The other day over on Facebook, I was involved in a brief discussion with an author who, as part of a novel proposal package, was writing her synopsis before working on the sample chapters.
Yikes, I responded, though I've done it myself upon occasion. To me that always feels as if I'm climbing into bed with strangers. I like moseying through my opening chapters first: a snippet here, a deletion there, a rewrite coming from another angle. It's how I get to know the characters so I'm comfortable enough with predicting what they'll do to put together an outline of their journey in the synopsis. In the opening pages, the story's themes and tone gradually reveal themselves to me as well.
It's not the way I always write, and as I've previously discussed on the blog, I rely on an ever-evolving number of prewriting strategies to focus my energies on the characters and their relationships. None of these methods, or anyone's methods (including starting off with a synopsis) is the perfect, inviolable, correct way, any more than any one of them is wrong.
Instead, it's all about making the process work for you, in the service of fleshing out the most compelling characters and the most engaging story possible.
So how do you get to know your characters? Or do you prefer "jumping into bed with strangers" and letting all the arms and legs sort themselves out? ;)
Yikes, I responded, though I've done it myself upon occasion. To me that always feels as if I'm climbing into bed with strangers. I like moseying through my opening chapters first: a snippet here, a deletion there, a rewrite coming from another angle. It's how I get to know the characters so I'm comfortable enough with predicting what they'll do to put together an outline of their journey in the synopsis. In the opening pages, the story's themes and tone gradually reveal themselves to me as well.
It's not the way I always write, and as I've previously discussed on the blog, I rely on an ever-evolving number of prewriting strategies to focus my energies on the characters and their relationships. None of these methods, or anyone's methods (including starting off with a synopsis) is the perfect, inviolable, correct way, any more than any one of them is wrong.
Instead, it's all about making the process work for you, in the service of fleshing out the most compelling characters and the most engaging story possible.
So how do you get to know your characters? Or do you prefer "jumping into bed with strangers" and letting all the arms and legs sort themselves out? ;)
Comments
I write a few chapters with a basic premise in mind and let the characters go where they need to go. Then I work on backstory, IC, goals, etc. when I have had a chance to get to know the main characters a bit. Those first chapters always get re-written,or at least drastically revised, but they help me get direction.
Great post!
Tessy
But if you really get stuck, you could always go with zombiedom!
Kathryn, I'm with you on having to "hear" the characters' voices in my heads. It's the main reason I've never written British characters. They won't quit speaking with a Jersey wiseguy accent or a Texas twang!
I'm enjoying hearing about everyone's processes. Thanks for sharing.