* AnnieM leads the applause.

* libbyc claps loudly!

Elizabeth: Hi Andrea! Glad to meet you!

Andrea Boeshaar: *humbly bowing*

SiberianSuz: <><><><> (cyber clapping)

Andrea Boeshaar: Thanks.

libbyc gives a round of ardent whistles!

Aisha: *clapping*

Linda: Hi Andrea, CLAPPP!

AnnieM: <><><><><>

Linda: Still clapping

Andrea Boeshaar: Thank you, thank you. You're all very kind.

* AnnieM steps aside and offers Andrea the podium

AnnieM: The floor is yours Andrea.

Elizabeth: <><><><><><>

Andrea Boeshaar: Hi, all. Thanks for coming tonight. Our topic is PLOTTING. Seat-of-your-pants vs Outlining. Now, let me ask you all a question. How many here outline their stories BEFORE they begin to write?

AnnieM: not me

Nancy: not me

SiberianSuz: I do!!

libbyc: Done both.

Elizabeth: not me

Linda: Ditto

Aisha: I'm trying to decide what to do...I've never outlined anything yet.

Andrea Boeshaar: Well, my friend, Tracie Peterson is an extensive outliner and claims that writing the book is ever so much easier with an outline written out first. But, alas, I am a seat-of-the-pants plotter myself. However, tonight we'll discuss both. First...the dreaded outline.

Andrea Boeshaar: *groan*

* AnnieM holds her head and groans

Andrea Boeshaar: *boo* *hiss*

* Linda sighs

Elizabeth: pppttthhhthththt

Andrea Boeshaar: Is anyone familiar with Carolyn Green's Plotting Notebook?

Linda: Nope. But I have three other plotting books I haven't read

SiberianSuz: I have heard of it...

inkwell: No

Elizabeth: no

AnnieM: I've heard of it

Andrea Boeshaar: I bought it thinking I would use it and Carolyn has MANY, MANY wonderful ideas in this notebook. At the end of this workshop, I'll let you know where to order it if you're interested.

inkwell: please and thanks

Andrea Boeshaar: Okay...first the character charts. They are a part of plotting and I do use those. If you're a member of ACRW (American Christian Romance Writers) you can go to the website at www.acrw.net and go into "members only." There you will find a short and long character charts that you can print out. I use that one. It's easy. And Annie has a character chart on the Dancing Word website too!

Now that you've got your character chart in front of you, you have to fill it out. Let's say that's done. You know these people enough to begin writing. Well, part of their character will further the plot. For instance, in the book I'm writing now, RISA'S RAINBOW, Risa doesn't know the Lord and she has no interest in "religion." The hero, Mike Gerardi, is a pastor.

Aisha: (glad to hear that Risa and Mike will have their own story!)

Andrea Boeshaar: <G> Thanks. So right there, Risa and Mike's character will bring conflict to the story. Now for the plot itself. In her notebook, Carolyn uses something called the W Plot. Anyone know about this?

Elizabeth: no

AnnieM: no

inkwell: no

Aisha: no

SiberianSuz: nyet

Mary: no

Linda: no

Andrea Boeshaar: I emailed Carolyn to ask if I could use her material and I didn't hear back. However, she did allow me to use it in 1999 for a workshop I conducted at the Oregon Christian Writers Conference in OR. So I will presume that as long as I site my source, it'll be ok. On to the W plot (Which you can buy in Carolyn's WONDERFUL notebook!) The first tip of the W is the ordinary world. The opening scene. The call to adventure.

The bottom of the W is the refusal to the call to adventure. For instance, Risa's grandmother wants to send her to Italy to find a man. Risa doesn't want to find a man. She's had her heart broken enough and isn't interested in another relationship. But her younger cousin is getting married and she is chafing over that fact.

So then the next part of our W outline is "acceptance of the call to adventure." Risa says, "Oh, fine, I'll go to Italy. Nana is paying for it, after all. It's important to her." Any questions so far?

inkwell: Do you always know all of your characters beforehand? Do you create some later in the process of writing?

Andrea Boeshaar: Me, personally...no I don't always know my characters or even the secondary characters. They sometimes come to life as I create them. But we'll get to THAT kind of plotting in a moment. <G>

So the next part of our W is the "confrontation" -- major conflict. The next is "supreme ordeal." Sort of the major, major conflict of the story where the reader will think..."will they ever get together?" "How will this problem be solved?" i.e. The dark moment. Now we're halfway there.

Next is reward, celebration...one of the conflicts is solved. Next reward/consequence and, perhaps another conflict. Then we've got "The Road Back." and finally, the resolution. Now, I was very sketchy on this W outline. Carolyn Green goes into a lot of detail as to how a writer can plot and plan. This is a good way to plot...if this way is right for you. For myself...I can't do this. By the time I fooled with a detailed outline, I could have three chapters written. LOL

AnnieM: Now I remember why I don't like outlining. hehe

Andrea Boeshaar: For some it works, and it works well. But for others, its an albatross.

Elizabeth: I've heard/read a lot of people say that once they have the outline done, all they have to do is fill in the details and descriptions - that they can send the OUTLINE to the editors

Andrea Boeshaar: Well, I've never done that. Editors these days are too busy to read extensive outlines. They want precise, to the point synopses. Three - four pages for a 80K novel is appropriate length for a synopsis. ((I should add that I only work in the CBA...I don't know about the secular market.))

