developing ideas – Marie Alice Writes & Reads

Writer Notebook: Rough outlines

Over time – no, let’s be real – after many failures, I settled to develop my story ideas in a more organized way.

To outline or to not outline a novel idea?

Outlining a novel is NOT something absolutely necessary.

When I develop an idea for a novel, I scribbled in a notebook. Even before I answer the big 5 W’s + H, I just have fun writing the inciting incident, what are the consequences for the main character and its world.

Even though I’ve been writing stories since… always I feel sometimes (!), I just started to outline a couple of years back.
Over time – no, let’s be real – after many failures, I settled to develop my story ideas in a more organized way.

I enjoy outlining a little more now, but I still struggle.
I outline nevertheless because it really helps me explore the possibilities within the story idea.

Now, about the outlining method.

Well…

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Writer Notebook: Developing an idea for a novel

It was, after all, only a boring little anecdote, live from the snow-covered front porch of a working mama rushing to get her kiddo to daycare.
But it got me to a wonderful place writer’s love to go to; it’s called: What if

Yet another challenging i-don’t-wanna-sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep mama night.

Exhausted, late for the day job (yes, one can be late for the day job even if said-one work’s from home), I rushed my tired kiddo and my grouchy-grumpy self out the door.

And ba-da-boum!

It happened.

Footprints in a fresh blanket of snow.

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