Amanda,
Many thanks for some really interesting answers. And I'm glad to hear you've recovered from your accident - that's very good news.
On 1), have you always recognised this need to plan differently according to genre, or is this something you worked out as you went along, when the previous way of planning a book didn't work when you tried to apply it somewhere new?
On (2), I'd love to know - do you have specific story ideas in mind for any of these genres of short fiction, if the opportunity arose?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amanda Hemingway  1) ... I'll make plot and chapter notes as I go, maybe 3 or 4 chapters ahead, then as my ideas firm I'll do a sketch plan that goes all the way to the end. But that doesn't usually happen until I'm about half way through. However, this modus operandi varies according to the type of fiction you're writing. A whodunit, for instance, has to be plotted from scratch (I haven't written any, but that's how I'd do it if I did. Christie is still the model for us all). With my romantic comedies, I lay out a scenario rather than a plot-line, and then just let the characters get on with it. Fantasy, as I said, is theme-based. You get to know the characters as you go. If you're doing it right, you'll know because they have their own identity and they take over by themselves.
2) I don't do much short fiction, if you mean short stories and so on - it doesn't pay! Also, I tend to think long. But I'd like an excuse to do a few more shorts. Comedy, horror, ghost stories and erotica all lend themselves to a concise format. I'd really like to try doing some of those. Might pass on the erotica, though you never know. As long asI don't end up a candidate for the Bad Sex Award... |