For one thing, I gave up on outlining decades ago. In my early, manic days, I felt that getting the ending out on the page would convince my brain that the story was told, and it would be time to move on to something fresh. That hasn't worked out so well for me in the years since. R.L. Stine, Judy Blume, and James Patterson all gave perspectives about outlines, and I decided to try it for this new idea I had, inspired by the film Knives Out. I didn't exactly write an outline for the story that night, but I wrote out character descriptions, and included events that would shape their character arcs. The next day, I wrote the outline, and about two chapters. And I've been writing a little every day since then.
Another mistake I've made in the past was only writing at night, because I believed that was when I was most creative. There may have been some truth to that, but I know now that if I stay up late, I neglect my medication, and get manic, and the whole night goes off the rails. I'm writing in the daytime, and limiting the nighttime writing, and I'm putting more thought into the characters, their traits, their growth as the story progresses. And in doing such, I'm letting them be their own people, in a sense.
James Patterson said that 99% of the time, the ending he wrote for the outline is NOT the ending he writes to the story, because the characters change over the course of the journey, whether the villain becomes more interesting, or the hero becomes more flawed, and that has happened to me. In the past, I had always let the story guide me, following the plot without paying much attention to the individuals acting it out. It may not seem that way to the readers, but as the writer, I cared more about plot, less about the characters, and that's not how this current work-in-progress is going. There's definitely a story driving the characters in this book, but I didn't know when I started that the hero had an eating disorder, or that his partner had lost his fiancee after she was in accident because she was driving while intoxicated. These things have come up, and it makes the characters seem less like characters, and more like human beings living their lives. I have considered myself a writer for at least 35 years, and I am only just now understanding how to do it the right way. Or, maybe there is no right way in general, but I now understand that the way I did it before was not not the right way for ME. Of course, maybe it just seems that way because of how long it's been, and I have a lousy memory. I need to go back and revisit some of my old books, and see if the characters come across as actual people. I have not published anything in years, and as such, I have not read any of my longer works in years.
Speaking of which, I'm seriously considering unpublishing my books and starting over fresh. I turned 40 back in August, and the same friend who gave me a year of Master Class also gave me a tiny traffic cone reading, "Caution: Life Starts at 40." I think that may be true, and I should take advantage of the chance to start over. Maybe I have been doing it the wrong way. I haven't made many sales, but I know that has nothing to do with the readers, and everything to do with the books. (And my lack of marketing combined with not keeping a web presence to establish a brand probably has not helped.)
In addition to writing again, I'm finally reading again, too. Not just comics and humor titles, but also genres I'd never considered before. As a result, this WIP feels closer to "literary fiction" than anything I've ever written. I'm not saying that's the genre, but it definitely has that feel to it. It's driven more by dialogue than action, not that it's lacking in action. Things happen, people die, and the protagonist investigates, mostly by asking questions and there are a lot of personal conversations that drive the conflict, as well. It's different.
Now, I've put off writing anything new in the WIP today so far, but with this blog explaining why and how I've started writing a new novel... I think it's time to go do some more work. Thanks for reading, and I'll try to update again soon. The past few years have not done much to suggest that I will, but I'll definitely try to remember!