Desiree Moodie

The following is an excerpt from my plot summary brain dump that I talked about here.

There may be light spoilers but enough of this has changed in the final version that you’ll still get a few surprises.

 

Ok so now for a summary of the Logan saga (at least the first draft of the summary, AKA what I have now)

OK so we begin with Logan returning to Langhorne (Lansdale, Lansford). We don’t know why he’s there at first. He had sworn to never go back there again (flashback). We come to find out through a somewhat tense phone call that leads to a somewhat violent encounter that Logan is in town to do a job. A hacking job and it sounds like a big one. Not only is his life in danger, but the lives of his two younger brothers have been threatened as well. When first arriving in town, he comes across Tess. They have a short and contentious exchange. She needs help of some kind and Logan, being the surly bastard he is, refuses her.

We learn that Logan is missing a key item needed to complete his task (further hint of his attempt to leave the life of crime behind). He can only get it through Dex*. He and Dex have beef over some money that Logan owes him from as business deal gone bad. Logan does not know that Dex is something of an adopted uncle to Tess but he finds this out soon enough.

When he meets with Dex to beg him for a key, he encounters Tess for the second time. This time, Logan feels the first twinges of attraction but still, the girl is a nuisance to him. Dex charges Tess with keeping an eye on Logan but disguises this by saying he needs Logan’s help watching Tess while he’s o0ut of town on business for a week.

Logan has no choice but to relent because Dex has what he wants. (I think we can go ahead and call him Asa and just change his last name or something). Logan and Tess spend a week together annoying one another but begin to bond when they get into a situation together. When Asa gets back Logan cuts Tess loose and attempts to finish his job without kicking up any more dust.

He completes the task and leaves but not without a somewhat emotional goodbye from Tess. Logan disappears and travels somewhere exotic

The next summer, Tess and Logan hook up after Logan finds himself back in Langhorne. Turns out he can’t stay away. Or he is falsely led to believe that the danger is passed and he can maybe begin a new life. During this time he meets Brittany, who is also into some shady shit and it being watched by the FBI. She and Logan enter a relationship.

After much close encounters and sexual tension, Logan also begins to sleep with Tess, who is the one he really loves. She knows it’s wrong and tries to break to off several times but they can’t seem to stay away from one another.

Brittany is into drugs and she hooks Logan on heroine. Brittany becomes pregnant and so Logan decides to marry her. This leads to a very heated encounter between him and Tess. This is the last time they see each other before Logan goes to prison.

Brittany has been talking to the FBI. They want to get Logan and the guy he did the job for but they are also after her for drugs. The man Logan did the job for, unbeknownst to him, has been keeping close tabs on him this whole time and learns that Logan’s girl is speaking to the FBI. She then becomes a target.

After Logan and Brittany get married, she gives birth to a baby girl. She continues to cooperate with the FBI but she doesn’t’ give them much. She’s trying to keep Logan out of trouble but will throw him under the bus if push comes to shove.

Both the FBI and the man Logan did the job for move in at the same time.

The FBI show up to arrest Logan. They also move in on The Pin. While trying to get her to safety, Logan ushers Brittany and the baby out the back door and into the car. They blow up. Logan goes to federal prison for 3 years.

While in jail, Logan reflects on his life and his mistakes and the ways in which he hurt himself and his family. He comes to the realization that he has always loved Tess and had fucked things up between them. He talks to his cellmate about her. He rejects all mail expect the letter Ryan send him with Tess’ photo in it. He vows to find her and make things right when he gets out of prison.

When he comes home, Logan reconnects with his brothers. Tess hasn’t been to Langhorne in a long time and they have no idea where she is. Once again, Logan enlists Asa’s help to find Tess. She’s in Hawaii (or maybe she’s just in New York where she lives). Logan travels, even though he’s not supposed to leave the state without permission, to find Tess. He apologizes to her and they begin to talk. They (might) even have sex once. But in the end, Tess can’t bring herself to be with him after all he put her through. They part on amicable terms and Logan returns to Langhorne to be with his brothers.

The next step in my writing process, after brainstorming, is the pre-writing phase.

Now I know they may sound like the same thing but they’re not.

The brainstorming process I described in my earlier post is distinct from the pre-writing process I’m about to describe.

Brainstorming is very free form. Pre-writing is more structured.

Pre-writing is where your story really starts to take shape.

Consider writing your story akin to building a house.

The idea generation and brainstorming process would be analogous to drawing up blueprints. Pre-writing is like pouring the actual foundation. Building the frame so to speak.

It’s important to note that we aren’t concerned with word counts or output just yet. The primary objective of this stage is to build a framework from which to write your story. Theoretically, the more you put into this stage, the easier your actual writing should be.

Yes, I’m a plotter. Sue me.

So what are the components that go into my pre-writing?

I determine the goal, motivation, and conflict. I explore my characters. I build the setting. And then I dive into a scene outline.

Characters

First up to bat are the characters. Character drives plot so it’s helpful to take at least a little time up front to get to know the main players in the story. I don’t go crazy and write a whole separate biography for each of your characters, but I want to be able to distinguish them. This means I want to have an idea of their physical appearance. These details may become important to the story at some point. I also need to have some idea of the character’s back story. Even if the details of this back story never actually make it into my finished project, it helps me write better if I know. I need to have a good sense of my character’s personality, especially their flaws. And most importantly, I need to know what my characters wants.

Setting

Next, I need to have a decent sense of the setting of your story. Setting is more of an important element at some times than at other, depending on the story I’m writing. It may not play an integral role but it still helps to jot down some quick notes on this topic. I try not to get caught up in describing the place for the sake of describing the place. Instead I focus more on what the significance is for the story. For instance, in White Rabbit, Logan’s house is an important piece of his back story and all the scenes between him and his brothers happen there. In every other scene, he’s somewhere he shouldn’t be or somewhere he doesn’t belong, which reinforces his feeling that he’s an outsider.

Goal, Motivation, Conflcit

Now I get to the three little (but really not little at all) things any story needs to really move forward. That’s the Goal, the Motivation, and the Conflict. I need to know these things in relation to the main character especially (and probably the antagonist too) to write a good story. This is a non-negotiable. What does the protagonist want? What is her ultimate goal in the story? What is her motivation for wanting what she wants? The motivation has to be believable and compelling enough to spur that character into immediate action. What is the conflict? Conflict is essential to a good plot. What stands in the way of your protagonist achieving her goal? What could cause her to lose everything?

Plot Summary

Now that I have those foundational elements out of the way, it’s time to hash out the plot itself. I do this by just writing out one big, longhand summary. I try to hit everything that happens in the plot as I’ve imagined it up to this point. One of the most common pieces of writing advice is the “show don’t tell” adage. Well here, I’m doing the exact opposite. I brain dump my plot summary onto however many pages it takes to get it all down.

Working Scene Outline

The last step in my pre-writing phase is to develop a scene outline. I usually start by taking my plot summary and listing the action bullet point by bullet point. I then take this list and divide into roughly three parts, the beginning, middle and end, otherwise known as Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. More on traditional three act structure here.

It’s important to remember that this is just a framework and not set in stone. It can change and should change when you actually start writing. The idea is just to know what happens where in your book. There are many templates for this online if you feel you need one. Here’s a good example.

As an extra step, I like to take my outline and flesh the scenes out a little more by writing a short scene summary of a paragraph or two. I sometimes do this all at once or write a few ahead or go act by act. I find it very helpful to take time to just brain dump what I want to happen in a particular scene beyond just a quick phrase saying what happens. It makes it much easier when it’s time to actually write the scene.

Next up, I’ll get into the nitty gritty and talk about how I get my first draft done.