Wednesday, July 31, 2013

A Pretty Red Bow

First off, a big happy birthday to my husband and my oldest son! Yes, they share a birthday, and I am now officially the mother of TWO teenagers. Eep. This one's for you, big guy...


I'm about to do something I've never ever done before...write a sequel. It's kind of scary and oh so exciting at the same time. In preparation, I've had to really flesh out my series synopsis, including engaging in some serious conversations with my publisher about my story. It's been fun to brainstorm together and quite satisfying to see my world come alive.


I've written pages and pages of backstory--things that lead up to book #1 that the reader will never know, but now I have clear goals and motivation for every character and the choices they make. The best part is seeing how nicely every hint and action and detail will come together at the end of the series tied up in a pretty red bow. I can't wait!


How do you plan your stories? Are you a plotter or pantser or combination of both? Do you focus on one book at a time, or do you plan out the whole series if it's going to be more than one?


14 comments:

Tonja Drecker said...

Happy Birthday to your household! Two teenagers, huh? ;)
Congrats on deciding to write a sequel. I'm sure it will be great.
I'm a plotster. Completely. First in my head, and then on paper with all sorts of pretty designs.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

I'm a pantser and I usually plan out a series. Congrats on your success and the sequel. Happy B'day to your husband and son and my mother and younger sister (20 yrs) share a birthday as well.

Robin said...

Happy Birthday to your big boys. 2 teenagers-yikes!

I fly by the seat of my pants. I've never attempted a series. I'm a stand alone or possibly companion novel kind of writer (at least for now)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Happy birthday to your son and husband! Is your husband one of the two teens? Because we really never grow out of it you know.
That's cool you are doing a sequel. Sounds like you are doing more planning than I did. Of course, I never intended to write a sequel, let alone two. (But I did manage to tie it up in the end.)

Suzi said...

I'm a pantser, so I don't do much planning, other than a general premise. I'm trying to do a little more thinking ahead of time, but I don't think I'll even get into doing like a whole outline before writing. I just like writing and seeing what happens.

jaybird said...

Happy B-day to your husband and son. How cool that they share a b-day! Hope you plan a giant party for the pair of them, with lots and lots of cake. :)

It's pretty funny how absolutely undisciplined and off the wall I am as a writer. (And in life in general.) I haven't finished the edits and revisions on Breaking Cardinale Rules yet, but I already had four chapters of the sequel started long before I finished the first book. (I wrote it while we were in Hawaii. The story begins there and I wanted to be immersed in the culture and surroundings while I wrote those parts :))

Overall, I blame it on my ADD. I am forever and always all over the place. A true pantser at heart. Not sure if I will ever be able to pull it together...

Rachel Schieffelbein said...

I'm not a good planner. I've tried.
Good luck with the sequel! (And the teens.) ;)

Crystal Collier said...

Happy birthday to your boys!

What fun, brainstorming with your publisher. I have a writing partner and a local brainstormer, but mostly I never stop thinking. My characters are my world...next to my family. ;) (Been doing this too long.) Plotting is constantly happening--both on a conscious and subconscious level, but I only usually jot down a couple notes to help keep it all clear.

Wishing you much success with the sequel. They're fun.

Emily R. King said...

I am usually a plotter, but my latest MS has been mostly pantsed. It is so cool that you are able to brainstorm with your publisher. I'm sure your sequel will be great!

Happy Birthday to your hubs and son!

Kim Webb Reid said...

I'm a pantser, because I like the way it sounds. But it makes me a very slow writer, and I am pretty committed to never writing a series for that reason . . . I think there would be way too many holes! So congrats on already having all the backstory nicely in place. Not everyone can do that.

Jack said...

Series are fun to writing, but most assuredly very hard. All of the things one has to remember and the things they have to tie together can get tricky. But by the end it is always worth it.

Michelle D. Argyle said...

I will never write another series again. Ever. Well, unless I do, but we won't go there. I do not PLAN to ever write another sequel book to anything. I have to say, though, that Pieces was the easiest book I've ever written. It wasn't easy to write, but compared to everything else, it was a flippin' breeze. So maybe that will lift you up a little?

I'm both a pantster and a planner. Every book is different, it seems.

Gina Gao said...

Happy birthday to the people in your family!

www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

Kathryn Purdie said...

Gorgeous song. I love Mindy Gledhill. I've never heard this one before. I can't wait for your sequel. You know that. Ahhh, Theron. ;-) I'm mostly a plotter with quite a bit of pantser thrown in. Some books I can't figure out until I start writing. Then I usually have to stop a little ways in, figure out the whole book, and keep going. But I usually know the main beats from the beginning.