Nuts and Bolts

This week I have been working on my latest manuscript and pondering some of the nuts and bolts of writing. We shouldn't feel embarrassed to bring a workmanlike attitude to a creative process. After all, we want our manuscript to be everything it can be - efficient as well as thrilling. So this week I sat down and wrote out a list of what happens in each of my chapters so far. Why? Because sometimes I struggle to remember! Other than a general story outline, I don't have a strict map for this manuscript; I often don't know what I'm going to write next. But I need to know what I've already written. This list has proved really useful for tracking the peaks and troughs of my dramatic tension. I also have a bible for the manuscript. Every time I introduce a new character I make a note of their name in the bible, and an extract of any description. Why can I never instantly recall the names I have given all these people I have invented? Is that just me? Finally, I have an ever growing list of web links to help me in my research. Some websites are really useful and some are really flaky. It's a good idea to keep a note of the useful ones. All of these techniques I hope will help me produce as polished a manuscript as I can manage. Right now, it's all about the nuts and bolts...