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| Daryl Wood Gerber |
DARYL: Writing the first draft of a manuscript is always an adventure. I work from an outline. I didn’t always. I wrote by the seat of my pants. But most of those novels are still on the shelves. Hm, wonder why? Probably because they didn’t have punch and meandered.
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| Daryl's Desk |
Back when I wrote screenplays (I was a professional actress
a long time ago, and I wrote a number of screenplays that hopefully I could
star or co-star in—alas, we moved away from Hollywood and that dream
fizzled)…but I digress. Back when I
wrote screenplays, I always outlined. A screenplay, in essence, is an outline.
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| Outline of Location |
Interior – Bedroom –
night
Clara opens the door.
The light is off. She hears snoring…or is it someone sawing? Cue: Scary music.
Now, as I outline, I do the same thing. I create a barebones
outline.
Chapter
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Location/time
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Characters
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Action
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Clues/set-ups
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1
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Clara’s bedroom/night
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Clara
Surprise guest
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Clara hears snoring. Switches on light. Sees burglar
sawing a hole in her wall.
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None yet
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For a mystery, I create about thirty chapters. I double the
chapters for a suspense novel.
Some people ask me whether outlining takes the fun out of
writing the book. I don’t think so. I always knows who did it and why. I know
the victim and suspects. I establish their motives and alibis. Plus, I try to
know “where” they are at all times, especially the killer.
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| Outline with Copious Notes |
But, let’s face it, even using an outline, surprise moments
occur and the story changes. And surprise characters show up. And some
characters demand more “page time.” (Yes, they talk to me…sort of. I’m not
entirely nuts.) When things change, I fix my outline. See, I consider it a road
map. I know I’m driving from Los Angeles to Florida and I’m taking route
10. If I just take the direct route, it might
get boring; it might not. However, at any time, I can decide to veer off to see
San Antonio or Taos. That doesn’t really change the “plan.” I still know I’m
going to Florida. So I take the excursion. Have fun. Do something exciting. Add
those scenes that didn’t come to me in the initial outline.
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| Final Draft for Editing |
And honestly, the most fun I have when writing a novel is after I’ve finished the first draft and I can return to the story fresh and tweak to my heart’s delight. I tweak the dialogue. I tweak the B, C, and D subplots. I add “fun” events that will enhance the life of my protagonist. I add color and texture for each character and location, which helps me “see” the book come alive…like a movie.
If you’re a writer, do you like to outline?
If you’re a reader, do you think most writers only write one
draft and it comes out perfectly with no errors? (Ha! As if!)
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| Nov 7, 2017 |
It’s always been Mimi Rousseau’s dream to open her own bistro, but it seems beyond her grasp since she’s been chased back home to Nouvelle Vie in Napa Valley by her late husband’s tremendous debt. Until her best friend Jorianne James introduces her to entrepreneur Bryan Baker who invests in promising prospects. Now, working the bistro and inn until she’s able to pay it off and call it her own, Mimi is throwing the inn’s first wedding ever.
The wedding will be the talk of the town, as famous talk show host Angelica Edmonton, daughter of Bryan’s half-brother, Edison, has chosen the inn as her perfect venue. Anxious, Mimi is sure things are going to turn south, especially when Edison gets drunk and rowdy at the out-of-towners’ dinner, but by the evening, things begin to look up again. That is until six AM rolls around, and Bryan is found dead at the bistro with an éclair stuffed in his mouth. And the fingers point at Mimi, whose entire loan is forgiven in Bryan’s will.
Now it’s up to Mimi to clear her name and get to the bottom of things before the killer turns up the heat again in A Deadly Éclair, the scrumptious series debut by Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber.
Agatha Award-winning Daryl Wood Gerber is best known for her nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries and CHEESE SHOP MYSTERIES, which she pens as Avery Aames. She will soon debut the new French Bistro Mysteries. A DEADLY ÊCLAIR comes out November 2017. Daryl also writes stand-alone suspense: DAYS OF SECRETS and GIRL ON THE RUN. Fun tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky who keeps her in line!
