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Planning
Question: How much planning do authors do before they start writing a fiction book? Im talking big time, like lord of the rings. How much detail do they go into when creating the wrolds history and backstory and character developement and backstories? Do they plan in detail every single adventure that happens in the book. Do they plan out all the characters in the book? How much of everything is usually created during the writing process and how much is created pre-writing in the planning process?
Plz help ive got inspiration and an idea but i dont know how much planning i should do
Answer: Generally speaking, writers fall into two different categories: outliners and non-outliners (or, as my critique partner has dubbed them, “seat-of-the-pantsters”). I’m an outliner. Mostly, I outline because I’m lazy. I hate rewriting; I hate watching my burst of pride and relief at the end of a novel dissipate in a realization of a hole-riddled plot. I’d much rather know where I’m going from the beginning, rather than trying to force my foreshadowing and plot twists into the text somewhere in my second draft. It’s much easier to spend a few weeks rewriting an outline than it is to spend a few months to a year rewriting an entire draft.
Admittedly, many writers feel that outlining stifles their creativity. They feel that if they already know what happens in the story, why should they bother writing that first draft? In a way, however, an extensive outline is a first draft. It’s the “mistake” draft, the dry-eraser board where we all throw out our ideas and see how they line up on the page. Outliners and seat-of-the-pantsters alike go through this process. The only difference is that the outliner’s process takes maybe a quarter of the time.
Outlines take many forms—some of them a few sentences scrawled on a Post-It Note, some of them notebooks full of ramblings. I’m probably one of the more in-depth outliners. I fill up at least a notebook or two up with my scrawlings, and over the years, I’ve developed a handful of steps.
* Premise
By the time, I sit down to begin work on a story, it’s usually been chasing around in my head for at least a year or two. I almost always have ideas for several main characters, a handful scenes, a general conflict, and at least a sense of what the ending will be. My first goal is to hammer all this down into a premise: a single sentence that conveys the plot and the theme. This premise may actually change several times throughout the outlining and first-draft stages, but, to begin with, it helps me focus my thoughts.
* General Sketches
This is probably the single most important stage. This is where I give myself leave to throw my every idea—no matter how ridiculous—onto the page. I write down what I already know about the story, crafting it into a synopsis of sorts and discovering the plot holes. I ask myself lots of “what if’s” and “why’s.” Why is the character behaving this way? Why is she bitter about her past? What is forcing him to make these particular decisions?
In essence, the few scenes already in my brain are like dots on a connect-the-dot puzzle. It’s my job to figure how and why the lines follow this pattern, and that job is much easier when I can concentrate merely on answering the questions, rather than also trying to construct full-blown scenes, with characters, dialogue, and a consistent plot.
* Character Sketches
Once I have a pretty good idea of the story arc, and once I’ve filled in all the plot holes I can spot, I go to work on character sketches. I use a lengthy “interview” process that forces me to learn my characters’ backstories (which tend to be vital) and gives me the opportunity to figure out their every little quirk. You can read my list of interview questions in the post “Character Interviews.”
Character interviews are a lengthy process, so I only focus on the POV characters, the antagonist, and maybe one or two important minor characters. This part of the outlining generally gets my brain juices foaming and brings up all kinds of interesting tangents and opportunities for deepening the plot.
* Extended Outline
This is where the plotting begins in earnest. Step by step, I plot out in as much detail as possible (though without dialogue or narrative) every road stop along my map. In places, this plotting goes pretty quickly; in other places, I have to stop to work my way through iffy plot points and implausible character motivations. This step, by itself, can take several months, but because of the active, full-throttle creativity demanded, it’s one of the most exciting and rewarding portions of my storytelling.
* Abbreviated Outline
Finally, once I have my entire plot mapped out, I condense all the pertinent info into an abbreviated outline—which keeps me from having to read my entire extended outline every time I sit down to write. In the past, I’ve always just typed the abbreviated outline up in Word and printed a copy for easy reference. But during my last novel, I discovered the outlining software yWriter, and I’ve found its superior organizational features invaluable.
