I've just completed a new spec and something unusual happened as I was writing. I'd done a solid outline, including main points for scenes, and had pegged in a character that didn't even have a name.
She's the mother of the main secondary character and I needed her referred to in passing in the story. She was never meant to be anything, but as I worked through the first draft, I decided she needed a name. After the name, she needed a scene, and after that first scene, she needed more scenes.
By the time I finished the first draft, she ended up as the main storyline in the subplot. I don't think this would have happened if I hadn't given her a name, but now I can't imagine what the story would be without her.
There's a lot of talk about outlines vs. discovery. I'm never wedded to my outlines -- they're like a ticket that gets me into the world of writing the story, but I think if I'd been just a tiny bit more obedient to my outline, I might have missed the third most important character in my script.
I was wondering how others here have been surprised by discoveries in the writing process.
She's the mother of the main secondary character and I needed her referred to in passing in the story. She was never meant to be anything, but as I worked through the first draft, I decided she needed a name. After the name, she needed a scene, and after that first scene, she needed more scenes.
By the time I finished the first draft, she ended up as the main storyline in the subplot. I don't think this would have happened if I hadn't given her a name, but now I can't imagine what the story would be without her.
There's a lot of talk about outlines vs. discovery. I'm never wedded to my outlines -- they're like a ticket that gets me into the world of writing the story, but I think if I'd been just a tiny bit more obedient to my outline, I might have missed the third most important character in my script.
I was wondering how others here have been surprised by discoveries in the writing process.
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