1. It never hurts to try something new. Despite complaining (mostly to my sister) about how much longer it took me, I'm still glad I tried outlining. If I hadn't tried it, I would never know if it works for me or not.
2. Even if an entire process doesn't work, you can still glean things from it. No, I will never attempt a full-fledged outline ever again. But in the process of attempting it, I refined my own work methods and I consider that to be a plus.
3. You work how you work, and that's fine. Part of the reason I tried outlining was because I felt like I was doing things the wrong way. Recently, I read a post by author Carolyn Hart who described her work methods and they are strikingly similar to my own. And she's published over forty books. So I think my method is OK after all.
The funny thing is I work pretty much the same way I did in middle school. I keep all my random ideas in spiral-bound notebooks with pretty prints on the cover. Once ideas for a novel really start to take shape, the story gets its own notebook. When working on a novel or short story, I can only go so far with the idea in my head. There comes a point when I have to hit the page or the details will never emerge or solidify. I often have to write to find out what happens next, and I rather like it that way. I've been surprised so many times while writing, and that means my readers will be too.
So how do you write? What methods have you tried? What have you learned from them?
Fabulous photography by Pink Sherbet Photography
