EVERY NOTE PLAYED: Chapter Outline
I outline my books AFTER I’ve completed the entire first draft. Is that weird? I begin writing most of my chapters with a question: What happens next? The answer is almost always some version of: I have no idea! Don’t freak out! Stay in the seat and find it!
I begin every book with a set of characters and a neurological crisis. And then I follow what happens to them. This process requires that I stay extremely present, that I open myself to all the sensory and emotional moment-to-moment details, that I inhabit the characters and their stories as they develop, unfold, and change. While writing without an outline can be terrifying, it’s also exciting and at times, it allows for genuine surprise. I ended chapter 23 by writing something that completely shocked me. I literally didn’t see what I wrote coming. I remember looking up from my laptop and saying to my boyfriend, “Oh my God! I can’t believe that just happened!�
So why bother with the outline when I’m already “done?� I outline my books after the first draft so I can see on one page what I’ve got. I can get a snapshot of the pacing, see what’s missing, imagine the graph of each character’s arc. After creating the outline for EVERY NOTE PLAYED, I added three chapters in Karina’s POV—chapters 5, 17, and 20—to give her character and story more depth and weight. The chapter outline by month reveals the pacing and how time seems to slow as this disease progresses. I love that the book begins with Richard and ends with Karina.
Prologue: Richard, 'Miami', June
Chapter 1: Karina, 'Fate', June
Chapter 2: Richard, 'How Many Miles?', June
Chapter 3: Karina, 'This One Smells Like Cherries,' July
Chapter 4: Richard, 'Right Hand Gone,' August
Chapter 5: Karina, 'Family Weekend,' September
Chapter 6: Richard, 'Ravel's Left Handed Concerto,' September
Chapter 7: Richard, 'This is Care,' September
Chapter 8: Karina, 'Walk with Elise,' November
Chapter 9: Karina, 'Lion's Den,' November
Chapter 10: Richard, 'Alone,' December
Chapter 11: Richard, 'God Bless Bill,' December
Chapter 12: Richard, 'Walk in the Park,' December
Chapter 13: Karina, 'Shit Happens,' December
Chapter 14: Richard, 'Why?' December
Chapter 15: Richard, 'Wigilia,' December
Chapter 16: Richard, 'Feeding Tube,' January
Chapter 17: Richard, 'Girlfriend,' January
Chapter 18: Karina, 'Walk with Elise,' January
Chapter 19: Karina, 'Uncaring Caregiver,' January
Chapter 20: Karina, 'I Dream of Murder,' January
Chapter 21: Richard, 'He Picked Piano,' January
Chapter 22: Richard, 'Dr. George,' January
Chapter 23: Richard, 'Dear Dad,' February
Chapter 24: Richard, 'The Brothers,' February
Chapter 25: Richard, 'The Fall,' March
Chapter 26: Karina, 'NOLA,' March
Chapter 27: Richard, 'Wheelchair,' March
Chapter 28: Richard, 'Wanting,' March
Chapter 29: Richard, 'BREATHE,' April
Chapter 30: Richard, 'ICU,' April
Chapter 31: Karina, 'HOME,' April
Chapter 32: Richard, 'Final Notes,' April
Chapter 33: Karina, 'Gone,' April
Epilogue: Karina, 'Free', April
I begin every book with a set of characters and a neurological crisis. And then I follow what happens to them. This process requires that I stay extremely present, that I open myself to all the sensory and emotional moment-to-moment details, that I inhabit the characters and their stories as they develop, unfold, and change. While writing without an outline can be terrifying, it’s also exciting and at times, it allows for genuine surprise. I ended chapter 23 by writing something that completely shocked me. I literally didn’t see what I wrote coming. I remember looking up from my laptop and saying to my boyfriend, “Oh my God! I can’t believe that just happened!�
So why bother with the outline when I’m already “done?� I outline my books after the first draft so I can see on one page what I’ve got. I can get a snapshot of the pacing, see what’s missing, imagine the graph of each character’s arc. After creating the outline for EVERY NOTE PLAYED, I added three chapters in Karina’s POV—chapters 5, 17, and 20—to give her character and story more depth and weight. The chapter outline by month reveals the pacing and how time seems to slow as this disease progresses. I love that the book begins with Richard and ends with Karina.
Prologue: Richard, 'Miami', June
Chapter 1: Karina, 'Fate', June
Chapter 2: Richard, 'How Many Miles?', June
Chapter 3: Karina, 'This One Smells Like Cherries,' July
Chapter 4: Richard, 'Right Hand Gone,' August
Chapter 5: Karina, 'Family Weekend,' September
Chapter 6: Richard, 'Ravel's Left Handed Concerto,' September
Chapter 7: Richard, 'This is Care,' September
Chapter 8: Karina, 'Walk with Elise,' November
Chapter 9: Karina, 'Lion's Den,' November
Chapter 10: Richard, 'Alone,' December
Chapter 11: Richard, 'God Bless Bill,' December
Chapter 12: Richard, 'Walk in the Park,' December
Chapter 13: Karina, 'Shit Happens,' December
Chapter 14: Richard, 'Why?' December
Chapter 15: Richard, 'Wigilia,' December
Chapter 16: Richard, 'Feeding Tube,' January
Chapter 17: Richard, 'Girlfriend,' January
Chapter 18: Karina, 'Walk with Elise,' January
Chapter 19: Karina, 'Uncaring Caregiver,' January
Chapter 20: Karina, 'I Dream of Murder,' January
Chapter 21: Richard, 'He Picked Piano,' January
Chapter 22: Richard, 'Dr. George,' January
Chapter 23: Richard, 'Dear Dad,' February
Chapter 24: Richard, 'The Brothers,' February
Chapter 25: Richard, 'The Fall,' March
Chapter 26: Karina, 'NOLA,' March
Chapter 27: Richard, 'Wheelchair,' March
Chapter 28: Richard, 'Wanting,' March
Chapter 29: Richard, 'BREATHE,' April
Chapter 30: Richard, 'ICU,' April
Chapter 31: Karina, 'HOME,' April
Chapter 32: Richard, 'Final Notes,' April
Chapter 33: Karina, 'Gone,' April
Epilogue: Karina, 'Free', April
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message 1:
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Fay
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Feb 14, 2018 08:50PM
I need to share your process of writing with my grandson, a freshman at the U of MN. He loves to write and will sit and write when he has time. This interest started back in elementary school with a very supportive teacher. He writes longhand in a notebook and when he was younger, I typed a couple of his stories and bound them for him. I have no doubt that he'd benefit from reading your approach to the task. He read a book by Stephen King on writing and my guess is he'd benefit from considering several approaches until he finds what is most comfortable for him. -- I'm really anxious for your latest book!!!
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Fay wrote: "I need to share your process of writing with my grandson, a freshman at the U of MN. He loves to write and will sit and write when he has time. This interest started back in elementary school with ..."Stephen King’s On Writing is phenomenal and definitely my favorite. Tell him I also recommend Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones, Ann Lamott’s Bird by Bird, and Julia Cameron’s The Sound of Paper (and The Artist’s Way!).
Best of luck to him, and I hope you love Every Note Played!
Lisa
Lisa and Fay,I teach middle school language and and literacy, and often use excepts from Lisa’s books as “mentor text,� with a short read-aloud or example of simile, metaphor, personification, et.al. Your word usage is nothing shy of amazing, Lisa, and your readers/listeners are “right there� with your stories. Connections are made, characters develop, and the appreciation is inspiring.
Share away, Fay!! Let’s show young writers how it’s done 😉💗!
Can’t wait for your book, Lisa!!