Social Media links:
Daryl, I am looking forward to reading your new mystery series.
ReplyDeleteGoodness, I can’t imagine anyone writing only one perfect draft with no errors . . . but I appreciate how the story comes together after all that writing, re-writing, and editing is done . . . .
Joan, whew! I'm so glad to see at least one comment from someone who doesn't expect perfection on one try! Thanks for chiming in. ~ Daryl (Now I must read on...)
DeleteAnd yet, I always try to get it right in one go. LOL.
DeleteGood morning, Daryl. I love your comment that a screenplay is an outline. I find first drafts quite painful, but love the revision and tweaking process.
ReplyDeleteWhat you're doing must be working!
Ramona, I sure hope it's working. I'm in the middle of my next book and finding that I have a lot of tweaking of the outline, but it's all for the good. The road map is still leading in the right direction. ~ Daryl
DeleteI don't outline for more than two or three scenes ahead of where I am. So far it's working for me! Best of luck on the new series.
ReplyDeleteEdith, I know lots of writers who do not write this way. It's just the way that has worked for me. And I'm glad what is working for you is working! Hugs, Daryl
DeleteWelcome to JRW Daryl--what fun to arrive here this morning and find YOU! I've grown to be less and less of an outliner with each book. Not at all sure whether I'm simply lazier, or more confident that the plot and characters will come if I let them. It's not that I wouldn't like to outline, I simply don't know what's happening!!
ReplyDeleteHow long does this part of the story take you? And can you explain how you know what's going to happen? (I know, that probably sounds silly...)
Lucy, I always start with what if. When I get that answer, then I come up with my victim, my killer, and a few suspects. I work on their stories. Why they would have wanted that person dead, their secrets, why they lie about their alibis, etc. This all takes me about a month to outline, but by then the story has maturated. Does that make sense? Honestly, Hallie's book on creating a mystery helped me tremendously with that aspect - character and motivation. Plus, I look at the story like a movie. I try to "envision" what the next scene should be. Like I said, I often make errors and have to revise the outline, but the story keeps unfolding as long as I have a good beginning road map. ~ Daryl
DeleteLucy - I am the complete opposite. I am outlining more and more with each book. Weird.
DeleteHI, Daryl!! Love your outline format... I'm going to try it as I am well and truly stuck right now. I do a little planning, a little panting, I definitely feel as if I need more discipline.
ReplyDeleteHallie, you? Really? Like I said to Lucy, your book is what helped me get to this outlining format. Wishing you great luck getting unstuck. One of the things I love to do to get unstuck is write the climax. The scene that brings all the efforts together. That conflict seems to clarify all the reasons why the protagonist is doing what she/he is doing and why the killer has made the effort and doesn't want to be caught - or thought he/she couldn't be caught. It's a fun way to write. Sometimes I simply write dialogue and go back later to fill in the details. I "hear" the story play out. Hugs, Daryl
DeleteHi darling Daryl! So great to see you here-and congratulations on your wild success and inspirational positivity.
ReplyDeleteOutline. Outline. I have never made an outline. I keep having the thought that it would be a good idea--but then I don't. Right now --with a blank page staring hideously at me-- I only wish I had something to outline.
But as always --onward. Do you start your outline not knowing the end? I mean... what info do you know when you start?
Xxxx
Hank, I usually start with what if. What if a woman is kidnapped and the man who loves her saw it happen but he has know clue who the kidnapper is. That's a jumping off point. Now, who IS the person who took her or what is the woman's background that someone would consider taking her? Random kidnapping - nah. Personal kidnapping, yes. Is she a money launderer? A married woman? It's all about weaving the story with character clues. If I know who kidnapped her and why, that's my climactic scene (the ending) because the reader has to learn that at the end. (At least that is SORT OF how I think it through. The beginning and the end.) I'm working on a new story and I DO know the ending already. It's the middle part of the story that's always hard to draft/outline. The muddy middle, my husband called it. But when a reader closes the book, that rollercoaster ride should be worth the ending. Hugs to you and your wild success, as well. Miss seeing you. ~ Daryl
DeleteI must ask, was it a pun that the man has "know" clue? Auto-correct can be a nightmare ;-) This is the bane of my existence because even just skimming what you had written here briefly and my eyes automatically focus on the thing that looks out of place. I really enjoy your books and I have read both Avery and Daryl works. You have great talent and it is a pleasure to learn your process in creating these fabulous books!
