Hello, bloggy peeps! Another blog chain in progress, this time chosen by our own Terri Rainer.
Leah Clifford had the link before mine and Jessica Verday will be up next.
I’ll be answering the “Alternative Question” Terri posed:
Alternative question: Do you brainstorm with a friend when you are plotting, or do you prefer to be the only one who knows what your characters are going to do?
Well, I have to say… I am quite grateful that Terri chose this topic. Because up until now, I have never properly acknowledged the awesomeness of my BFF Clara.
Although I do a LOT of pre-writing plotting, there are always the detail issues that come up along the way. Whenever I find myself sinking into a plot hole or running into a wall, I torture poor Clara by making her hear all about it.
Seriously, she is the best listener ever. She doesn’t tell me what to do or suggest something can’t be solved. If I give a possible solution(s), she simply tells me whether or not she thinks it will work or which solution might work better.
At risk of jinxing myself, I have always solved my plot problems within 48-hours of talking to Clara. The solution may not come during our conversation (in fact, it usually doesn’t) but talking it through with someone encouraging, but not leading, really helps me organize my own thoughts.
God bless BFF’s. Seriously.
And a ginormous 
to Clara, the best BFF ever.
Filed under: Back on the Chain Gang | Tagged: Back on the Chain Gang, blog chain, H. L. Dyer, Heather Dyer, jubilation, novel, The Edge of Memory, writing |
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Aww…yay Clara! Can you be a “best” BFF? Wouldn’t that be like a double-best? hee hee. 🙂
Awww… I want a Clara. Actually my BFF was one of the first people to read the first draft of my first novel, and her comments were priceless – especially the ones were she started to threaten my life over my repeated comma abuse.
BFF’s are the BEST. My BFFs help with the plotting as well…YEAH (PS – love those smileys)
That’s so sweet.
Whenever I talk to my BFFs about something I’m working on, we usually end up coming up with the most absurd scenarios that would never work.
But we always laugh a lot.
Yay! for BFFs.
Sometimes the best thing you can do for someone else is to listen to them. I’m glad you have someone who listens to you and lets you work things out.
Hooray for Clara!
She sounds awesome! And I’m with ya…I don’t know what I would do without having people to bounce things off every now and then. I try to work things out by myself first, but it is such a help to have people to discuss it with 🙂
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I feel incredibly lucky to get to hear the inside scoop, dear my Hez.
PS We should have another one of those conversations soon, eh?
Yay for Clara! I have only recently learned how helpful it is to bounce ideas off of other people, and boy, can it make a difference!
I usually work alone but i’ve found that having support is great, especially online when ‘real’ people have no interest.
Sorry if this sounds plugish but but i’ve started a writer’s forum http://thewriterschronicle.forumotion.net/index.htm
where aspiring authors etc. can come and chat and discuss topics and ideas and basically help each other.
I love blogging but it can be both hard to get a readership and connect with them so i thought a community forum would be a great way to network.
The forum is only starting out but i’m hoping it will grow,
I’d really appreciate it if you could take the time and have a look around.
thanks emily.
I have a friend just like that! I guess that’s what made me think of it. I think I just wanted to know if anybody else out there liked to bounce ideas off of other people.
🙂 Terri