outlined and unhappy

[marycatelli]

It's hard to judge when an outline is done.  I've been bit by one-- hard -- where the story was like pulling nails.  Well, yeah, they can always turn to like pulling nails, but that I had not gotten the plot detailed enough in the outline to be clear was not a help.  Pulling nails on the earlier part was easier; I just felt uninspired.  The later -- not at all the same.  I needed inspiration for details.

Then, I once sat down to write a story when I was unhappy with the outline.  I knew the heroine would defeat the villain by turning his magics against him, but the specific means I chose didn't really resonate.  Within the first chapter, the villain owned something, just to demonstrate his wizardliness to the reader, and said something, that added up to a much better solution.

Stories do tend to sprout stuff and develop in the writing.  It can incorporate new stuff that pulls it all together. . . if it feels like it.

sigh

Not that there isn't a similar problem when you're trying to decide whether you hate the work because it's not ready to go out or you're just tired of revising it.

Comments

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Ahh, the specific vs. the general hatred!!

[marycatelli]

ooh yeah. The feeling that something -- you can't tell what -- is wrong.