DeleteThat is a great way to think about it...The Gerber method! Love this...thank you. And yes, it has been WAYYY too long. xoo
DeleteWelcome Daryl. I am a reader, not a writer, and I confess I have no opinion on outlining. However, I can't write three sentences here without going back and rereading, tweaking and, no infrequently, nuking. What I wonder now is how many successful writers outline and how many are pantsers? Does it make a difference in productivity, fewer rewrites, less editing, better sales and enhanced readership? Does it limit creativity or imagination? What if you outline and then the book takes off in an entirely different direction? How do your editors fee about outlining?
ReplyDeleteInquiring minds want to know.
Ann, great questions. I've often led panels and asked this question and it always seems to be about 50/50. Plotters and panthers. Does it make a difference? No. My friends that pants-it always end up with a great book. Do they tweak as much as I do? I'm not sure. Writing is such a private venture. I think productivity comes from deadlines. The more you have, the more you write. Does outlining make for less editing? I doubt it. I do lots and lots of editing. (If I recall, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Sue Grafton does not write an outline, but she does know the beginning and end and she rereads every chapter that she wrote the day before...before starting her next chapter, so that gives her a chance to edit it and keep going.) There have been times I've written a book and lots of "new" stuff happens in the middle, but I've rarely started a book where the ending isn't what I envisioned. Am I putting myself in a box? I don't think so. I'd like to think my endings are clever and pack punch. That's the movie-lover in me. My editors love that I outline. One editor would have preferred a synopsis. I hate writing those. There's just to much to tell in two-three pages. Oh, and get this...Ken Follett - I was lucky enough to see him interviewed at Thrillerfest; loved what he had to say - said he writes a 40 page outline and his editor goes over it with him, line by line, until it's polished, and then he writes. Fascinating, right? We all have different approaches. ~ Daryl
DeleteWhoa, thinking of the outlining involved in a Ken Follett opus that will run 800 pages and that's just one book of a trilogy.
DeleteDaryl, best of luck with the new series! I'm like Edith, I plan a few scenes/chapters at a time, write, evaluate what/if anything changed, plan a little more, rinse, repeat. But I'm still in the query trenches, so I can't really say if it's working. It feels right, though.
ReplyDeleteMary/Liz
Mary, it's different for everyone. The most important thing is finishing a book. And if it's not working, scrapping it, and moving on to what IS working. I have lots of started books in the queue in case the inspiration comes to me to finish them. I do adore having a deadline. That makes me push through the hardest part - finishing. Good luck to you! ~ Daryl
DeleteHi Daryl! I love your books and the table you use outlining. I tried pantsing and it was a mess so now I've have outlined my first mystery novel. It has made me much more enthusiastic about writing. :)
ReplyDeleteCathy, I'm excited to hear that. Sometimes you have to find the tool that works for you. It might not be what everyone else uses. Wishing you great luck finishing it. Enthusiasm should win the day! ~ Daryl
DeleteGood for you, Cathy. I so admire people who write by the seat of their pants, alas, I am not one of them. Welcome to the illusion of order ;)
DeleteI still "pants" my short stories, but am using Elizabeth George's fifty pages at a time for my WIP. I have a plot by chapter list, but am still eyeing with dread the pack of neon multicolored index cards and sharpie on the dining room table. It reminds me of learning how to write a research paper in junior high.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your new book.
