Chloe Neill Guest Blog & Contest

Today I am honored to have Chloe Neill, the author Some Girls Bite, an awesome new series about the Chicagoland Vampires, here guest blogging! There’s also a contest so be sure to read on and find out how to enter. So’ll hand the reigns over and extend a warm welcome to Chloe…

Plotting by the Seat of Your Pants

I’ll be honest.  I’m not a great outliner.

I’m currently working on my fourth manuscript, and it’s the first one that I’ve written from a full outline.
I’m not entirely sure what to do about that, as I’m normally more of a plot-by-the-seat-of-my-pants
kind of writer.

Since I tend to write novels in series, I generally have an idea of where I want the series to go—namely,
which heroine and hero will end up together in the end. I also have an idea of the conflicts I want them
to face and the obstacles they’ll need to overcome in order to get together in the end. For each
particular manuscript, I know where the heroine starts, and I know where I want her to end. I also have
an idea of the major points in the story.

Everything else is pretty much a blank page, at least at first. I’ll generally start the book, fill in some big
scenes, write the end, and then begin filling in the rest (80,000+ words) of the novel. Occasionally, once
I’m past the halfway point, I’ll plot out the second half of the book to ensure that the pacing in the
second half of the book is consistent. But for the first 50,000 or so words, I’m writing on the fly.

As you might imagine, this process can lead to some stressful moments.  If I’m tired, if I’m not feeling
the creative drive, or if I’m distracted (dog, boy, job, housework), writing on a blank page isn’t the
easiest thing to do.

And, one of the results of this “process” (to the extent you can call it that), is that I end up dropping a
stitch somewhere in the story because of the sheer number of subplots I have running at any one time.
[Sidenote: As a reader, I like “thick” stories, undercurrents, lots of points of interest.  These kinds of
stories seem more real to me. Think about it—you might have relationship troubles, but you also have a
job to deal with, a family, a home, financial concerns, etc.  Why should it be any different in the world of
the supernatural? Sure, you’ve got paranormal evildoers, but the world doesn’t stop just because the
evildoers come to town.] Luckily, I have a fabulous editor who seems to notice those things, even if I
don’t. J

On the other hand, I worry that if I do outline the entire novel, the writing will feel “administrative.”  I
worry that I’ll lose the creative drive that keeps the word count growing if the writing becomes “filling in
the blanks” of a pre-planned outline. Now that I’m in the thick of that process with the current book
(Chicagoland Vampires #3), I suppose I’ll figure out it.

In the meantime, I thought I’d take a scan around the web and see what other plotting/outlining ideas
folks have to offer. Here’s some linkables:

1. How to Outline a Novel (E-How) { http://www.ehow.com/how_2110891_outline-a-novel.html}: This
site includes tips on plotting the novel in one-thirds, outlining scenes, and using a plot notebook.

2. Storyboarding a Novel (Associated Content)
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/154132/storyboarding_how_to_break_your_novel.html
 The authors call it storyboarding, but this is actually a method utilizing note cards.

3. The Snowflake Method (Advanced Fiction Writing) {
http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php}: Building out the elements of a novel from
sentence to manuscript.

4. Lynn Viehl’s Novel Outlining 101{ http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2007/09/novel-outlining-
101.html}: A professional (and well-published) author offers her perspective on outlining and plotting. I
really like her idea of putting a “novel notebook” together. Lynn also has additional posts on outlining
{http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/search/label/outlining}.

5. Novel Summary Sheet (Writer’s Digest) { http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/870156}:
As the name suggests, a sheet allowing you to create a precise summary of your manuscript.

Here’s my best advice—Take these ideas as suggestions, as tools in your writing toolbox, and don’t
worry about outlining “like the others do.”  You’ll know what works best for you, whether it’s one-page
summary, full outline, notebook, or nothing at all.

Good luck, and thanks to Sidhe Vicious Reviews for having me today!

Chloe

Thank you for taking the time to blog with me Chloe! What a great post. As you can see in my review, I am now officially a Chicagoland Vampires fan-girl. I can’t wait for Friday Night Bites!

CONTEST

Chloe has graciously offered up some great prizes including a signed copy of Some Girls Bite and “Box of Chicagoland Vampire Goodness” for the giveaway including:

1. Signed Chicagoland Vampires bookplate
2. “I Heart Cadogan” bumper sticker
3. Some Girls Bite magnet
4. Cadogan House bar coaster

How To Enter

Leave a comment explaining what you would most look forward to if you were changed into a vampire?  What would you miss the most? 

 

For An Extra Entry: 

-Subscribe to my blog and be sure to verify the subscription through your email. Leave a comment to let me know you’ve subscribed. If you’re already subscribed and you enter, you’ll have an extra entry.

The contest will run until 11:59pm on Sunday, June 21st and the winner will be posted at some point on the 22nd. Please leave an email address in your comment if you’d like an email to let you know if you’ve won. If I can’t contact the winner and I don’t hear back from the posted winner after 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

Good Luck and I look forward to your comments!

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