Blog Post #2

Okay, it's day two (it's not really day two, but I'm behind, so let's just pretend).

Day two is basically doing what I did yesterday, but for the protagonist, Imogen. I already had some idea of what her plot was going to be, but now that I know Nell's plotline I can flesh Imogen's out a little bit more. Hopefully it will make a little more sense.

I'm really excited about the parallels between these two characters. Later in the month I get to do some character worksheets, so I'll hopefully be able to flesh those out a bit more then. Fingers crossed they don't come out too heavy handed.

Okay, so.

The set-up

Yesterday's planning allowed me to come up with the idea that the testing centre was moved. That means I've now had to think about how that would effect Imogen. Planning the build-up to the test from both sides has also helped create tension, I think, whereas the beginning of the story was quite basic before. I hope I've also avoided it being too cliche. Again, I think working this out from both sides and actually having to think it through really helped build up the story. I'm excited about writing it now.

I also like seeing the scale of Nell's government drama vs Imogen's more personal nerves about the test. I might have to try working both their plotlines in, perhaps, or at least hinting at both.

The inciting incident

Well, we actually went over that yesterday. The inciting incident is the test, where both Nell and Imogen jointly cause the incident that propels the rest of the plot.

It is going to become apparent later that it isn't entirely their fault, though.

I'm actually having to think about what exactly happens in that scene now. Knowing what everyone is thinking is hugely useful, because it means (hopefully) that everyone's actions will make sense.

The rising action

This was the part of the story where I thought I didn't need to know what Nell was doing. She isn't directly involved in much of what happens here. However, when I actually planned her story, I had to think about how her actions would make sense within Imogen's story anyway, so that everything that needs to happen in the main plotline could happen without interference.

This was also the part I struggled with in the original planning. I had the actions, but not the reasons behind them.

I can never restrict myself to five points. Although that'll be good for Nano: the more detailed planning I have, the less I have to stop and think when I'm desperately trying to write 50k. This is the most planning I've ever done for Nano, and I think it's really going to help.

Confession: I had help on these points. Talking things through with another write is really helpful for any writing/planning. I'd recommend everyone go to a group meetup during Nano, or even participate as much as possible on the forums. If I hadn't had helped I would have spent much more time stabbing my notebook with a pen and saying "I don't know why it happens - because of reasons!"

The climax

The part where our two plotlines converge again. I already had a good idea of how this scene would go before I started planning - it was one of the first scenes I thought about. I'm going to need to do some work to build the other character in this scene back into the story, as they don't  show up much before now. The scene won't pack as much punch if no one has a feel for who they are.

It's probably the most useful piece of advice I've learned from all the planning resources I've read: your can always go back and change your plan later. This is almost the brainstorming stage of plotting, and it, just like the novel, will get revised several times. I'll probably do some more in-depth planning once I finish the novel and start editing it, but the goal is to just get the words down on paper for now.

I got to this scene and realised I hadn't done enough planning for this scene from Nell's point of view. Again, this was where having someone else to brainstorm with really helped.

The falling action

I had to do a lot of planning for this section from Imogen's point of view, because Nell doesn't really do anything during this point, and she doesn't know what's going on. It also made me realise that I had to go back and add some other events earlier in the book (hopefully I remember, otherwise the end just won't make sense). But again, that's what planning and re-drafts (so many re-drafts) are for.

The resolution

I actually realised when I was planning this that my 'antagonist' gets a better ending than my 'protagonist'. Although it does set up plenty of angst for the next book, so...

And now to catch up, as it's now Day 6. Whoops.