My outline / plan morphs as I go….

Well, I’m almost out of “Fiction Jail” (or more precisely, “Camp NaNoWriMo”) and here is the promised update on my project.

Have I achieved my goal of drafting all the remaining pivotal scenes?
No.

Have I written more than I could have imagined prior to entering Jail?
Why, yes, as a matter of fact, I have.

I also…

• Outdid myself in coffee consumption.
• Kept up with my weekly class at the gym, plus went out bicycling at least once each week.
• Made a killer lasagne.
• Planned an out-of-state road trip, to be made later, coordinating travel with my brother.

But more to the point, I…

• Not only made a research visit to a very helpful Anderson County Ag Extension agent, but totally geeked out about doing so.
• Realized that at least three of my hard-earned scenes are basically filler, and need to be scrapped entirely.
• Walked my main character through an existential crisis that threatened the entire series.

See, I’d been trying to follow advice that was meant for drama / suspense / super serious fiction, none of which I am actually writing. My main character finally convinced me she exists primarily to have fun. Or at least, to let her readers have fun.

That brings me to my most important accomplishment during my incarceration….

• I’ve lightened up.

I’ll be out of Jail by next week, and will see you on Wednesday with a normal post.

“Normal” for me, anyway.

Thanks for reading,
Jan