SiberianSuz: How do you write a synopsis without an outline? (for those caught in a rut like me....*g*)

Andrea Boeshaar: Well, what I do...and I was just getting to this, Susie, so your timing is great. I know my basic story line. I get that down on paper. My synopsis. Sometimes I even have dialogue or back story in the synopsis.

Aisha: How long is that basic idea? When I write I know the concept, the conflict and the ending, but not much more. Not particulars.

Andrea Boeshaar: Well, add to that your characters' names, and that sounds like a synopsis to me. <G>

Aisha: okay. <g>

Andrea Boeshaar: I know my characters' names. I know point A and about R and Z...as to how my characters will get to those points, I don't know till I begin writing. I know the beginning, the middle and end. That's it. So far, I've gotten away with it, too. <VBG> I am working with an agent now and she and her staff are VERY particular about the synopses that go out and I have had to rewrite and add some particulars, but not too many.

Nick Harrison, a senior editor at Harvest House said...He doesn't even read the synopsis until after he's read the first three chapters. Interesting, eh?

SiberianSuz: Do you ever get stuck midstream, not knowing how your character got there, and wondering how you are going to get him to the next point in the W?

Andrea Boeshaar: YES! I call it "the middle muddle."

SiberianSuz: How do you solve this?

Andrea Boeshaar: Most people who outline say they avoid this because they know where their story is going because they've outlined it. However, you still have to think of what's going to happen in the mid-section of your novel. What I do is...I ask myself "what happens next?" I think of the old "scene and sequence" idea where every scene has to have a consequence or sequence following it. Sometimes those "middle muddles" are the best place to insert a new conflict.

libbyc: (ew! good idea.)

Andrea Boeshaar: They are difficult, I think, whether you outline, or not. Any other questions right now?

SiberianSuz: Do your endings ever turn out differently than you expected?

Andrea Boeshaar: Well...yes and no. They might be different in that I arrived at that point differently than I thought I would, but they usually end up as I plan. (I hope that made sense, Susie)

SiberianSuz: (yes, thanks!)

libbyc: I outlined the first book I'm working on, and it poured out well...I've 'sort of' outlined the second book I'm working on, but not near as much as I did the first....

Andrea Boeshaar: Good for you, Libby!

libbyc: These are both coming together well...I keep wondering if I will 'hit the wall'. Do you recommend outlining to help get things going again?

Andrea Boeshaar: If you find you "hit the wall" then you might go back and rework a few things with an outline. Even a simple one. Yes. You got it.

libbyc: k. ty.

Andrea Boeshaar: I did have a very unusual experience while writing THE HAVEN OF REST (Heartsong) After I began writing, it came out that my heroine, Amie, had been date raped. I didn't plan it, but it was part of her--part of her past. So I emailed my editor and said..."Um..guess what?" I explained, and my editor was okay with the change in the story. But I really feel God put that part of Amie's past on my heart because the letters I get regarding that story are so touching. I have to believe it was part of God's plan for that book to reach certain people and if I would have outlined and stayed with it, perhaps I wouldn't have heard the Lord.

libbyc: Do you really feel as though you've touched people's lives for God? Explain.

Andrea Boeshaar: That's my whole purpose for writing. To touch other people's lives.

libbyc: mmm...comforting.

Andrea Boeshaar: I pray each story I write will touch someone. If that's not so, my labor is in vain.

libbyc: healing?

Andrea Boeshaar: Yes, healing...or making someone smile.

libbyc: ew, that stirs the heart.

Andrea Boeshaar: Adding a ray of sunshine and hope to their day.

libbyc: ty.

Andrea Boeshaar: There are so many hurting souls in the world. If they could just read a book filled with hope and yes, conflict...but hope over all. You know? They might turn from feeling depressed and dreary to thinking. God can make a difference in their lives.

inkwell: God is in the "heart" business. It is good to share His love for us all.

Andrea Boeshaar: AMEN.

AnnieM: My relationship with characters is interesting. It's like meeting real people. You don't get all of their life history up front. It takes time and patience.

Andrea Boeshaar: Yes, same with me. I do have a quick story about something...A woman at my church phoned last night and said her daughter is working with a lady who is very stern and "hard." She found out this young gal, Tammy, is a Christian and said, "Oh, yeah, my sister is a Christian and she keeps giving me these Heartsong books to read." Well, Tammy replied, "My MOM's friend is a Heartsong writer." The woman was totally impressed and said she'd go home and look through her books for mine and read them. Tammy is hopping this might be an "open door" to this woman's heart. Maybe she'll become a Christian. That's what I mean...touching people's lives.

inkwell: One plants, another waters, and God brings the increase.

Andrea Boeshaar: AMEN. Very true. And maybe a writer's story is just plain old humor. So what? We need laughter in this world. Right?

inkwell: YES!

AnnieM: right

Andrea Boeshaar: Anyone have any questions on plotting /outling/etc. I think a writer just has to find out which of the two work better for them. It's so individual.

SiberianSuz: How do you come up with original plotting ideas?

Andrea Boeshaar: Oh, this is so funny. You might think it's sounds "weird." But I wake up with ideas...from dreams sometimes. Other times, they're just there. Sometimes, too...in the case of Risa's Rainbow, the idea comes from writing one story and develops into another. Risa developed out of Castle in the Clouds.