One thing I'm finding very difficult as a writer is putting my plots on paper. I tried in the past to write from my head. I have the story all figured out, the characters, the beginning, the middle and the end. But my problem has been hundreds or even thousands of words into a story I start to lose where I am. I spend too much time going back and reading what I've written to make sure I didn't forget something or remind myself the direction a sub-plot or character was headed.
I started a novel notebook, as I'm sure many writers have done, to help me keep track of the plot, the characters, the significant things that have happened to characters, and the general direction of the story. This is really helping me stay on task and I'm not having to refer back as often as I used too. But writing the plot is still very difficult for me.
The problem I face is, my stories are so detailed in my mind, I struggle to write it down because I end up writing the story and not a plot. For example, I'm pretty far into a novel I've been writing for quiet some time. It has very distinct characters and plot, but in my mind I see this very complex story and I can't seem to get it on paper without wasting a bunch of time. So I keep writing, and getting further into the story, and make mistakes.
What I need to do is write out plots for the five or six other stories I have, get them flushed out, then go back to my current novel and see if I can get the plot and characters on paper. Sometimes I feel like this is a lost cause. Maybe I complicated the story too much.
How detailed do you get with your plots and characters? How do you manage the writing process?
