When Crap Hits the Fan – October Round Robin

It seems that no matter how much planning I do, no matter how many times I revise an outline, the novel never goes my way. (FYI- Spoilers Inbound.)

For instance, if I’d had my way then Johnathan Relo of the Tapped series would have died already. If you’ve read the novel then you know that didn’t happen. It seems the stubborn man refuses to go quiet into the night, which I am grateful for because he brings a lot to the table in the second novel.

For my newest release – The Haunting of Tessa Pines – the entire plot of the novel was altered right around the 1/4 mark of the story. This was my second attempt at writing a straight forward romance novel and I utterly failed.

My first attempt at a straight-up romance novel was Witch-Born. In that case, my Robin Hood flavored romance became a steampunk fantasy where witches are nobility and nature itself is trying to consume the world.

So what happened with Tessa’s book?

Well, a lot of things. Tessa as a character was originally meant to be in my dragon vs. vampire novel. I even outlined that entire novel with Tessa falling in love with a dragon and having her friends put in danger because of it and sweet mamba jamba, can I tell you how many novels/stories are EXACTLY LIKE THAT OUTLINE?

To be fair, I was studying what works. Those are the stories that make headlines, after all.

But I didn’t write a single word after finishing the outline.

I sort of stared at the page with a dismal understanding of how the formula works and zero interest in putting it to use.

As an author, I can admit to having no desire for writing a novel with a formula in mind. It’s just one of those things I learned about myself in the process of creating this book. That isn’t to say that I don’t adhere to story structure – formula and structure are not the same thing – but I digress.

Because I was plotting Tessa’s novel for National Novel Writing Month that year, I tossed the original outline and went to an outside source for help – my (then) boyfriend. He’s now my husband, so I have fond memories of working the new outline with him.

Together we plotted a story about a paranormal investigation gone wrong, with a romance woven through. The original is vastly different from the finished product, but that seems to be the way of things. In any case, the book is a testament to how a writer’s life affects their fiction.

Take a look at what stories have morphed into with my fellow authors!

A.J. Maguire  https://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/ (YOU ARE HERE)
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Margaret Fieland http://margaretfieland.wordpress.com
Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog
Dr. Bob Rich  https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1JS
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com