to outline or not to outline

A typical drafting occurrence:

Writer: Who needs an outline? I don't. Obviously.

Draft: Really. Outlines are SO lame.

W: You are so smart, Draft! You know just where I need to –

*draft withers*

*writer gapes*

W: Why you gotta be so difficult, Draft? Way to blow yourself up. I can't have a story with nothing but body parts, can I?

D: CAN YOU?

*writer grabs hair*

W: Didn't I have an AWESOME idea last night? One that magically made you come together, Draft? Didn't I? WHY DON'T I REMEMBER IT?

*writer knocks brain against surfaces*

W: I have to write an outline, don't I?

*writer takes chocolate break*

W: You look so pretty, Draft. Did you do something with your hair this morning?

*draft stares*

W: What? Flattery WON'T get you to write yourself?

*writer sips tea* *reads book* *darts glances at Haughty Draft*

W: I am writing the CRAP out of you, Outline. You will BOW to me.

*maniacal tapping sounds*

*outline cowers* *mutters*

W: I'M not a Crazy Writer. YOU are.

*writer sips* *hits keys* *uses many Kanye caps*

W: Wow, Outline. You were so effortless. Why didn't I do this earlier?

*outline stares*

W: You're bullet-pointed, Outline. I'll come back to you tomorrow.

*writer stares* *sips*

W: I have to write you out NOW, don't I?

Repeat 'til finished.

there's no place like a non-static setting

Something to be conscious of while writing: setting is more than where a story is set.

The arc of any good story is intertwined with its setting. In fantasy, setting is like another character. It should grow and change and adapt just like the people-shaped characters. Even contemporary stories make use of adaptable setting; it can be as simple as the main character developing new views on their unfamiliar location and its traditions.

(A much more informative post on the most important elements of setting can be found here! Read it!)

Examples:
For Harry Potter, at first Hogwarts and the wizarding world (which has its own set of rules and customs) is strange and unknown, but it quickly becomes his home.
In Anna & the French Kiss, Anna grew into Paris as the story progressed, and she might just have fallen in love with the city a little, too.
As Katniss & Peeta work their way around the country on their Hunger Games victory tour, the secret revolution in the Districts becomes even more turbulent.

So what do you think? Is it ever okay for the setting of a story to remain static?

Okay. Now I’m off to make my fantastical setting even more menacing and moody!

mid-manuscript crisis

I've been tripping over agent submission guidelines and Twitter-Agent discussions lately that say "No more mythology" or "Mythology is WAY PAST done."

This makes me go: :O

Mythology is the basis of my WIP. I haven't read anything YA mirroring my exact premise (or even comprising characters with the same Creature Affiliations), but still. Agents may have. That's worrying. But it's also a great push. I can just go at my word document and my outlines and FINISH the story! The sooner it's finished, the sooner I can make it shiny.

I'm thinking as long as the story grabs the reader, it doesn't matter so much if it's a "trend" topic. But that opens up a whole new set of questions. Which I won't go into, because of that "oh my gosh kafjkblnfjlzx ralxdnjda" face.

Does anyone else have trouble with trends? Do you write what your brain feels the need to write even if the market is saturated with efforts on similar topics? Or do you scrap it or set it aside and write something that you haven't yet heard of? Like, I don't know, Centaur Nymph Ninja Princesses who skip off to save the Loch Ness Satyr Prince from, um. . . Has that been written? Has everything been written? What hasn't been written??

Yep. Did I mention I'm having a mid-manuscript crisis? :)

well hello, antagonism

One thing I’ve finally realized: I must stay far away from my sub-genre during the frustrating middle of drafting.

I LOVE paranormal/fantastical YA, but when I’m writing it, I can’t read it. Even if the book being read would be perfectly fine any other time, I feel the urge to edit the plot or the prose or the voice in the context of MY main character’s world. I’m completely antagonistic toward the story, and this doesn't exactly make for fun reading. Is this just me, or is this a normal writerly happening?

Now back to reading and writing! Oh, and tea-drinking. Can't forget all that tea.