This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on June 2nd, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.
Earlier this week, I had a call with the team for the write-for-hire book series I'm working on this year. On our agenda: brainstorm ideas for the second book.
I'm happy to say I came to that meeting with loads of ideas—and left with even more. Now I'm in the process of writing a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline, which I will send to the client, my editor, and my agent by the end of next week. It's fun to be back at the idea phase. Right now, the book is filled with possibility. I'm dreaming up new characters, new interactions, new twists. I'm thinking about how to take concepts I introduced in book one to the next level, how to fulfill promises I made and raise the stakes. I'm also going back through book one and trying to find all of the seeds I planted. (For example, I referenced an upcoming school fall festival that now has to actually happen.)
Before the last few years, I was not a big outliner. For some projects, I still probably won't be. But in certain contexts—like writing-for-hire—I have found it to be so, so helpful. Once this detailed outline is approved, I'll paste each chapter's synopsis into my Scrivener document's notes section. Then, every day when I sit down to write the zero-draft, I will know exactly what I need to do. Of course, things can diverge from the outline. With book one, I added two chapters when I realized I was missing a few story beats, and I rearranged a bunch of other plot elements that weren't in quite the right order. But in terms of getting words on the blank page, it's tremendously useful to have a plan.
MarcyKate and I also worked with an outline in order to write The Thirteenth Circle, though what we started with was a lot less detailed than what I'm doing now. In the case of a coauthored book, having an outline up front allowed us each to work separately without accidentally steering the train off the track. We had mile markers we had to reach. Landmarks on the horizon. That said, there was plenty of room to play—and to surprise each other with unexpected twists and cliffhangers.
Writers like to talk about being either plotters or pantsers (i.e. writing by the seat of one's pants). I've always considered myself somewhere in the middle of that spectrum: a "plantser." I generally like to write toward signposts, but not to have so much planned out up front that it takes away the joy of discovering new ideas and characters as I go along. Knowing a few key scenes that have to be in the story also helps me avoid writer's block: if I'm stuck at a certain point, I can jump ahead to the next big moment I am certain of, and then work backward to fill in the gap.
This write-for-hire series is the most heavily I've ever outlined before beginning to write. But every manuscript is different, and writing a book as a contractor is different from having complete creative control over my own vision. I don't necessarily have time to noodle around in discovery mode until I find the perfect plot point. I have to figure out as much as I can in advance, get the go-ahead from the other members of the team, and trust that my instincts as a writer will get me the rest of the way.
I've been seriously writing fiction for over a dozen years now, and one of the ways I keep myself sharp and fresh is by trying new things. Sometimes, that means writing in a new genre or for a new age group. Other times, it means changing up my process. Writing-for-hire has been a big change of process—in a good way. I've added new skills to my toolbox. I'm continuing to learn and to grow. It's also valuable to try something and discover it's not for me! Everything is a step forward, even if it doesn't feel like it at the time.
So back to my chapter-by-chapter outline. My outline for book one ended up being about ten pages, 1.5 spaced. (I prefer 1.5 over single or double. *insert shrugging emoji here*) I'm aiming for about the same length for book two, both because I found that level of detail to be useful to me in drafting book one and because I want to give my client and my editor a similar amount of plot to consider this time around. The more they're on board from the start, the less I'll have to rewrite down the line.
It's all a process. A journey.
And it's due next week, so it's time for me to sign off here and get back to it!
~Kathryn
What I'm:
Reading: Two amazing sci-fi-ish middle-grade novels: Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan is Not Alone, about an alien-loving girl who disappears and the girl who may have bullied her into running away, and Lee Bacon's The Last Human, about a future when robots have eradicated humans...or so they all think, until a friendly bot meets a 12-year-old girl who has somehow survived. As I gear up for the January release of The Thirteenth Circle, I want to read more middle-grade sci-fi. Any recommendations for me?
Watching: We started "American Born Chinese" on Disney+ and it's great so far! Based on a graphic novel that was a finalist for the National Book Award, this series is a mash-up of Chinese mythology and realistic teen drama, and it's so fun.
Enjoying: Long neighborhood walks in the springtime sunshine.
Loving: It's officially beach season! People don't think of NYC as having good beaches, but there are a few, and we made our first trip out to soak up some sun over Memorial Day Weekend. Here's my excited mermaid girl striking a pose.
