Saturday, December 17, 2005

The muse -- she speaks!

I decided to get a start on the next project today. Specifically, I planned to start writing out my recipe cards with names and characteristics and scene ideas, based on notes I've been making for the last few weeks.

Then I thought, use the computer to compile the notes. That's where it'll all end up anyway. I had one file I called "the general gist," wherein I intended to write the basic premise of the next few books, which are going to be linked.

Well, dang if I didn't just start writing synopses. Oh, the joy! I love writing synopses, especially for stories that have been percolating in the back of my head for a while. Because I haven't written a word of the book, it's no-holds-barred storytelling. At this point, nobody knows the characters or the stories but me, so I'm free to do anything I want, and to use any language I want. Although my stories will be medieval, I use terms like "the big Bad" to describe the villain. That may change as I revise, but sometimes, I leave those things in. They bring a certain joie de vivre and energy to the synopsis, a thing that can all too often turn into a dry recitation of facts.

I was so unprepared for this to happen, I started "the general gist" document single spaced, with an extra line between paragraphs. I began writing at about 10:30 this morning. It's now nearly 2:30. I've taken breaks for lunch and laundry, and am now almost finished. It's eight pages long single-spaced. I'm not sure how long that'll be double-spaced, but whew, baby, I was on a roll! There's still a lot of editing to do, and I found out I need some more names for sidekicks, etc.

But the bottom line: I love writing days like this!

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