By Rodney Page
I’ve previously written about my
routine for outlining a novel. Like writing itself, the process is
ever-evolving.
To review my previous
exploits…for my first novel I prepared an extensive outline but quickly learned
the plot and characters took on lives of their own. Other than the general flow
of the plot, the hours spent outlining proved a waste of time. In fact, I found
myself constrained by the outline; the pesky characters just weren’t doing what
they were supposed to.
Never one for moderation, other
than a few scribblings in my trusty notebook, I charged into the second novel
outline-less, allowing the muse to have her way with me. The result: a lot of time correcting inconsistent plot
lines. And there were the erratically-behaving characters. My goodness! How can
the protagonist be a passive and humble guy in one scene and a rip-roaring Type
A personality in the next?
So…two published novels and a
half-dozen completed and in-progress manuscripts later, where am I on this
whole outlining thing? Following is a brief summary describing my current protocol.
Plot – In the aforementioned trusty notebook, I sketch out the umbrella plot, the book’s overarching structure.
Next come the sub-plots that will showcase the characters, create the ‘red
herrings’ and bring life to the locales.
Characters – With the plot in mind, I develop detailed character
profiles…physical appearance, personality quirks, strengths/weaknesses,
education, where they’re from, marital status, etc. Creating the character’s persona
makes him/her come alive. I know them. I know what they look like and how they
think. Therefore, what they say and do from one scene to the next is consistent
with who they are.
Place – I am familiar with many locations about which I write, but
for those I’m not, Google Maps and Wikipedia are life-savers. I’m a stickler
for plausibility and strive to insure the reader senses my familiarity with a
locale…be it North Carolina’s Outer Banks (vacation there; know it well) or Cuba’s
Sierra Maestra Mountains (obviously, never been there).
Scenes – Finally, I abandon my messy notebook and utilize an Excel
spreadsheet. For each scene I create four columns: 1) the scenes’ sequence,
i.e., 1-X; 2) the scene’s locale; 3) the characters in the scene; 4) a brief
description of the scene; what I want it to accomplish. Of course, the
spreadsheet is an ongoing work-in-progress…scenes are deleted/added; the
sequence changes; the scenes’ objectives evolve; characters are added/deleted.
Everything needed to manage the project is captured on one or two pages.
Some may note a passing
similarity of my spreadsheet to several popular authoring software programs.
After a brief flirtation with one of those programs, I prefer my simpler,
homemade version. There you have it, my current approach to outlining. Check in
next year, and I’m sure it will have changed again.
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A Georgia native, Rodney Page’s
business career included a variety of senior management positions and
consulting engagements in companies and industries ranging from startups to
Fortune 50 firms. A graduate of the Grady College of Journalism at the
University of Georgia, in 2005 Rodney authored Leading Your Business to the Next Level…the Six Core Disciplines of
Sustained Profitable Growth, a
hands-on guide for companies navigating the perils and pitfalls of a high
growth environment. An avid student of history and political junky, Rodney
combined those interests with his lifelong desire to write a novel. His first, Powers Not Delegated, was published in
2012. Rodney’s second novel, The Xerces Factor,launched in April. He meshes his knowledge of history and current events to pen
a relevant and plausible tale of intrigue inside the Beltway. His short story, Granny Mae’s Journey appeared in Crimson
Cloak Publishing’s Steps in Time
anthology this spring. Rodney lives in Hendersonville, North Carolina. His
passions include hiking, photography, history, reading, and, of course,
University of Georgia football. Rodney’s social media links are:http://www.rodneypageauthoronline.com https://www.facebook.com/jrodney.page https://twitter.com/JRodneyPage
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