I know, I know. I’ve often said that I don’t outline my books prior to writing, that it takes too long, that it stifles creativity.

Well, I’ve just gone and made an outline for my work-in-progress. The book is titled While My Sister Sleeps, and it will be published in early 2009. Why have I broken my long-held rule?

First, because this book is complex. I’m working with five different points of view from characters ranging in age from 27 to 55, and their emotions run the gamut from grief to joy, envy to admiration to fear, love to hate. Quite honestly, keeping everything straight is tough. An outline helps with that.

Second, because my life is complex. Business intrudes (like writing this blog!) and distracts me from my novel. Family intrudes. So do friends. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. An outline helps me focus when I return.

And third, because rules are meant to be broken. If my mind wasn’t open to new and different things, I’d be writing the same old book again and again. Same with style. I’ve already talked in earlier blogs about the way I’ve streamlined my prose. Well, the writing process deserves the same fine-tuning. Hey, I’m not saying that I’ll outline every book to come, only that an outline works with this one.

So how did I do it? While My Sister Sleeps takes place in five days. I ran through those five days for each of my major characters, succinctly listing what each would experience on each individual day. Then I cut-and-pasted. Literally. Well, on the computer. You know what I mean. I moved this here, that there. I’ve had to tinker. Timing is crucial when you’re only working with five days. And I’m sure I’ll tinker more as the writing progresses.

A caveat for you would-be writers. I couldn’t have outlined this book three or four months ago. I didn’t know the characters well enough to see where they would head. I’ve actually already written the first hundred pages of the book. But now I’m at the point where the plot thickens, and the number of Post-its on and around my desk have gotten out of control. I’m counting on my outline to restore order. Will I blindly follow this outline? No way! If my characters start doing different things than I’d planned, I’ll adapt. The goal is producing the best possible book. My characters and I agree on that.

While My Sister Sleeps doesn’t yet have a link on my site. I do have a summary. But I’ll wait for a cover to post it. I don’t envy the Doubleday art department on that one. The cover of The Secret Between Us is spectacular. Making this new one even better will be a challenge.

BTW, check out my GUESTBOOK banner for an update on The Secret Between Us. That spectacular cover is working!