In a nutshell, that’s my process. If you ever feel yourself mired in the hazy middle of a novel that doesn’t really seem to know either where it’s coming from or where it’s going, I would recommend giving outlining a shot. Even just the simple tactic of scribbling down a handful of scene ideas can go a long way toward pulling a story into an organized whole. Plus, it’s about the easiest way possible to complete a first draft and ensure a cohesive second draft.
-K.M. Weiland
Historical and Speculative Novelist
http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com
Question: How do I start planning a road trip? (not planing the route, planning other things)? I and my two friends are planning on taking a road trip from Louisiana to Los Angeles when we graduate High School. We won't be going for a couple of years yet, but we'd like to get some plans down soon, that way we have something to look forward to and something to present to our parents when we ask permission to go.
We've kinda got our route figured out, we know what we want to see, but we don't know what else there is to be done in terms of planning (though we're sure there's lots more).
Are there any books about road trips and how to plan them? Online checklists? Anything?
We're also open to any money-saving suggestions (or any kind of suggestions, really) any one has to offer, we know it's going to be pricey...
Answer: I can speak of long roadtrips from experience. My latest being a move back from Tucson, AZ to Toronto, ON (similarly on the way down), having finished with a job down there.
Use resources like Mapquest to suggest a route, though you can modify it as needed. For my move, I only used interstate highways. Good maps such as Randy-McNally also show rest stops as well, which you'll want to take advantage of. I also avoid driving through major metropolises, instead, using bypass routes to avoid heavy traffic.
Make sure your vehicle is serviced and running well, as you want to travel efficiently (and hopefully your vehicle is fuel efficient). Plan for no more than 8 hrs a day of travel. Before moving on each day, do some basic checks on your vehicle (tire pressure, oil level, etc.).
Whether you plan to have extended stopovers along the way or just resting for the night and moving on in the morning, consider doing this: when you cross over state lines, drop in at the information centers (which will not be too far from the boundary) and browse through the brochures there. They will always have coupon books available for that state (some are nationwide) for hotel discounts. Also, large roadside billboards advertise hotel rates as well (only seen this in the US). My advise is to avoid locally owned hotels and stick to well-known names (Super 8, etc.) if you are on a budget and stay in a major town as opposed to a roadside inn in the middle of nowhere. You'll also want to be within easy reach of service stations and restaurants.
Hope this helps!
Question: What wedding planning tools are most useful? I'm a bride-to-be and I have just been exploring wedding planning websites on the web, I was just wondering if any recently married brides who used online wedding planning sites could let me know what online wedding planning tools (like checklists, inspiration boards, budget planners, seating plans...) they found most useful? Thanks!
Answer: Hi :) I'm not married but personally for me I think the checklist/timeline and the budget planner (theknot) are the most helpful. I don't think online seating plans are particularly helpful lol I find it much more helpful to write/draw it all out. Inspiration boards are fun :D Without a doubt, most helpful website regarding tools is the knot. I also love wednet and yourwedding101 for articles and ettiquete. Those are my top 3 :) Congrats and best wishes!! x
Question: How do I plan a surprise party with a person planning the party? So my best friend and I are having a joint graduation party. We started planning it and then her mom told me that they rented a beach house and wanted to have the party there. That's a great idea except they want it to be a surprise for my best friend. I've been trying to plan it but, everything is so hard because my best friend wants to help plan. I can't even do the invites without her knowing. I need help!
Answer: tell them its for someone you know and wow i cant belive it you both have the same birthday or what ever the occasion.tell them its freaky how they have some of the same intrests. joke around are you related to that person.just read the rest of your question this is a easy one. both your parents want to make ie a special day for someone you both know so you need her help with everything
Question: Planning of going into quantum computing and nanotechnology. What degree is good for this? I am planning of doing a major in computer engineering and a minor on physics (my school doesn't offer a double major with physics). I am planning to take all the modern physics courses for my physics minor. Is this a good idea?
