ahream

I am a planner. I like notes and schedules. Office supply stores turn me on, and at this moment, there are twenty-two sticky notes and three spreadsheets taped to the wall above my desk. So it will surprise no one to learn I outline my books ahead of time.

It’s possible that outline is color coded and includes a timeline. I neither confirm nor deny it.

There are serious advantages to this. If I’m not feeling a scene, if I’m just not bringing the funny or the scary or the maudlin or whatever it is that’s called for, I move on. I write another scene. I know what’s coming. No worries.

It gives me the illusion of control.

But then sometimes the cop just handcuffs her.

He wasn’t supposed to cuff her. Suzy was pissing him off. He was frustrated. There was some yelling, some threatening. And okay, he hasn’t been getting much sleep, what with the bodies that keep turning up. But he was absolutely, positively not supposed to cuff her. He was particularly not supposed to cuff her to his own arm. She has to run off at the end of the scene, go chasing after the bad guy. And now she’s got a homicide detective attached to her like a Siamese twin. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?

This was not in the outline, people. Not in the outline.

And don’t even get me started on the thing with the horse.

ahream Dispatches from the City of Angels I'm a mystery writer living in and writing about Los Angeles. You can catch my short story, "Running Venice," in the new anthology LAndmarked for Murder. Look for it in bookstores and on Amazon.com now. In the meantime, feel free to poke around. Over at my website you can find even more blog entries than I could fit here, as well as a few other ramblings. Enjoy and come back often.
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Previous Entry :: Next Entry Read/Post Comments (6) Most Recent Twitters: Reading Tony Broadbent's book, The Smoke. It's too good. I'm losing sleep. Nocturnal pattern shot to hell. Productivity declining. L.A. Finds: The Denver omelet at Pat's in Topanga is sublime in its simplicity. Exactly what you need and nothing else, much like the restaurant itself snuggled smack in the middle of an old hippie community where the peace signs and tie-dye still reign. Flickr Updates: The second Thursday of every month is the Downtown Art Walk. The galleries stay open late, the restaurants are packed, bands perform on the streets. God, I love L.A. What I'm Reading: The Smoke by Tony Broadbent What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami Want E-Mail Updates? Click here, type your e-mail address into the first field (for public entries) and receive an e-mail note each time a new blog post goes up. (Photo updates, Twitters and "L.A. Finds" features not included. Those you have to swing by and check yourself.) Absolutely, positively no spam. Promise. Other author blogs: Sue Ann Jaffarian Eric Stone Christa Faust Lipstick Chronicles		2008-07-22 8:43 AM I have no control. I just like to pretend. I am a planner. I like notes and schedules. Office supply stores turn me on, and at this moment, there are twenty-two sticky notes and three spreadsheets taped to the wall above my desk. So it will surprise no one to learn I outline my books ahead of time. It’s possible that outline is color coded and includes a timeline. I neither confirm nor deny it. There are serious advantages to this. If I’m not feeling a scene, if I’m just not bringing the funny or the scary or the maudlin or whatever it is that’s called for, I move on. I write another scene. I know what’s coming. No worries. It gives me the illusion of control. But then sometimes the cop just handcuffs her. He wasn’t supposed to cuff her. Suzy was pissing him off. He was frustrated. There was some yelling, some threatening. And okay, he hasn’t been getting much sleep, what with the bodies that keep turning up. But he was absolutely, positively not supposed to cuff her. He was particularly not supposed to cuff her to his own arm. She has to run off at the end of the scene, go chasing after the bad guy. And now she’s got a homicide detective attached to her like a Siamese twin. What the hell am I supposed to do with that? This was not in the outline, people. Not in the outline. And don’t even get me started on the thing with the horse. Read/Post Comments (6) Previous Entry :: Next Entry Back to Top