Survey Results! Part 2

Here are the comments from authors who chose number two from the survey posted above. That is, they chose: I try to stay close to the original vision for the book, but invariably there are significant changes along the way that I never anticipated at the beginning. As might be expected, this option was the most popular Read on.

Susan Meissner (fiction): It’s number 2 for sure. I have found that when I turn in a manuscript and a new set of eyes looks at it editorially they see weaknesses in the plot and the characterization that I was just too close to see. When you tighten plot or characterization you almost always end up with a twist or turn that you hadn’t planned from the beginning or you would have included it in the first place. This is why every writer needs an editor, even if you go the route of self-publication. Gotta have one who gets you and can see what you are just too close to see.

Angela Hunt (both fiction and non-fiction): I never have a full-formed vision at the beginning–I have the beginning, middle and a good idea of how I want it to end, but the fun of writing (if there’s any “fun” at all), is learning what the characters do along the way. So yes, the final is very much like the vision, but much, much more fully formed and fleshed out.

Dennis Hensley (fiction and non-fiction): I am the kind of writer who likes to use a detailed outline, so when I begin a book I have the table of contents, a very solid synopsis, and even one or two finished chapters. This solidifies to me that my idea is workable, my direction is only target, and my information is useful and detailed enough to sustain itself as a book. As such, I don’t need to alter the book much as I am working through it. However, I keep myself open to stylistic options. For example, I might insert a suggested reading list at the end of one chapter, if I suddenly feel this topic might be something my reader would want to delve into deeper. Or, I might create a sidebar inside of the chapter that quotes six Bible verses that relate well to the topic at hand. Or, I might write up some discussion questions for interactive use of the material in that chapter. Thus, I stick with my writing game plan, but I am open to creative ways to make a stronger impact with the reader.

Jerry Eicher (fiction): This is a difficult question for me since my original vision for the book consists of the character and the beginning act, followed by how the story ends. Most of the rest is discovered along the way, motivated by what I need for the ending. But I’ll land on two, I think. It seems to me the better you know your characters the better you are able to predict whether your ending is possible or not. In Amish fiction—as you know–the ending often involves who gets married and to whom. (the whom sometimes being for me only a type of man at the beginning) So far I have not changed my original plan except for one character. My wife has vetoed the union after reading the manuscript. I had kept going in spite of my misgivings, and will now have to go back and change it. The problem arose from not knowing the English girl well enough before I started. And I did drop my marriage plans this week for a secondary character—again English—because I would have had to force her into it once I arrived at the scene in real time. Sorry, I know it’s not real life, but it seems so to me. I live their lives with them. So there is much less wiggle room with fixed endings than one would think. You really cannot make people do what they do not wish to do. Well, I guess you can, but it’s called torture.

Linore Rose Burkard (fiction): I was actually torn between numbers 1 and 2, but without the word “significant” then number 2 is probably closest to my experience.

Gayle Roper (fiction): This is me. Since I write mysteries and suspense, I have to know where I’m going, but ideas come as you write. Things do change.

Susan Page Davis (fiction): I fall between 1 and 2. Some of my books are very true to the original proposals. Others have significant changes, but it’s never a totally different story.

Roxanne Henke (fiction): I usually have a firm idea of what the beginning of the book will be like, and a general grasp of the way I expect the book to end. It’s the “getting-there” that challenges and sometimes surprises me. That said, my stories are always a little bit “more” than I ever hoped to achieve, which shows me God is at work.

Brandt Dodson (fiction): I have to have a vision for the type of book I’d like to write. The tone and setting, among other fiction elements, are important and serve as an “anchor” for me. I don’t outline, though, so the story will invariably take turns I didn’t anticipate. Nevertheless, having a vision of the kind of book I want to write keeps me on track by serving as a plum line. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’d end up with a potpourri of plot points, characters, themes and settings.

Jennifer Erin Valent (fiction): I’d have to say that the first book was the third choice all the way. When I started Fireflies I had no idea it would go in the direction it did. But the next two were the second choice. There were unexpected twists that evolved as I wrote, but the stories still held closely to my original ideas. I think the difference was that by the time I wrote the second and third books, I knew my characters much better than when I started the first.

Tricia Goyer (fiction): I pick door #2! I usually have a pretty firm idea of what the book will be when I begin writing. I set out strong in the beginning and I know where I’m headed. The end is usually how I picture it, too. It’s the middle that surprises me! My characters are much more wise, witty, sneaky, and unyielding than I originally though. I discover secrets and deeper motivations than I pictured. Their story always turns out better than I had planned it. So I don’t mind giving them the middle to made mud pies and throw them at each other.

