Monday, December 28, 2009

The Twelve Part Outline, Part II

This series on the structure of my Twelve Part Outline will not, in all likelihood, track with my writing progress on Maradaine Constabulary, if for no other reason than the simple fact that it's a lot faster to write about each stage of the outline plan than it is to actually write each stage. On top of that, there is the way in which I write, which having a structured outline allows me to do. I will on occasion jump ahead of myself-- write that Exciting Bit that I know will be happening later, and then go back and fill in that connective tissue to make the whole thing a cohesive whole.

Anyway, Part II: Incitement. This is where the actual plot gets rolling. Establishment puts the pieces into play, it sets up the go-cart at the top of the hill. Incitement is pushing it down the hill and seeing what happens.

What it comes down to is, whatever comfortable status quo the characters were in at the Establishment now needs to be changed, to get things moving, to prod them into action. So something has to happen, some new information has to present itself, or some other thing is imposed upon them. In Maradaine Constabulary, having established my characters as Inspectors and partners, Incitement is a pretty easy thing: give them a murder to solve. And since this is a fantasy world, and just to make it a little more interesting, the dead body was a mage.

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