Notes and outlines and getting a book started

Today I'm answering another one of your questions. And BTW, any time you have a writing or book-related question, just respond to that day's blog with your question or email me. If it's something that you want to know, chances are someone else wants to know it, too.

Marie wants to know how I accumulated the massive notes file that I have to pull scenes/dialogue/etc. from for each book. Did I begin with the first book and just keep adding ideas as time passed? How detailed of an outline do I have before I launch into the writing portion?

First of all, where I am now with Bewitched & Betrayed (aka B&B). I'm still working on fine-tuning my plot, expanding on some ideas, and doing some general "what if?" brainstorming. Maybe 1/3 of my entire "note file" will be used in some way in B&B; the rest will carry over into Books 5 and 6. BTW -- Read up, everyone! So that this time next year, I'll have a contract for Books 5 and 6. If you buy my books that are on the shelves, my publisher will buy the books that are in my head. Okay, commercial over. We now return to our regularly scheduled blog. ; )

In my story arc, I know the beginning, the end, and a few "big moments" in the middle. But, at least for me, that's not enough to get a book started. What I'm doing now is turning some of the scenes and dialogue chunks in my notes into what connects those big elements: the subplots, machinations, manipulations, but most importantly, the thread that runs through the story from beginning to end, the vital element that everything else connects to and branches out from.

I already have a lot that I want to include in B&B (probably too much, but you know how much I love a complex plot). What I'm doing now is wading through all of the information I have and looking for (or creating) the pieces that will connect those big moments and come together into the action-packed story I want to write for you.

As to how long I've had some of these notes, I'd say that some are probably at least ten years old. Never throw a dialogue snippet away; you never know when you'll use it -- or when the snippet will spawn a completely new idea.

As to how detailed of an outline I like to have before I start writing -- I need the beginning, the end, and as many of the middle elements in the plot arc as possible. That way, I have a pretty clear roadmap of where I'm going and how I'm going to get there. That said, I've learned to be open to change. While I'm writing, the story will grow and change (this happens through every draft, not just the first one). I'm learning to trust my instincts and just go along for the ride.

And how do I know when I'm ready to start the book? When I find myself opening a new Word document and typing "Chapter 1." ; )

Coming up: Doing rewrites; cleaning my office and the cool things I found; how to push through and complete a novel; why I love "gray" characters; writing my first novel way back when, complete with photos of my first notebook -- a handwritten mess. ; ) And for Saturday's Fun Pic, another mess -- my office gutted for cleaning and reorganization before I start writing B&B.

Lisa