Margaret, "ain't that the truth." I used to use multicolored cards for my screenplays. I still have the easel, but I find this computer way of writing - with an outline and basically my 3 x 5 cards in a grid, works for me. I can scroll and flash through it. I can print it and work on it with pen and then add those changes. It's all a very visual process - and very much like writing a research paper. What's your thesis? (Who is killed?) How many pages do you have to do that in? (Twists and turns) What are the main topics? (Suspects.) How are you going to prove it? (The end) Love this analogy! ~ Daryl
DeleteHi Daryl. So happy to meet you, I am a one of your readers eagerly waiting for the new series to start. I can see an outline being a useful guide or goad to help one advance the plot.. but as others ask what if a eureka moment takes over?
ReplyDeleteBased on the enforced method of teaching writing in my school days, I thought an outline was mandatory. It is intriguing to find that there are as many approaches to writing as there are writers. Did you know, for example, that Philip K. Dick u8sed the I Ching to determine plot direction when he wrote The Man in the High Castle? Perhaps that is why a critic might say "tightly woven plot" vs meandering.
I also wonder if the writing process would be faster if one was a "pantser" or a plotter. Would the final polishing be more in "pantsing"?
Coralee, I'm not sure what the I Ching is, but it's sounds ethereal and delicious! I'm going to now look it up. As for will the final polishing be more panting... Yes, the polish is where all the fun happens for me. I know the story is holding together. Now, where can I add flavor, zest, a line of dialogue here or there that really enhances the story? Where can I cut because it's dragging? Where did the rollercoaster ride becomes too pedantic? I love the final polish. I love fresh eyes on material after it's been written. You see, as writers, after we've written the book, we KNOW what happened. That's when it starts to feel predictable, so we have to go back with fresh eyes to figure out how to add oomph. Make sense? Thanks for chiming in. ~ Daryl
DeleteWOW, Coralee...that's a method I haven't tried! And it's fascinating . because it wouldn't specifically TELL you, right? You'd have to interpret it.
DeleteHi, Daryl! So great to see you here this morning. I have always been interested in screenwriting. Have you ever taught a workshop on screenwriting? It's on my list of things to try, you know, when I'm caught up to my deadlines. As another author with multiple series, I know you understand the intricacies of time management!
ReplyDeleteJenn, I've never taught a "workshop" per se. I've done a one-hour panel on outlining, which went well. I'm not sure people could handle me talking about screenwriting. I think it requires having sold a screenplay. I created the format TV show "Out of this World," but that doesn't give me expertise, either. As for deadlines...yes, you of all people know about time management. Plus you have teens! Yipes. I don't know how you do it. Thanks for inviting me to participate on Jungle Reds. What a great group this is. Hugs and can't wait to see you in November. ~ Daryl
DeleteYes! Signing at the Pen together in Nov - can't wait! XOXO
DeleteWelcome to Jungle Reds! I loved your Cheese Shop series. If I recall correctly, was Mimi Rousseau the grandmother of the Cheese Shop owner?
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading your new French Bistro series. I enjoyed reading about your writing process. Most of the time when I read a novel, I can tell that the author put a lot of effort into writing. I remember writing papers in college and I had to write several drafts before I felt it was good enough to be submitted to the professors.
And your book is featured for Marie's Cozy mysteries book club on Facebook in October.
It is never too late to act in movies. Why not make your own movie if you wanted to? If you have a smartphone with video capacity or a video camera, then you can make the movie with a good team of writers (you), actors (including you), cameramen, directors, props, editors, costumers, makeup artists, and location masters. There are probably other aspects of filmmaking that I forgot too. Some people wear several hats. Check out local film schools and see if there are students who would like to work with you on your film.
Diana
Hi, Diana, thanks for stopping in. Mimi Rousseau is her own individual. Charlotte's grandmother in the Cheese Shops was Bernadette Bessette. :) As for Marie's Cozy book club...I'm looking forward to that!! What fun it will be. We're reading Stirring the Plot, the 3rd Cookbook Nook Mystery. And as for acting in my own movie...well, that's just too much work at this point. And Screen Actors Guild prohibits me from working in non-union material. For now, I'll just do my live chats on Facebook (which I do almost every 2 weeks - one this Saturday coming up) and I talk about writing and life and all sorts of fun stuff. That gives me an audience. PS I also did a few live readings of mysteries - they're on my Youtube Channel. Those were fun "acting" sessions, too. ~ Daryl
DeleteDaryl, thanks. Why did I think Mimi was Charlotte's grandmother in the Cheese Shop? I am looking forward to Marie's cozy book club too. I get what you mean about SAG. Thanks for the tip re: YouTube Channel. - Diana
DeleteHi, Daryl! Nice to see you here on JRW. And I am bookmarking your essay and these comments for future reference.
