My dear reader, if there is one thing to know about me and my writing, it is that I am a discovery writer to the core. This is the new method of saying "I hate outlines, just let my muse speak to me." This is what we used to call "pantser" writing, i.e. writing by the seat of our pants.
Labels aside, the fact of the matter is that when you are a discovery writer, you often rely on knowing the characters, setting, etc to guide you through the story. It can lead to massive rewrites. Generally, I outline between the first draft and the second draft to make sure I've caught everything during revisions. And usually this works for me... but not this time, dear reader. I'm thoroughly stuck and uninspired.
While scrolling through Instagram reels, I stumbled upon the bookstagrammer/writer byrockyraccoon sharing a fun outlining method from an old Self-Publishing.com course. It only takes five steps, and the steps had me brainstorming immediately:
- The set up
- Inciting incident
- First slap
- Second slap
- The climax
Now, I'm sure you can see why I chuckled and began writing, dear reader. Recent events aside, there is something rather satisfying to think my plot is catching the hero and heroine by surprise and stinging them a little. But as I filled in the plot for A Spirited Engagement, I wanted to give my characters the ability to... well, slap me back. Take a look at my modifications that enabled me to outline the entire book in twenty minutes:
- The set up
- Inciting incident
- First slap
- Second slap
- Slap back
- Resolution
To me, ending on the climax felt weird, especially for a sweet romance. I wanted to ensure my characters slapped back at the plot, staking their claim and owning what is theirs, and that they get to make their Happily Ever After. I did take video of my outlining exercise, and hope to share it with you once the book is published in an attempt to avoid spoilers. It will go with the other VIP content that you already have access to. If you didn't realize you have VIP-access to content, scroll to the bottom of this email for details.
I'm truly so excited to get back into this story. Jasper and Tessa are certain to be adorable fun, and there's something so delightful about playing with the Ghost Bride trope in this manner. I hope to share more updates about A Spirited Engagement soon!
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