Developing the New Book, Part 2

As of this afternoon I've roughly mapped out all the beats of this new book based on Snyder's story beat approach, except for the opening and closing images. I figure I'll add them later on as the writing progresses.

This evening, I created an excel spreadsheet based on the handwritten one JK Rowling used to develop her Harry Potter work. I'll use this to fine tune the beats, sequencing details, and character activity as I finalize the plan for the book. Columns include Chapter, Scene, Day, Beat, Plot Summary, and a column for each character.

Using this method has helped me envision a story more completely than I ever have before. I'm very excited about it. My next step will be to complete the spreadsheet, use it to complete the plot and work around any holes, then begin the writing process.

SUPER STOKED!

Started Writing a New Book Tonight

Tonight, I started work on what I hope will be a new novel. After spending about 2 weeks learning about Blake Snyder's story beats, I spent this evening developing the first several beats of this new work. I'm about halfway through mapping it out, and I can see the rest of the story quite clearly. 

I am using a well-known story as a template of sorts (think O Brother Where Art Thou?/The Odyssey and Ready Player One/The Wizard of Oz), which feels kinda like cheating, but also not. Snyder teaches that most movies (and I see this readily applying to any kind of story) have the same structure of beats. In this sense, coupled with the fact that all characters, settings, and actual writing are entirely my own, I feel quite comfortable with the approach.

Not only is the approach entirely new for me, so is the genre and subject matter. Needless to say, I'm quite stoked. Let's see if I can keep that fire alive!

For the Convenience of All 3 of My Fans

If you're interested in a convenient listing of stuff I've written that's available on the interwebs, I'd like to invite you to visit my Stuff I've Written page.