Since turning in my Bombshell revisions a week ago, I’ve been busy but not on anything new. So when my agent called me yesterday to tell me she’d read and loved the revisions and that she was sending the manuscript out today to the editor who requested it, I asked her what she thought I should work on next. I’ve been noodling new young adult and women’s fiction ideas, so we decided I’d dive into the young adult book next. So, I’ve been writing down random plot and character ideas, naming my heroine, figuring out her GMC, some possible scenes, etc. I plan to actually start writing a few pages tomorrow and hope to have a partial off to my agent before I leave for my vacation/RWA National Conference trip.
So, to try to get some comment traffic on my blog, I’m going to pose a question: When you begin work on a new story, what do you typically do on the first day? Just think about it? Write down random thoughts? Do plotting/character charts? Dive in and start writing? I’m curious to see the answers. And please tell some other writer friends about this blog and questions. I’m getting comment envy when I look at other blogs and see comment numbers in the double digits. 
June 25th, 2005 at 7:14 am
I usually dive in. Sometimes (gasp!) my characters don’t even have names – that was the case in my WIP.
But sometimes I start researching a novel before I finish my WIP, so I’ll be ready to dive in once I’m done. There’s nothing better than starting a new book.
And I hear you on comment envy. Go to Romancing the Blog and get them to link you up. And put your blog address in your sig line.
June 25th, 2005 at 10:45 am
I’m a diver LOL. I usually have a general idea, and like Mary, sometimes don’t even know the characters names. But I’ll jump right into the story. If the words refuse to flow, however, I’ll spend an hour/day/week (whatever is needed) and roll ideas thorugh my mind. My trusty notebook is never far from my side, either.
June 25th, 2005 at 8:43 pm
I understand the siren’s song of wanting to dive right in, and I admit that I do that after only a day or two of planning. Sometimes I’ll write a bit and then go back and do some more planning. If I don’t plan some though, I end up writing myself into a corner.
Gena, thanks for stopping by. I hear about you a lot from Jill.