the problem of being a plotter....

Written on Monday, June 09, 2008 by haleigh

So I think I'm making progress again. After a brainstorming session last week (thanks Christie!) and (literally) filling 11 pages of a legal pad with outlines this weekend, I think I'm back on track.

And even better, I think I have my ending.

It's all coming together. Of course, I've been saying this since April. But I really thought it was coming together then! This time, I feel much more confident. I have questions to be answered for the mystery, the emotional connection of the characters plotted out, and a bad guy who is going to die. I'm on a freakin roll. Now we just have to see how long it lasts.

The research is getting more fun too. For instance, what kind of bugs might be planted in a room, how big are they, and how can you scan for them? If you're wearing a sling on your left arm due to a broken clavicle, what kind of holster will still allow you an easy draw of a Taurus Millenium? Which gangs have a presence in New York and Washington DC, and Rio De Jinero? If you were a leader of the U'wa tribe in the Llanos Basin of Colombia, could you get access to a satellite phone or email?

I don't know how authors did research before the internet. In two hours, I had answer to all of those questions (multi-directional microphones and radio frequency scanners; a canvas holster that hooks to your belt at the small of your back; MS-13; and yes).

One of the batbabes told me this week that she was doing research on Marines, so we went over to the Marine Recruitment office and got all sorts of good info, along with a list of characteristics these marines thought her hero should have (badass being at the top of that list). I was in awe! To have the nerve to just walk in and get first-person answers to your questions! I find this amazing. I'm doubting it's something I could pull off without launching into a full blown panic-attack, but wouldn't it b cool?

Anybody else have research spilling out all over the place? Anyone else brave enough to ask questions? Or do you stick to anonymous websites?

Christie, Marnee Jo - how are those word counts coming?