Outline! Outline!

Perhaps it's unusual, but I am one of those people who likes to write an outline before diving into writing the actual novel. I suppose it's because I want to know where it's going, how it develops, and what the actual conclusion is before I start writing. From a technical point of view I think it helps my own process when discreetly slipping the gun on the mantelpiece for later.

On another note, I was watching the news this morning.

Crikey!

The most depressing for several weeks. I don't know about the rest of you but I was SO sick of watching nothing but economic doom that I more or less came out of the other side thinking - "So what, you've front loaded the news for so long with this negative torrent of utter misery that I'm now feeling inoculated against it."

Well bad news, it's worn off ! Now I'm wondering what Gordon Browns 1 Trillion pound debt means for me, as well as the country. Apparently (!) we will end up with 3 million unemployed. When you consider that the reality for a country with c. 60 million people is that only around 30 - 35 million actually work, out of 22 million households, then that adds up to 10% unemployment. I've got potential interest from 2 freelance projects, but in this current environment will I prove successful? I need to stop thinking!

So, today I am going to start my outline for a project that I've been mulling over for about 6 months. I am surrounded by enough pieces of paper to fill 2 A4 Arch Lever files, and I've set myself the target of writing a reasonably comprehensive outline by the end of the month.

I don't know about you, but I've always found the process of writing really exciting ( more so considering the news... ) Sometimes I am close to hysteria with excitement at the possibility of diving into my own little world.

I like to write my notes and outline sketches on paper, I find it aids the 'creative process' for me.

So, I shall report back in due course and let you know how the outline went.