To map or not to map?

I find myself at a dilema often times with my books.  Do I need a road map of the story, or wing it?  I find positives and negatives with both options.

Having a road map can come in very helpful when ensuring your story is going exactly where you want it.  It can especially help when you want to put in foreshadowing of future events or you need the story to be a puzzle that comes together at just the right time.

Additionally, having a road map can keep you going in the right direction.  It also provides a way of keeping you motivated.  When you have a list of chapters, you can check them off as you go.  It's a great way to show you're progressing.

On the flip side, I sometimes feel limited by the road map idea.  The creative juices can be stifled when you force yourself in a specific direction.  There's also the possibility of turning your story into something greater, perhaps a novella has the potential to be a novel, or even a series of novels, but you set your sights on completing your road map, and when that's done, you're done.

I can only suggest trying each way to see which works best for you.  Keep in mind you can start without a road map and build one as you go.  Perhaps you write for a while, and when you need to find focus, or if you complete the story but want to fine tune it, build your road map and perfect your idea.  No matter which way you decide to go, as any writer will tell you, the only important thing is to ALWAYS KEEP WRITING!

Write on, my friends, write on.  And if anyone has any input or feedback, please chime in.

The Werewolf Story progresses

I've run freely with this story for about as long as I can.  Thirteen chapters in, nearly 20k words, and still a number of ideas for future chapters, but the book is lacking in overall purpose I'm afraid.

There are a couple of ideas I've tossed around for the overall arc, but neither has the "bite" I need.  A stronger story is necessary, and so now a road map may be necessary as well.  Regardless, it's time for more action to go with the passion.

Herculean

Herculean is intended to be a modern sort of Hercules tale, about a hitman who faces versions of the labours to escape his life and be with the woman he loves.

I started working on this earlier this year, but again, it was one that I wasn't feeling it flow.  I went ahead and plotted out all the chapters so I wouldn't forget what I was thinking, but I'm not sure about it.  I may need to break it down into section and try to plot it out from there.

When I plotted the chapters, I saw it sort of like a television show, with each chapter or two being an episode.  That may be the problem, or I may just need a fresh look at it.  With other projects screaming louder, this one is probably on the backburner for a bit.

A werewolf tale

Rachel is a paramedic, pretty and friendly, who has a basic, boring life.  That is, until she gets snatched and forced to treat a man with serious, unusual injuries.  Her life may hang in the balance, so she must be careful and hope he pulls through.

David is a handsome man, and he owes a debt to the woman who saves him.  Beyond that, he finds a connection with her, and welcomes her into their community.  He may have found love with an outsider,  but will his affections be returned?

Kyra is trapped.  Her husband is falling for another woman.  To complicate things further, she may be falling for the same woman as her husband.

The community holds secrets, including one that may challenge Rachel to the extreme.  Surviving within this community is more than a matter of following the rules, it must rely on accepting the unbelievable.  And where the hell did all the wolves come from?

Update - Current Projects

I reached the 15k minimum I was hoping for.  Yeah me!  Not ideal, but I was able to get on a little bit of a roll and make progress.  10k of that is the new untitled werewolf story.  That one is over 17k total with what I had previously written.

The other 5k is from Always.  I still haven't really gotten on a roll with that one.  I think I need to plot it out and see where it goes.  Then I'll either get excited and start going, or I'll be unsatisfied and drop it for now (again).  I've only been trying to figure this one out for about 5 years now.

Meanwhile, I continue trying to get my ducks in a row for a couple other projects.  One involves time travel, and the other involves a girl whose touch causes excessive aging.

Progress

I've started to make some headway with my untitled Werewolf story, so I'm hoping to jump start my word count, and hit 15k+ before month's end.  My other story, Always, has slowed to a halt now.  But this is exactly why I usually write more than one at a time.

Camp NaNoWriMo

So, yeah, I won't be reaching my goal.  Not even close.  Ah, well, nobody's perfect.  Regular NaNoWriMo is in October or November, I think.  I plan to have a story plotted out and ready to go for that one, instead of just diving in like I did this time.

For anyone still pushing to meet their goal, I wish you luck, and if there's anything I can do to help you with your goal, let me know!