Plotting and Scheming

So now that school is finally out for the summer I started working on my bright shiny new idea. It’s been banging around in my head for quite some time, but I haven’t allowed myself to officially start because I knew that would become my focus and I had to much work to do before the school year was over. Let's just say I knew better. You know how you get tunnel vision when working on a new project…it’s not a good combo when you have other obligations.

But I finally started. Saturday I had the house to myself and was able to knock out the first couple of chapters. Then more and more ideas began to surface. So many that it became impossible to keep going until I stopped and jotted them down.

Now as most of you know I am a self proclaimed pantser through and though. But I have to say, it’s kind of nice to have a loose outline of where my story is going. Nothing set in stone…more of a skeleton of possibilities. I’ve been able to relax about it by telling myself that I can change whatever I want when I get there.

My problem now is that I’ve started writing out of order. I’ll get excited about an idea and just run with it. There is a beginning and then bits and pieces here and there. I feel like I'm all over the place, but for now I'm going with the flow. We'll see where I end up.

Have any of you ever gone with your gut and pieced your story together later? Have I lost my mind, or does this all come together in the end? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to only sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library. You can find more information on how to participate in the In My Mailbox meme by visiting The Story Siren

This week in my mailbox...

Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Goodreads Description:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.


But I Love Him by Amanda Grace (Pseudonym), Mandy Hubbard


Goodreads Description:

Tonight was so much worse than anything before it. Tonight he didn't stop after the first slap.

At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved — and needed. Ann can't recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor's rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything — and everyone — in its path.

This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.

It is a good thing school is almost out because I have been dying to read these two little jewels!

Feel free to share what's in your mailbox...I'd hate to miss the opportunity to add to my already out of control TBR pile!

To Prologue Or Not To Prologue...

It seems to be an ongoing debate...do I write a prologue? Is it needed. Does it help set the stage for my story or is it nothing more than an indulgent way to start off my novel with flair?

The answer to this question? I honestly have no idea. But I'll let you in on a little secret. I always write a prologue. Gasp! I know...they seem to be so Tabu. We don't dare speak of them. But inevitably I write one. And every single time I end up deleting it. Every. Single. Time.

So I've come to the conclusion that for me it's an exercise that helps get me started. Even if it never sees the light of day. So I do write a prologue, but it's basically just for me, if that makes any sense at all.

Still not certain about prologues? Check out this amazing post I found last night when I was procrastinating...I mean writing this very post. Super amazing lit agent Sarah Lapolla with Curtis Brown Ltd. gives some valuable insight into her thoughts on prologues. Check it out here.

So what's your take on the growing debate? Do you prologue?