The Healer and the Pirate

The Healer and the Pirate is available now on Kindle and Nook, and in print at Lulu and Amazon!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Ways to Plan a Novel - Part 2

I've repeatedly alluded to using the Snowflake Method to plan a novel. The problem is I always see possibilities, even when I'm more than halfway through WRITING the novel.

Speaking of possibilities, I was recently struck by an urge to time-travel back to 2003, so I brought out my old DVDs of the short-lived show Tru Calling. The premise is that when Tru Davies (who conveniently works in a morgue) is near a person who had an unnatural death, the person may call for her help. When that happens, the day rewinds and she wakes up when the day started (a la Groundhog Day) and has to try to save the victim. Not every episode is great, but I found it enjoyable.

Rewriting a story and publishing BOTH VERSIONS? Yes, that's my idea of a perfect job. No wonder I like time travel stories so much.

In fairness, I also happened to see my first episodes--the last two of Season 1--when my parents were in Ohio and my grandfather was at death's door himself. So the thought of rewriting life to "fix" the deaths touched me more than it may have otherwise. I guess that's part of the beauty of writing. You never know when your story might hit someone at the exact right moment, when a story that's "just OK" will seem jaw-droppingly amazing to them, or even bless them unexpectedly.

Oh, and speaking of writing, Doris Egan (more famous for Buffy and House) actually blogged about where the show was going before is (already short) second season was cut shorter. Her blog in general is fascinating if you're interested in TV writing at all.

No comments:

Post a Comment