Plotting BLISS

Thank you so much to all of the input I got on my plotting blog from fellow writers and authors. A super special thanks to Kari for introducing me to the plotting board. 

I plotted my current WIP in seven hours over the course of two days and then I started writing. I had had three chapters done before I plotted, and wasn't sure where I was going and then suddenly BAM - middle, full ending, and tons of new scenes. And then I started writing. Hit 25,000 words within two weeks. 

I veered off my index cards a bit, added two scenes in the beginning that weren't on the plot board, but they fit and when I thought - oh crap, what happens next? I could LOOK. Because I already knew! It was like magic. Since it took me almost two years of sporadic writing to get even 100 pages of a draft done, to be able to do so in total in just under three months is absolutely astounding. 

I took techniques from a few different places. I had Sokoloff's plotting board method via Kari Townsend, and then the color-coding with highlighters from Gayle Callen (AKA Julia Latham). I used one for my hero, one for my heroine, one for the romance, one for the antagonist, one for action subplot, one for mystery clues/main plot points, and one for minor characters. And I can look at the whole board all at once and see what I need more of where. 

So far so good! 

I've been bribing my muse with late quiet nights all to ourselves, caffeine, snacks, a new book, new craft techniques, and the constant need to update my Facebook status with my word count!