It Worked! It worked!

It worked! I've been struggling for weeks to write a picture book. I'd write a little, decide it was stupid, start something new, delete it...and worse, sit there not writing because I couldn't think the plot through in my head.

Today, following the advice of my blogging friends, I planted my hiney in a chair. When I couldn't think of a name or a specfic task for my character, I typed xxxx. Then, I kept right on going, writing what came next. I went through five revisions of the same idea (plus one that I didn't feel like writing now). I hate to revise, so that alone is significant.

I can't write unless I know what's going to happen, and I hate to waste my time writing detailed descriptions and working out the alliteration that I love so much, only to get a page or two into it and find out that the story doesn't work. I also know that I need to write to get the idea worked out. I often get all the way to the end and dig up the best sentence that I then use to tie everything together. The gem that makes the whole thing work.

I need both: I need to write to the end to find the ideas and I need to have a road map in order to begin. I hope I've found the solution...

Today, I sat here for a few hours, reworking the plot and who the main character would be. As I said, I typed up five versions (not including the ones I didn't let out of my head to play on the paper). I didn't get detailed; it was more like brainstorming with myself to work on the possibilities. A crazy thing happened: I have an outline--characters, a setting, a plot, growth. YEA! I'd never really thought of picture books as having outlines, but this one does.

I can't wait to get back here tonight to add in the details and make my story come to life.