Start At the Beginning

When writing a new novel series, that sounds pretty basic, doesn't it? Instead of jumping all over the place with thoughts scattered here, there and afar, just start at the beginning and go forward.

But, like I said in an earlier post, I came up with the story idea for book two, Wyoming Promise, FIRST. I fell in love with my characters, Theadora, Virgil, Vernon, James Clayton and sweet Vera FIRST. I became excited about developing the plot for book two FIRST.

So, yes, after doing the research, I realized there was more to the backstory of the events of the day than a chapter's worth. There was another whole novel! What potential for a great, fast-moving, exciting plot! And, yes, I can use most of the characters of the same families, with the focus on different family members than those who are prominent in Wyoming Promise. In fact, I have already decided that the main romantic interest will be Violet and her beau. I have even written the first (or one of the first) chapters in book one, Nebraska Sunrise. Unfortunately, it focuses on characters I will highlight in Wyoming Promise because I already love those characters.

Here is the problem. By not starting at the beginning, I still need to figure out the DETAILS of who Violet's beau is, how the two will meet, and how their romance will develop. I have the overview in mind based on the events of the day, but still need to develop the DETAILS of the plot and subplots. I am NOT in LOVE with this novel yet. Therefore, I am STRUGGLING to get Nebraska Sunrise out of the research and timeline mode and into the heavy-duty write-the-story mode.

This situation was sizing up to be a major writer's block for me. Today, to get me past it, for each novel I put together a table on which to list each character, details about then, and how they interact with each other. I also included a column for my analysis for future tweak potential. It is kind of like the planners I use researching real ancestors.

I also developed front pages for the three novels with the pedigrees of the major families. Anyone who knows me, does it really surprise you that I developed pedigree charts for my novel families?