Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Outlines

Outlines

I am using an outline more than ever before and it’s becoming a big help. As I get ideas I call up the outline and plug it into the chapter and scene where it belongs. In the past these ideas frequently came to mind but were forgotten before I could catch them by the hem and paste them to a page…..by hem I mean the hem of my muse’s skirt. Thus an outline is no longer the same tool I once envisioned it. In school I saw it as a sequential ordering of thoughts from start to finish. Now I see it as a framework for plugging cool stuff that comes suddenly to mind as my brain begins to race faster than my fingers can type. I think my muse used to get angry at me over my forgetfulness and go off in a huff….maybe that is what writer’s cramp is all about.

Using the Web for research is another valuable aid. For example I am doing a serial on the Inquisition and by entering some key words get a couple page synopses rather than having to go to a library and go through half a dozen references.

When I get on a roll I *Make-Up* facts and set them off as place holders. When I do my clean up edit in the evening after printing off the synopsis I convert the place holders into real historical names, places and events…as appropriate. This gives an authenticity that would not otherwise be there without having to waste incredible amounts of time on miniature.

Yesterday I used the C-Pap machine when I took a nap at lunchtime….Sometimes I feel almost like I die and have an out of body experience. Linda swears I stop breathing and the tests confirm that I have what is called “Sleep Apnea.” The good news is that when I wake up my brain is sharp and focused. Reggie White the famous Green Bay Packer defensive end had it and died. My goal is to get published before that happens and I hope I’m not too far down the back side of the curve get it done.