I was asked recently how I organize my thoughts to write a whole book. Honestly, at the start of a project, my thoughts don’t seem very organized so I had to think about this. How do I organize my thoughts? Given that I should probably start working on my next book, it’s a very good time to answer this question.
Let’s pretend I want to write some sort of fluffy romance. I’ll need three main ingredients: a man, a woman, and an obstacle.
Who is the man? And I don’t mean his name. If I tried to start with names, I’d never get anything written. I mean what qualities are going to make him attractive to the woman? Is she interested in someone who feels responsibility towards younger siblings because their dad died when he was a teenager? Or someone who quietly pulls off epic pranks that no one ever realizes he’s behind? I’ll need to think about who else is in his life. Is someone bugging him to “settle down” or just giving him a hard time about that thing he does that irritates everyone? These minor characters are especially important if I’m writing a series.
Who is the woman? I’ll name her later, too. How is she attractive to the man in my story? Is she self-conscience about the fact that her hair sticks up at a hint of static or that she once went bowling and hit pins three lanes to the right? Who in her life is going to keep her humble with these things? Does she have family nearby? If she’s living with her parents, they might be a bigger part of her story. One of her friends should probably be set up to be the woman in the next book, that way she already has a name.
And now what is the obstacle? The story is over on page two if there is no obstacle to the relationship. Sometimes the problem is simply that they just met. Even the most hopeless of romantics knows love doesn’t happen on sight. But variety is good so sometimes the obstacle is fear. Is this a story where neither wants to be the first to admit feelings? Is it a story where someone was hurt in the past or someone else is insanely stubborn? Is there a miscommunication that absolutely cannot involve the words “Now what were you going to tell me?” Maybe a bad first impression is the obstacle. Thank you, Jane Austen.
What if I want to write something other than light romance? I guess I’d have to organize my thoughts around some other ingredients. I hope one of them isn’t dirt.
