OUTLINING, A NECESSARY EVIL

 

     I have been re-working my book outline for days and days. Books are a lot of work, and it's not all writing the book. One of the important, but very repetitive and time consuming (ie boring). 

     I have a non-stylized and informal outline I do to start the book, then, for the agents and publishers, a very stylized and boring version. That is what has been consuming my time. 

     Normally, I can sit for hours writing - completely lose track of time, but outline writing, not so much. 

     The reason I spend so much time on something I find so boring is professionalism. Many people write, but exert no professionalism in the book presentation or editing. Attention to small details is the attribute that can make anyone successful. Now, when you write the actual fiction book, let your imagination go. You will re-edit till you dream and live the book every night and every day. The characters will appear in your mind as if you run into them in everyday life - every day. They'll become your best friends. You'll cry when you kill them off. You'll laugh when they say something funny. You'll scold them for their bad actions. Writing, you must love it not for the money, but for the joy it gives you inside.