ReplyDeleteI come from nonfiction writing, and used outlining successfully for several books. However, trying to outline fiction, for me, is like trying to mud wrestle an octopus. It's slippery, and just when I think it's under control big bits slither away from me. It's been a frustrating process for me.
Karen, I know what you mean. Slippery is part of the game. But that's when I take my pen to the outline, make notes, change things, and then proceed. It's a road map. Even the roads on a cross country trip can be slipper. Good luck! ~ Daryl
DeleteDaryl, thank you so much for this post. You were able to help me understand outlining. Recently I had an idea pop into my head for a mystery. I wrote it down and let it simmer. One night as I began to fall asleep, the characters began talking to me. Of course I had to get up and start writing the conversation down. Its a slow process for me yet I'm feeling more comfortable with the story.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I have a 7 month old goldendoodle named Ginger Snap!
Ah, hello, Ginger Snap! Love the name. Bet he/she is that warm honey brown? Sparky is all white and filled with energy. RE: ideas that pop in your head. I keep my cell phone by my bed, and if something comes to me in the middle of the night, I hit the record button and say it out loud. Of course, Sparky thinks I'm nuts, but I don't want to forget things. I'll do that while walking him, too, and while driving (though I pull to the side so I'm not impairing my driving ability). Love recorded conversations! ~ Daryl
DeleteI can only imagine how much extra work it would be to write a mystery without a bare bones outline. The revisions must be huge so you can make sure to plant clues and red herrings properly. I certainly get the side trips, however. But knowing the destination makes a trip much better in the long run.
ReplyDeleteMark, I agree. I do like to know where I'm going, even on a trip. Though when I hitchhiked around Ireland, I didn't quite know where I was going. Well, I did. There's one main road. But I didn't know how long I would stay in each area. It was quite an adventure - one I should probably write. I'm lucky I survived that trip, and sometimes when I'm writing a novel, I feel lucky (when it's finished) that I survived THAT trip, too. LOL. ~ Daryl
DeleteDaryl, Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your outline approach. I am generally an outliner, but taking a more freeform approach with my WIP. I think one of the things that rings true for all writers is that there is no magic bullet. It's hard work either way, and I don't think one is inherently faster than the other, just that you spend more time on different parts of the process.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about how you choose the settings for your series. Did a love of cheese lead to your cheese shop series? What was the inspiration for the new book?
Ingrid, thanks for the questions. The setting for the new series was my idea. I love Napa Valley and the wine country. My agent suggested a foodie mystery featuring a French bistro, and I lapped it up. Doing the food research for this series has been amazing. One fan said she believes I've stepped up my game as far as my culinary talents go. (I've always been a cook; I think my photography is getting better!) As for the cheese shop, that was my editor's idea. My publisher at the time wanted a story about a cheese shop in Ohio. (She came from Ohio.) So I did a lot of research for that. I had a friend who lived in Ohio and she raved about Holmes County. I visited and toured and enjoyed. As for the cheese, I knew the basics. That was intensive study that my husband and I relished. We must have tasted over 1,000 cheeses during the writing of that series. As for the Cookbook Nook mysteries, I wrote those because I fell in love with a cookbook shop in Virginia and knew that would be my next series. I wanted to write about the coast of California, one of my all-time favorite places, so I created a town and set up shop. Fiction is so much fun! ~ Daryl
DeleteHi Daryl! So great to have you here--under any name! Everything comes in degrees, doesn't it? I call myself an outliner, but I'm not compared to some writers I know, who outline every scene in every chapter before they write anything.