Dr.Richard Mabry (fiction): I am a confirmed pantser. The best example: I once killed off a character that I actually liked (and had planned to leave in to the end) because it seemed that the story was leading me in that direction. Sometimes the characters surprise me.

Kay Marshall Strom (fiction): I begin with a chapter-by-chapter outline. Yep, some fairly significant changes. But at least I know where I’m going.

Bonnie Leon (fiction): My answer is #2 — Often along the way, I find a new story line or a character that needs more exposure. And sometimes it’s the dreaded letter from my editor that says something to the effect — “This needs major revision.” This has happened a couple of times and at first it hits me hard in the gut. After some thought and time to allow my mind to capture the new vision I can see the benefits of the changes. I get excited about the new work and in the end I usually end up with a better book and must admit to being thankful for my editor’s insights.

Austin Boyd (fiction): I’m a plotter. I spend 100 hours researching my novel, even more if I travel to the locale, as I often do. I’ve traveled to Israel for a book with Oliver North, hiked the Appalachian Trail for 100 miles for a hiking novel I’m working on. The trip does not count in the hour summary. I build a character profile for every major character, translating to 3 single spaced pages of data per character. I build character and plot arcs, then get started with an outline. I’ll lay out each chapter, then each scene in one or two sentences. Once I’m done, and the 100 hours is used up, I’ve got 30 pages of outline, and a full spectrum of character information.

I set a word count goal for per-day and per-week writing, and usually do 120,000 words in 12 weeks, or 10,000 per week. I get up around 4:30 or 5:00 AM and write until 6:30, then get ready for work. I’ll do some writing in the evening if I have time, also on the weekend, and extensively during airline travel. After all the book is in draft, I do an end-to-end edit, then send it out to my reader team for reviews.

Does the book change? You bet. As detailed as my outline might be, I find plot inconsistencies or character arc issues that need to be repaired. Particularly after my reader team pronounces their review, I’ll find some issues that need fixing. I’ve completely changed the ending of my last two novels to address the recommended modifications, and ended up with a much better book.

And, then there’s the character that takes off and makes her own changes as I write her. That happens EVERY TIME I write a novel. I’ve done 6 so far, and it never fails.

Karen Ball (fiction): My answer is mostly #2, but sometimes #3. I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer, so my books are probably more elastic than those who plot the story out in detail.

Jim Rubart (fiction): I fall in the # 2 camp. To use a home analogy the framing stays the same but the carpet, the colors, the furniture, the paintings on the walls, all can change significantly from the original design.

Ann Kirk Shorey (fiction): I write a two-page synopsis of the story for my proposal, but the things that happen in the areas between crisis points 1, 2 and 3 often surprise me. That’s the fun part, as Stephen Bly says.

Nancy Farrier (fiction): For my fiction, I have a synopsis and several key scenes mapped out in my head. However, quite often my characters surprise me with their actions or personalities changing in a way that enhances the story. I like to allow for creativity in the writing process without too much change from the original story idea.

Lela Gilbert (non-fiction and fiction): I’ve written both fiction and non-fiction and would have to say that I approach them entirely differently. I’d say #2 for non-fiction and definitely #3 for fiction.

I don’t know if you’ve ever read Dorothy Sayers’ short book The Mind of The Maker, but she makes a great case for allowing fictional characters free will just as God (the ultimate “Maker”) allows us free will. Otherwise we become dictatorial and stifle their personalities. And I think she’s absolutely correct. Of course that makes for surprises and unintended consequences in storylines!

As for non-fiction, it’s good for me to work from an outline so I can stay focused on the larger theme of the book itself without spinning my wheels in muddy little side roads. Sometimes things occur to me as I’m writing, however, and if they seem even remotely “inspired,” I try to include them in the draft. I just have to make sure I’m willing to dump them later if they get in the way of the big picture.

Christina Berry (fiction): My main plot line stays the same, but the subplots and characters develop as they go along.

Mark Littleton (fiction and non-fiction): I would say #2 is most true of me at this point in my writing life, although both #1 and #3 happen occasionally, but not as often.

Authors who chose number two without comment include Mary DeMuth (for her fiction), Randy Ingermanson (fiction and non-fiction), Sally John (fiction),Trish Perry (fiction), and Mona Hodgson.