I have been doing a lot of reading recently about plotting and scenes as I add more and more detail to my current project, Godsent. I like to have a number of different manuscripts going at once to ensure that whatever mood I am in for the day, at least one of my projects draws my attention. Godsent is one that I just cant stop thinking about.

During my reading I found a great post about outlines and plots which provided some interesting take on the different levels of plot a writer often uses. Although I often use a similar approach I have found writing a short synopsis works well. The synopsis, written in flowing sentences allows me to be drawn away with the story and let the ideas come together.

Similar to Brandson Sanderson’s approach to writing I don’t start with one spark and end there. Yes, most of my projects start with a simple idea and grow until I have added sufficient background material and plot threads that I can start to lay them out on the weave which eventually becomes  a good (well I hope great!) story.

Right now I have the first 2-3 page synopsis which is my plot, a first high level cut of scenes and some character descriptions. Over the next few weeks I am going to build out the rules and backstories for the world-building which is so important in a good fantasy novel. Once I am happy with the depth of material to draw from, only then do I hone in on which thread should I tug to make the story.

Godsent is one where I thought I knew which thread I wanted, but this evening while waiting for my daughter to finish orchestra, I had a great idea which may end up changing the plot of the book completely. And this is exactly why I love writing

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Tags: Brandon Sanderson, godsent, outline, plot, Quinton Wall

This entry was posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 10:12 pm and is filed under writer tip. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.