How do you deal with all the moving pieces when you write a novel?
Dave asked me this, on his podcast. To hear my answer, tune in to episode 458 of Living the Next Chapter. I share my thoughts on this from 21:30-23:05
Direct link to the podcast session:
https://pod.link/1607392975/episode/7d35acf28ff2b47132a258f6025c5d50
You can also read a summary of my answer here.
I think every author does it differently. I heard about Margaret Atwood. She created a large Excel spreadsheet spanning multiple years. What is happening in the characters’ lives, what is happening in the world, and then she puts it out on a timeline.
I don’t start with a structure, I just get the story out of my head. But then after a while, I write a timeline in Excel. Sometimes I am specific about what year it is, and where the events take place – like in Love, Guilt, and Motorcycles. Other times I am more vague. Like in my story about Rabbitface. I am not saying where it takes place or what year it is. It's somewhere in Oregon, and it’s contemporary. But even if I didn’t write the exact months and places, I still needed to know for myself. How old are they now? Where are they?
So I did start using an Excel sheet to keep track of, like you said, the moving pieces. A story doesn’t have to have a lot of moving pieces of course. There are great novels where the story plays out in a single day.
So it all depends on what you write. It is important to acknowledge that some stories have many moving pieces instead of assuming they should be simple. Instead, let it be as complex as it is and deal with that complication one way or another.
About the Rabbitface series
What would happen if you took the themes of Dirty Dancing, Wonder,
and Antonia's Line all set against the backdrop of competitive figure skating?
You get Rabbitface: a contemporary romantic drama in 4 parts.
Heartfelt, multi-layered, and deeply moving, it’s a tale that will touch your heart and stay with you.