Answer: You would be better off getting a major in physics and a minor in computer engineering. Quantum computing is no where near advanced enough for engineers to be worrying about it. At this point, it is basic physics research. Nanotech is pretty much the same (unless you want to make CPUs). So your computer engineering background is not really going to apply in either field, probably for 30 or 40 years. If this is what you want to do, I think you would be better of going with physics.
Question: Planning a Destination Bachelorette Party going from SFO to LAX any suggestions on things to do? Only 2 days. ? Planning a weekend bachelorette party. Arriving in SFO friday night, so we are going to go out in San Fran area. Then leave on Sunday afternoon at 5pm from LAX. We were planning on driving and stopping at places in between. Any suggestions on things to do, places to eat at, things to see?
Answer: Highway 5 is the quickest and most boring route.
Highway 101 is slower, but nicer.
The most interesting route is highway 1. It is also the slowest.
You can combine 101 and 1 to go a bit faster. For example, take 101 south. There are a couple of options for getting to the Monterey area. I prefer turning off on highway 156 over tom the coast and down to Monterey.
You could easily spend a few days here, but your time is short. Either eat at or near fisherman's wharf or continue along the coast then inland slightly to go to Carmel. The coast at Carmel is exceptionally nice and the town is full of galleries, one of a kind shops and restaurants. Explore and choose one
If you had one more day, I'd say take hwy 1 to San Luis Obispo. It's a beautiful curvey ride above the ocean, but time is short.
You can return to 101 by taking hwy 68 to Salinas. On to Santa Barbara with a possible stop in San Luis Obispo.
The coast of Santa Barbara is nice, but the town itself is very pleasant. The main attraction is State Street, the old downtown main street. The county courthouse, the most intersting I've seen, is east of State Street.
On to LA.
Where you spend Saturday night depends your timing.
One book that can come in handy is the AAA guide to California.
Question: I am planning to shidi for 2 days please someone tell me how to reach trimbakeshwar? Hi,
I am planning for shirdi for 2 days. The first day i am planning to spend in shirdi and the second day i am planning to visit Trimbakeshwar, the second day evening i also need to catch the train from Manmad. Can someone tell me how to reah Manmad from Trimbakeshwar to Manmad and how long it takes to reach Manmad from Tribakeshwar.
Thanks.
Answer: there are many buses available ot reach nasik... first reach nasik and then trimbakeshwar..its just 45 km and buses run continuously on that route..Come back to Nasik from Trimbakeshwar and catch a train to Manmad its 2 hrs by train ...there are many train in afternoon... just remember taht Nasik bus stand and rly station at 9 km far
Question: planning a backpacking trip across europe where do i start? this year will be my senior year of high school and i want to celebrate my graduation by backpacking across europe for the entire summer next year. a trip like this obviously takes major planning (and cash) and i'm just looking for a good place to start my planning. my head is already spinning with possibilities. i want to see as much as possible but theres so much to do.
Answer: The thing that is great about Europe is all the trains that connect from major city to major city, so i would look at that as my get to from place to place.
First off, i would narrow it down to the main cities you HAVE to see. So pick a few, maybe Paris, Rome, Madrid, Brussels, Amsterdam, and then figure out how you're going to get from place to place. And while going from place to place you can see all the places inbetween them, like going from Brussels to Amsterdam, pick some places to stop off.
yess, it seems very confusing, but the main point is narrow down the places you have to see, then start thinking of how to get from place to place and where you are going to stay.
Question: Planning a trip to Italy and need to know the best airports to get from Lucca to Venice? I'm planning a trip from to Italy next year, and I'm trying to get my plans together. I'm going to be flying in from the United States, most likely from either Chicago or Atlanta (probably Atlanta). The main destinations of this trip is Lucca to see the great walled city, and then to Venice. I need to know which airports are the best to fly into, specifically, from Lucca to Venice, and about how long that flight time would take.
