You know that egg, English muffin, cheese, butter sandwich I spoke of in the Leibster? I’m eating one now. (I don’t recommend eating it while typing, by the way. Grease everywhere.)
Life handed me lemon-flavored sweet tea, today (it’s really just regular Crystal Light sweet tea, but I could almost swear there’s a hint of lemon in it). Life isn’t bad at all, right now. I’m basically saying that life has thrown me a few hurdles to jump over.
For instance, three of my sisters (ages 13, 12, and 10) left today for a week of church camp. That’s great and I’m happy for them. I just have extra chores this week. But I’m happy for them. I loved camp when I was their age and I’m glad they get to go. I don’t mind picking up slack for a few days.
Also, there’s the problems I’ve been having with Shifting Sands. Don’t tell anyone. I may have to outline. In fact, I’m seriously considering it.
On a completely unrelated note, does anyone have any outlining tips?
Spiral-Bound 
i really like this post 🙂
Time well spent 🙂
Thank you!
Ooooh…yes, eating while typing is generally not a good idea. Neither is typing while drying dishes (I tried that recently).
I have camp next week for the first time, so that’ll be interesting. It’ll be my first time in Western North Carolina, too…
Outlining? You probably already know what I do with that, but when I outline I tend to do basic plot points. Nothing super specific. More like “so and so has such and such experience and that changes such and such.”
I wouldn’t have tried typing while drying dishes.
Ooh! Have fun!
Thanks for the tips. 🙂
Okay firstly, it’s UNFAIR and MEAN of you to start a post describing something so delicious and brilliant sounding and ohhhh *mops drool off computer* I protest. But can I have some?
Also: outlining. HA. I think outlining is a brilliant idea but I have yet to ever get my act together to do it again. I used to outline my books to the chapter, but now I just fly free and land with a splat. Super graceful.
Sorry. *offers breakfast foods to Cait*
It’s that splat I’m trying to avoid. Like the difference between falling from a billion feet up and tumbling out of bed. Except for the splat at the end, they’re very similar.
I can’t believe I didn’t actually follow you when you gave me this link before. How base of me.
Cait is right. That food sounds good. As for outlining… It’s difficult. It’s always difficult to plan that far ahead when you haven’t built any sort of foundation. But list the characters you have floating around in your head and who they are, then make sure to introduce them all in the first few scenes of your outline. Then roughly sketch the choice, midpoint, low point, and ending of the book. Then ask yourself what needs to happen in order to get from the beginning to the choice, from the choice to the midpoint, and so on until the end. You’ll have an outline. If it seems too stretched, add another character, or decide one scene will be two. Make sure you can imagine each scene vividly, however, with emotion– anything that needs to happen that doesn’t seem vivid probably will seem boring and perfunctory when you have to write it. Make sure you’re excited.
Hope it helps. That’s how I’ve been outlining recently. Howard Tayler’s outlining method, as I think you’ve heard, is to write out the story as if it’s a ten-year-old describing a movie. “And then this happened… and that guy punched him… and everything blew up!” Have fun with it. There’s no one way to outline anything.
Thank you. For following and giving outlining advice.
This is a really interesting outlining method. I think I’m going to give it a shot.
I apologize for making mouths water. BUT you don’t expect me to eat food that doesn’t sound good and then describe it, do you?
It would be funny to gush about the qualities of a Big Mac, its greasy, thin slices of slightly rubbery meat… its soggy bun, its wilting lettuce… Doesn’t that sound appealing?
Dude. Just… no. I felt sick before you started talking like that…
That sounds so disgusting…and yet so funny, somehow…
Gross, Liam. Just gross. What a lovely image to have in my head as I try to do math in a moment.
You know, McDonald’s should hire you to be on their advertising staff.
I’m enjoying that the thought of Liam on McDonald’s advertising staff… in a good way.
Uh, yay?
I must admit, I borrowed and tweaked that suggestion from my dad, who said a similar thing to a college student around here. The young man had said to my dad that his college was basically “a school for spoiled rich dummies who need a college degree.” (Well, at least he’s honest…)
Oh my. (That’s a little too honest, I think.)
(Yes, probably too honest for an advertising job.)
(Indeed.)
I would do so much damage there. I mean, so much good. Good, not damage.
Of course.
Yes, yes of course.
Good and damage are entirely the same thing…
Why, yes indeed. It might do the world GOOD if we DAMAGE the villain.
(Or…McDonald’s.)
Maybe you could start by fixing the Creepy Meal boxes…
I was going to comment on this, but then I had to do something else…and completely forgot I didn’t actually comment! D:
Now I’m really hungry. Maybe I’ll eat that for breakfast…
I wish I had some good outlining tips, but as of this moment, I don’t really. I’m still exploring (I almost typed exploding…oops) it. Looks like you did get some good ones, though!
Exploring and exploding are similar…
They can be, yes. Hehe.