Every Book Different

They say that writing every book is different. And that's true (see you got my pithy advice in the first line today, you can go now...). Sometimes you get stuck in different places, sometimes it comes easily and sometimes harder. Sometimes you have trouble with your heroine or your hero.

Today something happened that hasn't since my very first ms. I've been fretting about Heart Quest, I have some scenes written and I have to tie them up chronologically...and I woke up and thought about the PLOT! Yes, I know. I DO think about this...but it really got out of hand, until I was PLOTTING the book. What a concept.

Anyway, I knew if I stayed in bed, I would lose it all, so I got up and put as much down on computer as I remembered (even walking from the bed to the office can have a deleterious effect on my memory, especailly accompanied by hungry cats who sit in front of the monitor and pat your face with their paws, claws not -- quite -- extended). So I made a list of what would happen next and of course NEW ideas came, too. Excellent!

This is not something that happens to me, and I don't know as I'd care for it to happen. I'd like the time to sit down and write and meander along, but I don't have it.

I DO, however, know when I'm coming to the end of a book. THEN is when I sit down and list about 12-15 scenes (one lines) of what happens. That is usually solid, and REALLY tells me when I am close to done. It's a moment I prize because now I know I can finish the book. Maybe I'll look up an old one for you and post it tomorrow.

Love to all, Robin (btw, the locket with key -- Heart Quest will have a key on the cover, you know!) is from the collection of one of my favorite places. The Victoria and Albert museum in London.