The McKenna Way

I have a (usually awful) tendency to try things "The McKenna Way" even when I know there's an established way to do them. More often than not this results in me either having to go back and start from scratch or changing so much of my work that it becomes so convoluted that I may as well have just started from scratch.  Now in some cases, I was unaware of previously established guidelines. In others, I'm convinced my way will work better (and I am, in fact, often correct in this assessment). 

And sometimes it doesn't occur to me that guidelines can be transferred from the realm of essays and technical writing to that of fiction writing. (Very inside the box thinking and decidedly un-Ravenclaw of me, I know. I'm ashamed.)

Both established guidelines and "The McKenna Way" agree that when setting out to write an essay, an outline is absolutely essential. It helps set the framework for the paper and provides an easy reference point when you get stuck. It also provides you with a clear end goal. And let's face it, an outline is a list, and what makes you feel more accomplished than a list? Even if you aren't a perpetual planner like me, checking something off of a list feels pretty darn good.

So why, as I was toiling away, trying to breathe life into this manuscript of mine, did it never occur to me to write down a sequential plot line? I will never know. I suppose I was trying "The McKenna 2.0 Way" instead of the established/McKenna Way. 

Note to self: Writing is writing. Whether the words form a story, a lesson, or make a point, the same, practiced setup will produce the most effective spike. Any volleyball players? No? Ok. Nvm.

This brings me to some exciting news. Exciting for me anyway. I just created and finished the outline of a story I've had bouncing around my head for over a year. From here on in it shall be referred to as TMND. (No, this is not a story about Teenage Mutant Ninja Dolphins. Or Dumbo/Dogs/Deer or anything else stealthy and mutated.)

I had convinced myself that I couldn't write this particular story as a book since I so clearly saw it as a movie. Full casting and everything! I had read some awesome advice from a variety of sources (Veronica Roth included) and decided that since I love planning and creating outlines, it couldn't hurt to make an outline for this story. I had already written a few "scenes" (novel form, not screenplay form) but I was having so much trouble with their ordering...and bouncing around a story that is supposed to be sequential is just extremely frustrating. For me, frustration leads to anxiety and anxiety leads to writer's block, so this was obviously a work-in-frustratingly-slow-progress.

So I sat down at about 10:30pm to embark on an outline. There were a few gaps in which internet research was conducted (for historical accuracy purposes, no Tumblr, I promise) and it was finished by 11:20pm or so. That's right. It was done. The entire thing. Not just a few plot points and general sense of where it would go, but the WHOLE. THING. In quite a bit of detail. Minor scenes included.

And holy crap! Just...ba-BAM. It feels like I've finished the actual novel, that's how amazingly fulfilling this feels. Naturally, I know there's still a lot of work ahead of me. Yet, such a weight has been lifted...I feel as if I'm expelling a breath I hadn't even realized I had been holding.

I cannot wait to actually write this story and see it come together as a full manuscript. I really feel like I have such an amazing story to share. Like it's someone's true story finally seeing the light of day. Which is ironic given the content of the story. ;) 

I look forward to sharing the rest of this journey with you! Here's to TMND!