Organizational Challenges

Where have I been? Well, that's a valid question.

I've been mucking about with this revision of Cold Blooded for… quite some time, with very little progress. Well, little visible progress.

I have a plot outline… outline. Or a template or whatever. I got it from Helping Writers Become Authors. It has all the plot points and everything, and where each major event is supposed to happen. Okay. Super. I have some of my plot points, from my rough draft, stuck in there, where they feel like they should logically go.

But then I have all these other things, and I have no idea where they fit. 

I have several plots running concurrently through this thing. It's a murder mystery, but it's also a sort of workplace comedy. So on one hand, you've got a serial killer running around, slicing up co-eds, attracting the wrong kind of attention. But on the other, you’ve got a bunch of vampires selling ice cream.

The murder plot points are easier to fit into the outline, because the outline basically follows the evolution of the conflict, and death and mayhem are very conflict-laden. The elements of the vampire/ice cream story is harder to fit in. I have these various events that take place there, and I keep thinking of new ones, and I'm not sure what to do with them. There are also other scenes, in which my main character interacts with human friends and associates, in an effort to be more normal.

I have several subplots, is what I'm saying. I also have dueling antagonists, which is not making my life any easier.

Now, I haven't had much time to really sit down and work on any of these things. I have been trying to do some home organization, in order to give myself a proper writing space. It's a much lengthier process than I imagined. But I've got it in my head that if I can have a writing room, all my problems will be solved, and I'll be able to write and work this all out, no problem. Realistically, that's pretty unlikely, but maybe it will help clear my mind, at least. Maybe if I can organize my exterior, I'll be able to organize my interior as well.  

I'll see you… next week? Maybe?