- Written the entire plotline in point form. I was so happy about this. I have now managed to find a way to tie my complication and resolution together in a plausible manner. It also means I know EXACTLY where the story is going and how it will end.
- Created chapter and scene outlines. Im up to chapter three outline now. I cant belive I didn't do this before, it is so helpful. And as a result I have all dialogue ready before I write the description. (Dialogue being a main technique in forwarding the plot at this point in time)
- As for the prologue, prequel and backstory? I have decided that having a prologue and/or a prequel is irrelevant. For my story, all required backstory will be reveiled in flashbacks from the perspectives of all the main characters. Just seeing different peices of the past that the reader can put together themselves.
-Chapter One is completed! I completely re-wrote what I had written previously. Its 3000 words long and has taken on some techniques similar to what Dan Brown uses; I have ended the chapter with a cliffhanger and began Chapter Two in the lair of the 'bad guy'. The difference is that instead of having to wait until Chapter Three where the scene returns to the 'good guys' the cliffhanger is resolved in Chapter Two. This allows me to skip tedious description and dialogue while creating suspense.
So thats what Ive done, all in the space of a week. Exiting hey? Now I'm going to post the difference between the new chapter and the old chapter. Its a huge difference and Im glad I did re-write it.
This is what I posted before:
"Thud. Katherine groaned through gritted teeth as she hit the ground. How far must she have fallen? It seemed like forever as she sat up rubbing the back of her head while looking around in front of her. Everything was pitch black. She held her hand up to her face, but couldn’t make it out. She stood up and looked about herself fully. Thinking all the time, where am I?"
This is the current version:
"Katherine hit the ground; the impact jolted her to consciousness. Squinting at the darkness around her she noticed the pain in her back where she had landed. One thing was certain to her; she wasn’t lying in her bed. No, there was a solid, dusty smelling, rock hard surface beneath her and the air carried a chill that would have normally been warded off by her doona. Katherine felt herself to ensure that all of her was present, arms, legs, torso, most importantly, head. That was a relief to her, though the matter of being in a completely alien place dressed in only her pyjamas brought a hot lump to her throat and seemed to make the temperature of the air drop significantly. Shivering madly, with fear, anxiety and cold her eyes darted to different points of the surrounding blackness as she sat up, feeling the air in front of her, hoping to grasp some comforting reminder that she wasn’t too far from home. "
Quite an improvement, hey? I hope it will only get better.
Oh well, lets hope it keeps comming.
Tash.
Indeed...
