In my last post on the writing process (The Writing Process- Gather Up Everything), I talked about taking all of the different pieces of information that you might want to include in your book and putting them down in one place. Thoughts, links, examples, funny stories- all in one document so you’ve got them all in front of you. I do this so that I don’t lose track of something- so a year later I’m not slapping my forehead and saying “I wish that I’d included that story!”
You’ve got your information all gathered together. The next step is to put it into some rough kind of order.
Stop and think about a logical order first. If you’re writing fiction, are there some events that have to come before others? If you’re writing non-fiction, are there some facts that build on others?
Think about the flow of the book. What’s the best way to tell your reader things so that they’re clear/ understandable/enjoyable? Do you need to use order to build tension or to only reveal information step by step?
Once I’ve got a feel for my book, I’ll write a rough outline of how I want it to go, and then I’ll start cut and pasting the different points to where they seem to fit in the outline
Keep in mind that you can always change the order later on, both during the planning process and when you’re writing the book. If you have a new insight and things need to line up differently, just cut that section of your book and paste it into its new home
A base structure like this will make your book make more sense, and make sure that you remember everything you wanted to include once you’re writing.
Catherine
Foresight
2/10/15
www.ForesightYourCTPsychic.wordpress.com
For more information on Catherine’s books, “Adventures in Palmistry”, “The Practical Empath – Surviving and Thriving as a Psychic Empath”, “Manifesting Something Better” ,“The Psychic Power of Your Dreams”, her urban fantasy “The Lands That Lie Between”, and her new book “Magick for Pennies”, all from Foresight Publications, click here
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