Writing the Sequel: Touched Part Deux

Now that I am into the sequel for TOUCHED, I’m discovering more about my writing methods. I am an outliner. A fluid outliner who allows for surprises, yes, but I would still define myself as a writer who outlines. I also write chronologically, going from one chapter to the next. If I get an idea for a later chapter, it goes into my outline. I do not, however, skip around. For me, a character grows like a person does. They are formed by the people they meet and the choices they make. I don’t know how the Remy of Chapter One is going to react to a situation in Chapter Eighteen because, while the core of that person is established, the events between those chapters may have changed her in small but meaningful ways. The defensive Remy may have softened and her reactions may not be so kneejerk. I like to allow my characters to develop organically as I meet them on their journey.

What does this have to do with the sequel?  My characters are more decisive. They know each other, and they interact with familiarity. I’m dying to write the tense, action-packed scenes, and I find myself struggling to write the in-between chapters. I can trace this to two causes. First, I love to write tense, angsty scenes. My MFA mentor has told me more than once that I need to offer more breath between tense scenes so as not to fatigue my reader. I’ve worked really hard at this in revisions, and at building these moments into my outline in the sequel. That doesn’t make it any easier to write them, even while I see the necessity. Second, I am mixing things up and having characters react in new ways as the novel marches on, and I am aching to get to these scenes faster. Don’t get me wrong. The first four chapters opened with a bang, but there are later scenes that will transform my characters. Those are the scenes I want to work on.

For the first time ever, I have skipped ahead. A couple of nights ago, I wrote scenes from Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen. And discovered the problems working out of sequence brings. I introduced new characters without having defined them to myself, let alone the reader. The scene lacked the buildup of tension that preceding scenes would have lent it as moments and looks and little bits of conversation wove together to create a perfect moment. What I did by skipping ahead was create an awful lot of work on the backend because now I will have to edit that scene to death.

So tonight, I will be backing it up to Chapter Five. I will pace myself and not rush ahead. I will not presume to know who my characters are a hundred pages from now, and I think my work will be better for it.

What about you? What revelations have you had about your writing style?