Any and all help is appreciated!
Answer: I don't think there are flights between Lucca and Venice (anyway I can't find any on Venice airport website http://www.veniceairport.it/) but I don't think it'd be the better way, anyway; by train, minimum time is less than 4 hours: http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html
Edit: I didn't even consider airport outside of Lucca, since as you can see from the answer below, it'll take anyway four hours airport to airport; then you should add the time needed for reaching Pisa airport from Lucca, then the time needed for reaching Venice from Treviso...
If you catch a train you can start from the center of Lucca ending up in Venezia Mestre in a minimum of 3:54 hours, but even with the slower options/schedules it's five hours.
When travelling inside Italy, you should generally consider a flight only for longer routes, like from south to north or from islands to continental Italy.
Question: Planning my honeymoon and we are leaning towards a Mediterranean cruise in August, any experience? Our original plan was to just go to Italy, which we ended up deciding may be too expensive once the planning got underway so we started looking at cruises. While researching cruises the other night, came across a few different options for a Mediterranean cruise - each starting and ending in Rome (kinda killing two birds with one stone I guess). Has anyone taken a similar cruise before and what was your experience?
Answer: I would recomend royal caribbean . They have a 12 night cruise on 21 august in the med on the brand new brilliance of the seas. I am 35 and have been on island escape and island star as well as freedom of the seas. Royal caribbean ships are far superior to anything else on the market. Prices for Brilliance start around the £1000 per person.
Question: Planning to make a large purchase on my credit card and pay in 12 mths. How will it affect my credit rating? I have a St George Vertigo Mastercard and I'm planning to make an $11,000 purchase (because it has low interest). I'm planning to pay it off within 12 months and I'm confident I will. My question is since the card like most cards has 55 days interest free and then charges interest thereafter, how will my credit rating be affected by paying off my debt over 12 months? Is it a negative rating?
Should I go for a long-term personal loan instead with high interest? But please note that I'm almost 100% confident I can pay the credit card off in 12 months! Need your advice. Thanks.
Answer: It won't do anything for your credit rating. In Australia your credit rating only shows who you have applied for finance with & details (eg how much? etc) & any unpaid debts.
If you don't default on your credit card then you will still have a good credit rating.
Question: What is strategic planning and how does it work? I am wondering on what exactly strategic planning is and how it works. I heard that it is used in business, but can it be used in other areas as well? For example, can it be used in planning out ones career goals in life? Is it also valid and effective? Does anyone recommend using it when planning out career goals in life in order to prevent a career crisis?
Answer: Strategic plans are done for usually 5 years out. They are used in business for product development and financial planning. Of course you can develop a strategic plan for a person...education and career. It's always good to have some plan regarding your career, financial planning, family planning. It doesn't guarantee not preventing a "crisis" but will assist you in preparing for events in the future (e.g. buying a house, investments, starting a family, etc.).
Question: Is Sony planning to make a PS3 that is backward compatible with PS2 games? As of right now Sony only has the 40GB PS3 on the market. Is Sony planning to make a new model that is backwards complatible with PS2 or are there no plans for that in the future?
Answer: If you're from PAL zone (as I am) - sorry, no new version coming soon. All PAL is getting are two new 40GB bundles, nothing else...
Question: How much planning should I do for my book? I am writing a book, how much planning should i do for it? Also what should I plan?
Answer: If you've never written a novel before then I suggest one of the first things you do is head over to the school or public library, or the bookstore and by a book that will teach you the basics of novel writing. This will make it easier for you because writing a novel isn't common sense. I've heard Stephen King's On Writing is a book. You can also search the Internet for additional information about writing, such as how to develop plots and characters.
Start by writing a summary of what your novel is about. Then write character profiles. You need to create personalities, wants, ambitions, fears, etc. You don't need to do this for very minor characters.
