Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Making A Timeline

Hey FFFers - I've been quiet on the blogging front because I've been working with my agent, Sally, on revisions of Fairyeater. I've learned something big, which I should have known, but for some reason, didn't. MAKE A TIMELINE before you start to write. It would have saved me lots of time and effort if I had done that. So, I'm thankful to have Sally with her good eye and excellent editing. I started revising in January and finished up in April. I not only revised the content, but rearranged the order of the beginning of the story, which was extensive. I should have blogged while I was working, but I was so deep into it, I simply didn't think of it. I'm sorry for that.


There are some different ways to make a timeline. Some authors use index cards so they can switch things up, if needed. Some use a spreadsheet. Some simple write it out. Here's a great article that may help you: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Timeline


I plan to see if I can improve my timeline before I continue working on my new fantasy novel, the prequel to Fairyeater.  I'm calling it Fairystone and I have the first two chapters done.


I'm hoping to blog more often about the process, starting with a mentoring intensive weekend I spent a few weeks ago.  I learned a lot - the first thing is that writing a novel is harder than people realize. At least, if you want to make it excellent. I hope you'll hang in there with me and share what you're doing and how you're making out.


I'll also report on the Realm Makers Conference, which is the end of this month.

1 comment:

  1. thanks for the tips. I had to make a timeline when I started my second novel in a three book trilogy. You'd think as the author I'd remember things like birthdays, and dates of important events; but remembering details about my characters seems to be as difficult as remembering things about my adult children.

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