Axioms, Idioms & Idiots

"Go with what you know. Only write about that which you know most about."

Hmm...so by this precept Lord of the Rings could not have been written because who really knows many hobbits, elves, dark lords and elephants? Oh, the elephants were real? You get my point though.

...and I guess Chewbacca would have been the only one qualified to write Star Wars because frankly, none of the rest of us have been to Tatooine...but do you really want to read a book by Chewbacca? He said very few profound things in my opinion; but apparently is not illiterate.

Lastly, though I've never read or seen a single Harry Potter book/movie (I'll wait until all the gasps of horror quiet down), I'm pretty sure that J.K. Rowling has not seen a boarding school full of child witches (forgive me die hard fans for summarizing your favorite story to something so simplistic and probably inaccurate).

Granted, these are all examples of fantasy and sci-fi so of course no one can really write about what they know in these realms...but I think that other genres can have great works written by people with limited experience. That is the power of the imagination.

Have you heard any sayings or received any advice about your craft that you dislike or disagree with or simply don't know where the heck they came from? Also, did you know there were this many supposed origins to the theater term "break a leg"? You have to scroll down to see them all...wow.


image by www.flickr.com/neatocoolville

Organization Monday: Outlines

Today I want to talk about outlines. I am trying to find the best way to outline a new new WIP (work-in-progress). Sometimes I just start writing; other times I try to outline the plot, note twists and turns, and record unique story points. Have you developed a method of outlining that works for you? Do you outline per chapter or per scene or do you just make an outline and then split it into sections as you write? My outlines generally only make sense to me and don't look like traditional outlines.

Usually my outlines look something like this:

Chapter 1
   A. Character and Location Introduction   
      Establish characters A, B, and E.
      Establish setting.
      Initial interaction between A and C (the kitchen scene).
   B. Show initial conflict between B and her mother
      B gets the letter with the bad news; mother seems unconcerned
      Mother makes the announcement to the family and seems sincerely sad; B knows it is an act
 Chapter 2
   A. Show possible romantic connection between B and E.
       Establish characters C and D
       Show how E responds in the face of B's bad news
       D tries to circumvent E by the thoughtful gift
   B. Reveal tension between C (B's sister) and D
       Argument at the dinner table

Okay, so I'm thinking you get the point. This is not my actual story, but this is my normal outline style. It works well for me but I'm thinking there is something better out there. We all know that outlines change 587 times or more during the writing process, but how do you start out?