Organizing the Closet

So today is cleaning day. I'm trying to make order out of chaos in my small cabin. As I was organizing, I realized how much this resembled my brain and the chaos there. Sometimes it's a real feat to organize my thoughts. I have so many story ideas, it's sometimes hard to sort them all out so today is also going to be an organization of my brain closet.

Typically, I write by the seat of my pants. Most writers are either pantsers or plotters. I start out a story by just writing a scene in my head. Once I do that, I go back and look at the characters. How can I develop them based on what I've already written. So - essentially the first organization day for a story is to flesh out the characters. I tend to do this using astrology and numerology. I find a name that suits their character based on numerology then I figure out a birthday that gives them an astrological sign that also goes along with their personalities. Backstory? Well, that's where the pantser comes into play. That's the back of the closet that gets organized last, so to speak. We'll think of them as shoes. Big grin.

I write six to eight chapters before I realize clutter is beginning to appear. That's when I have to go back and organize. I have to reread and structure an outline of what I've written. Think of it as backwards plotting but this helps me figure out where to go next and it helps me keep facts straight - most of the time.

So, the story I'm working on now needs straightening big time. It's been almost ten chapters since I last outlined. Time to organize. People always ask, what do you like least; editing or writing first drafts. Neither. It's outlining and organizing what I've written that's my least favorite thing to do. I only realized this today as I was mopping my floor. But - it has to be done.

I also need to go through and organize my story idea files so I know what I want to work on next. So many projects, so little time. Arggg. Best get to it.