Zombie Love

Zombie Love I am approaching differently than anything I’ve ever written.

I’m planning it first.

My theory is that this will prevent those cases of needing to back up three chapters because this direction just isn’t working, or getting 30k words in and not knowing what happens next. This should kill that.

My method at this time, just so it is chronicled (and thereby, in theory, repeatable) is:

Free write what I know about each character until I KNOW about each character. Do this until I am out of characters
Write out in simple sentences each major part of the book. In this case, five simple sentences.
Start writing the sequence of events, one “then” clause per scene. Like this: X happens, then Y happens, then….
For each “then clause, write the sequence of events in that scene. Simple sentences only, poor grammar. Skip a line when I find a chapter break.

The result is that, in short order and with little effort, I have a roughly blocked novel about halfway outlined. I am astonished. I’ve found three places so far that would have had me irritated with my beginning (and rewriting it) or going back and reordering events or changing things or adding chapters.

Huh. Planning. Who’d’uh thought.

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