Outline, schmoutline!

By Marie Beau (Guest Blogger)

Outline, schmoutline!

I can’t do it. I just can’t. I cannot sit down, write an outline, plot where my story will go, and then sit down and write it. I just can’t do it. That’s the perfect recipe for writer’s block for me. All I know, and all I need to know is where to start, where they’re going (cause it’s never about me – the inmates in my head definitely run the asylum), and where it will all end. That’s as much detail as I need.

I think everyone has heard tales about how a story just grabs an author and won’t let go until they’re done writing it. I must admit, that’s how it happens sometimes. The story just rolls around in my head and keeps growing until I write it down.

But then there are times when the story just hovers, as if waiting for something to happen. That usually means I don’t know my characters well enough to know what they’ll do next. What do I mean by that? Well, it might come as a surprise to you, but when you read the blurb about one of my stories, you very possibly know more than I did when I started to write it. I’ve been known to laugh out loud or cry when my characters reveal something that I had no idea was coming.

Take, for example, this story that I have coming out on October 1^st, Wolf! This is what I knew when I started writing:

Lyssa Merrick has no intention of ever being involved with a wolf, but when Wolfe Reardon seeks her wildlife services she realizes choosing a mate is not always a conscious decision.

You see, Lyssa is a lynx, but she grew up in a pack of wolves and well, after certain things happened to her she swore that she would never be a part of pack life again. Wolfe on the other hand is pretty darn sure of himself (typical alpha). The chase is definitely on from the first time they meet. Here’s a sneak peek.

She was temptation incarnate. Wolfe wanted to let his fingers linger in her short, white-blonde hair. Her pixie face and bright hazel eyes were enough to bring any hot-blooded man back for a second look…or more. The intelligence behind the eyes, the self-contained responses made him want to dig deeper, get to know her—on every level. It was all he could do not to lift her over the counter and take advantage of the smell of arousal emanating from her body. But her look was anything but inviting. His fingers clutched the hand he was holding a little tighter, well aware of her resistance. Her sigh was his undoing. He reached behind her neck, his fingers luxuriating in the soft fur at her nape. He needed to taste her lips and take just a lick of her neck, maybe a nibble, mark her as his.

Wolfe leaned forward, tugging gently for her to meet him partway, and suddenly he was holding…air.

Silver-white fur glimmered and he caught a glimpse of her twitching whiskers and pointed ears as she swiveled and raced to the back. Her transformation was beautiful. A lynx. A soft, furry, intoxicating cat.

A smile spread across his face as he shifted and took chase, his nails clicking on the hardwood floor while her padded paws were silent. His size was no advantage in these close quarters.

He slid toward the doorway, his paws backpedaling, trying to slow his momentum. He crashed into a chair in the corner before tangling in the curtain in the doorway. Picking himself up, he gathered speed and skittered into the back room just in time to see her short tail disappear through the pet door.

Pouncing forward once again, his nails scraped on the floor as he skidded to a stop. He tilted his head to study the kitty door. He would never fit. It was a larger size than normal, but definitely not big enough for a full-size wolf. He sniffed at the opening and poked his nose through, wary of getting swiped at by her claws.

Her scent was fading…gone.

Writing is a journey that I very much enjoy and although this is my first published piece there will be plenty more to come (including a sequel to this one). I hope you’ll join me in my travels and let me introduce you to some real characters I’ve met.

Marie Beau

Wolf!

Release date: 10/1/2010

Whispers Publishing

http://www.whispershome.com/

For more about Lyssa and Wolfe, visit me at:

http://www.authormariebeau.blogspot.com/