Plotting

The other day I stumbled upon a photo that purportedly shows a page of J. K. Rowling’s plot notes for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  Her spreadsheet approach makes it very easy to keep track of how the plot develops from chapter to chapter without getting bogged down in a bunch of details.

It’s been my experience that nothing is more fatal to the writing process than excessively detailed planning.  When I first started writing, I tried to compose meticulously detailed synopses.  But they take forever to do, which delays the writing process.  Also, I’ve found that stories tend to take on a life of their own once you start writing them.  There’s nothing more frustrating than lovingly crafting a series of scenes only to throw them out because you’ve changed some aspect of your novel.

Nowadays, I usually keep my synopses brief and just focus on the major plot points.  The only downside is that, because I write them in narrative form, it can be difficult to keep track of plot development.  I’m tempted to try the J. K. Rowling approach and see if it makes life easier.