I saved Cary. I need to go out and save more Cary.
Outlining is not my culture, either--I am a set-of-the-pants plotter, a point that I prove every time a character squirms out from under and does what s/he will. Agent tried to get editor to forego outlines, but editor was adamant.
I find that the outline detail helps me work out motivation and get a grip on the mystery subplot that is usually present. I didn't have a mystery in the last book, which was a nice change of pace. No clues to set out. No midnight realizations that a character was talking about something on page 300 that they didn't find out until page 375.
For the last book, which was late, they actually planned and executed the cover based on the outline. Lucky for me the turns the story took weren't too sharp.
OTOH, my covers have only the loosest connections to my plots, so maybe it doesn't matter all that much.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-09 07:21 pm (UTC)Outlining is not my culture, either--I am a set-of-the-pants plotter, a point that I prove every time a character squirms out from under and does what s/he will. Agent tried to get editor to forego outlines, but editor was adamant.
I find that the outline detail helps me work out motivation and get a grip on the mystery subplot that is usually present. I didn't have a mystery in the last book, which was a nice change of pace. No clues to set out. No midnight realizations that a character was talking about something on page 300 that they didn't find out until page 375.
For the last book, which was late, they actually planned and executed the cover based on the outline. Lucky for me the turns the story took weren't too sharp.
OTOH, my covers have only the loosest connections to my plots, so maybe it doesn't matter all that much.