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FAQsDo you plan your books or just write and see what happens? Similarly, conversations surprise you when you start to put words in a character's mouth and realise that the person wouldn't say that - it's not within character. So you write something that would be more likely from that person, and soon conversations take twists and turns you can never anticipate. That means that relationships build that you couldn't anticipate, and friction happens that you can't foresee. And before you know it, whole scenes have been taken over by plausibility and consistency. And that's just with characters. And even the most detailed plans tend to overlook things. You might get to a chapter and realise you're completely ignoring a very important sub-plot, and the book cannot work the way you first hoped. Or it contradicts a factor of the world's legal system. Or you haven't asked yourself one important ‘what if' question. When you come across these inconsistencies and obstacles, the plot has to be reworked ‘on the run'. That means the book starts to take on a more logical and often better path to the one I originally have in mind. I like to know where I'm going, but I love the surprises I get along the way, and the challenges that come from asking myself how to fix the problems I seem to have created. I love planning. I love the thrill of dropping in hints and clues, made possible through forward thinking. But I also love getting to the end of the day and re-reading a portion of the novel that I hadn't planned at all. |