ReplyDeleteI have to start out knowing who did what, and why, and how. Then I do what I call "storyboarding", which is figuring out the major plot lines and what has to happen to get each one from where the story starts to where I want it to end. Then I do chapter/scene outlining four or five chapters at a time. Any more than that and the story shifts too much for the outline to be useful, although I do usually end up where I meant to go. Does that make sense? I also make loads and loads of notes in a spiral notebook, which I carry up to bed with me at night in case I get those "just before sleep" or "middle of the night" ideas. Some of my best scenes and dialogue start out in that notebook. But I think I'm going to start using my phone to record ideas, as you suggested.
Good luck with the new series--can't wait to read it!
Deborah, I like the spiral notebook idea. I think Sue Grafton has a notebook for every one of her books. (Hank interviewed her when I heard this tidbit.) I type notes on the computer and keep them in a "Notes" file for each book. As for your storyboarding process, that sounds pretty much like my outline. I do revise about 4-5 chapters at a time. Sometimes at chapter 15, I have to reread the whole book to make sure I've stayed on point. I might add "tweaks" at that time that came to me along the way. It is a process, and one I'm thrilled to able to enjoy. ~ Daryl
DeleteYes, I use the spiral notebook method, too! As I'm typing the manuscript, I'll write "who is she calling on page 46?" Or: should she have a dog? Or: don't forget the parked car. Or: Maybe Ralph is jealous? It works...and it's really fun to go back afterward and see how all the once-seemingly-impossible questions --once I even wrote--"who took the baby?" get answered.
DeleteI started to write, 'I am a connoisseur of outlines,' but I changed my mind. In a nutshell, that's how I write pretty much everything.
ReplyDeleteStill, I taught outlining for over thirty years, and I do really love to see anyone's working outlines. I have a "first-chapter-and-last-chapter" sketch-outline of the novel I'm working on now, as well as biographies of major characters. Like Edith, I plan/outline three scenes ahead as I write.
May I say, from experience, the "plotter-pantser' binary choice seems a false one, two extremes, neither of which alone will get a novel written. But taken together, with lots of other doodling, voila!
Rebecca, I love to doodle! That's why I need an outline. LOL ~ Daryl
DeleteYou are a busy lady! I do enjoy your Facebook chats when I can catch them. It is always great when Sparky makes an appearance. And your mystery book readings are also entertaining. Way back in high school when we had a writing assignment we were required to make an outline first. Okay. Not hard to do. Then write the paper following the outline. I always had trouble with the introduction so I wrote it last. After the paper was finished. Hey. It worked for me.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to your new series.
Pat, I know lots of people who write the introduction last. You first have to figure out what you're proving! I think that often happens with a book, too. The first chapter spills out of me, but it is probably the most "revised" part of the book. You're setting up the story hoping to capture the reader's attention and hold it for another 300 pages. It's got to be gripping, funny, whatever...but good enough to lure them in. ~ Daryl PS Thanks for the compliments on the chats and readings. I have enjoyed doing them all. :)
DeleteI'm not a writer of long stories or anything but when I would write the little stories I sent to my niece on various holidays, I'd write off the top of my head, coming up with the various names of characters on the fly and getting the bare bones situation for why my niece was getting the letter as the words flowed from the finger tips.
ReplyDeleteAfter I was done, I would then go back and read it to see if (or more accurately, WHAT) I needed to fix, tighten up and add or subtract. Once I found that I was satisfied, I'd then give it to my unpaid editor, aka Mom, who would read it and suggest tweaks.
Finally it was done. But the initial writing was where I had the skill/luck to aggravate those around me by coming up with the majority of the story simply by sitting down in front of the computer screen and start typing.
Jay, I work that way when I write a short story, too. I want it to flow out of me. I'm not sure I could outline something like that. I love that your unpaid editor is Mom. :) My mother would have been mine, had she lived long enough to do so. I think she'd always wanted to be a writer but life got in the way. ~ Daryl
Delete