Next start outlining or plotting your novel. This can be hard at first. Outlining can be just a brief description or a few bullet points of the main things you expect to happen in each chapter of your novel. Do this for as many chapters as you can. For instance, if you expect your characters to meet in Chapter One, then that will be one of your bullet points. Plotting is writing the plot. The Plot is *what happens* in the novel - not a summary. With the plot you'll hit all the major scenes or points of your story. For an example, go to Wikipedia and type in the title of your favorite book and read the Wikipedia plot. The plot for your novel should be just as in-depth.
Plotting and/or outlining will help you when writing because you're rarely get to a point where you don't know what should happen next. If your on an outline and you're at the bullet point where your characters meet then you write the scene of their meeting. I have the full plot for my second novel written and the hardest and most time-consuming part is writing it - not having writer's block because I can't figure out what happens next.
Plan as much as you can because this will make writing it easier. If you come to too many parts where you don't know what happens next then chances are you didn't plan well enough. Also, anything that you have written in the plot or outline can always change as you begin writing and when you start on your second draft. A lot of my pre-planning changed when I added more main characters and places to my novel.
http://www.writersdigest.com - there are many informative short articles for writers.
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums
Question: When should I start planning my Disney Vacation? I plan on going to disney world in December 2009. I plan on staying there for about a week (6 - 8 days). It'll just be me (21) and my 4 year old cousin. So when should I start planning it? And what are some tips that you can give me on saving money and traveling with a 4 year old? Also when should i start preparing him for this vacation? Should I start watching alot of disney movies with him now?
Answer: Ok, let's answer in the order you are asking...
1) Start planning your vacation now, reservations are already being accepted up to and including 12/31/09. Depending on when you want to go prices vary significantly. If your dates are flexible you can save a pretty penny. And, Disney is now enforcing a 45 day rule that your vacation has to be paid in full by 45 days prior to your vacation.
December 1st - 7th = $554
December 22nd - 28th =$945
This shows the significant price difference for 6 nights at the Pop Century resort just a few weeks apart.
Please note: ticket prices do NOT vary with the season, ticket prices are what they are.
2) To save money stay in a value resort (All-Star resorts or Pop Century). Figure out how many days you need and buy the tickets when you book your hotel room. You get little perks when you book both together. Don't pay for options on the ticket, like water parks that you won't use. The park hopper option is great if you want to go from one park to another, but it is not a necessity... you can exit and re-enter the same park as many times as you want during the day.
3) You can tell him whenever you want that he is going to Disney and to see Mickey Mouse... I don't know how well he will comprehend though that it isn't for a year plus still.
4) You don't have to watch Disney movies if you don't want to. It isn't required, there aren't quizzes or anything, but if you enjoy the movies, pop one in and watch to your heart's content.
I recommend a day or two, at least for the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom has the most rides in it for his age range. Epcot and Hollywood Studios aren't really "child" friendly parks. Yes, you will both have a good time there, and there are things that he can go on, but not as many rides to choose from as the Magic Kingdom. Likewise, Animal Kingdom is more "adult" rides, but I may be biased I don't like Animal Kingdom. I have been there twice, and will not go again... looooong lines, saw 0 animals on safari ride, and too much walking. Just my opinion though.
Question: Is Austin planning a light rail or new tollways to keep up with all those new buildings they are proppnig up? I went to Austin last weekend for the first time in a year and noticed a lot of new construction downtown (the Austonian, 360, W Hotel, Amli 2, Four Seasons residences, etc.).
Everyone knows traffic is absolutely intolerable in Austin, so what is the city doing to plan for all those new people that are going to be living in the city? Dallas and Houston already have light rail. New toll roads are always on the table in those cities. Is Austin planning on adding light rail and/or toll roads to ease the upcoming clusterf*ck?
Answer: Austin is fond of adding toll roads, but not light rail.
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