was missing. Add me to the lightbulb people.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:33:28 +0000

The blog that Jenny and Bob did on writing was so good I printed it out each day and often talked about it in my high school writing classes back when I did them (I’ve since decided I have to teach college — high school is too much for me!). Anyway, I don’t think either of them could improve on what they wrote. No, that’s not a dare! I wish they’d just dig out the columns and put it all in a book now, not wait to make it better! But that’s me!

By: JulieB

JulieB — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:18:08 +0000

I feel like there’s paparazzi all around. The lightbulbs are popping here and there. I wish I could go back to Cherry Con and take the classes again, sort of as a review, because I get things more and more hearing them rephrased, and re-exampled. That was a good question Rox.