Thursday, January 7, 2010

I hereby summon the idea whore!

So we've got this idea whore file that's filled with (as you might have already guessed) ideas. Some of the ideas are fully fleshed out books and others are just little snippets like "ski trip." I mean aren't ski trips a universally good idea for young adult books? Yeah, I thought so.

As some of you might know The Haunting of Pemberly Brown is meant to be the first book in the series and as it turns out it's kind of helpful to have the second book in the series mapped out while you're editing the first book. Who knew? Believe it or not, we had a really great outline for the second book that we wrote back in June. The problem is that the first book has changed since then. It's changed a lot. So, the old outline? Meh.

And now comes the time where we must take our original craptastic outline and dig through the idea whore file and come up with an amazing Book 2.

Wish me luck friends because I'm going in...

50 comments:

Kimberly Franklin said...

I need to get me one of those files. It might just make my work a lot easier.

You can find those at Target,right?

Good luck guys!

Ian said...

Yup, Target, aisle 15. Good luck!

Sara {Rhapsody and Chaos} said...

I love the idea whore file idea :-) My ideas are jotted down in random composition books throughout the house, haha. Oh and in notebooks... And on loose paper stuck in the pockets of jeans that I haven't washed in years... okay that last one's not exactly true.

Sara {Rhapsody and Chaos} said...

Oh! And good luck :-)

Alissa Grosso said...

Good luck! I love going through my old ideas, it's re-inspiring.

storyqueen said...

Take your whip! I'd loan you mine, but it fell off of my Indiana Jones Mr. Potato Head and I'm not sure where it is right now.

Good Luck!

Corey Schwartz said...

Oh, good luck. And if the idea whore happens to come up with a PB idea, send it my way!

Unknown said...

Have fun! I bet you have some gems in there.

The idea file is the bane of my existence (I think I've commented that different things are the bane of my existence on seven blogs this week). I write everything down, but if I come up with an idea that might actually have legs, I can't focus on anything else (including WIP) until I've fleshed it out a bit.

Why, yes! That is a recipe for not finishing anything.

Little Ms J said...

Good luck... although I doubt you need it!

Unknown said...

What a great idea! A file for ideas! Good luck, ladies!

Anonymous said...

If you're ever stuck for ideas, you could always ask me, the Idea Gigolo. For example, your series could be all, like, color-themed, right? You could have The Haunting of Waverly Green, The Haunting of Everlee Black, The Haunting of Virulent Purple, and, to mix it up a bit, The Haunting of Bob.

You're welcome.

(P.S. Good luck, ladies!)

Katie Anderson said...

Good Luck! Good Luck! Good Luck!!!!

At least you have a file. I've got no such file :-(

Jill Kemerer said...

Good luck! I'll bet your outline will come together easily. If not, maybe take a little ski trip for motivation? :)

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

you can do it! you always do! See you on the other side.

Kristi Faith said...

Be sure to come up for air on occasion. :0) Best wishes!

Kelsey (Dominique) Ridge said...

That sounds like a very interesting file.

Melissa (i swim for oceans) said...

Good luck! I tend to call my idea file "the void," simply because I get lost in there ;)

Christina Lee said...

I doubt you creative gals will need it-- but good luck!!! you can do it!!!
oh, BTW, I'll email you about the book-signing --I think I'll meet you there--fun!

Carolyn V. said...

Hee hee! I love the idea whore! I totally need to make a file like that. =)

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Good luck. Great luck. Monster-sized, uber luck!

Can I borrow the idea whore when you're done with it?! :)

Tamika: said...

You will nail it, I'm sure! You ladies have a real gift.

Keep us posted as much as you can with how it goes! I love hearing anything behind the scenes!

Patti said...

Good luck and that's good to know not to spend a ton of time on mapping out the next books, because invariably the first one will change.

Dara said...

Have fun and good luck! I think coming up with the outline and idea for the book is the best part :)

Frankie Diane Mallis said...

You can do it!!! But if you get lost in there and don't return, just send up the smoke signals--play Bravo at full volume--and I promise I will hear it from Philadelphia and come save you!

Kristen Torres-Toro said...

Good luck! Good thing you have that file!

Unknown said...

Good luck girls! That's exciting you're working on the sequel.

Ideas come from such funny places sometimes. Someone stepped on my foot on a plane the other day, and it gave me a book idea. Weird!

Stephanie Thornton said...

Writing a series boggles my mind. There's so many layers- I'd be afraid of forgetting something.

Good luck!

(I keep an idea file too. Some of them are pretty squirrelly, but that's ok, right?)

Elana Johnson said...

Wow, you have a file? I'm impressed. I keep mine filed away in my head. No wonder I can't ever think of anything to write about!

Good luck in there!

Tere Kirkland said...

Dig deep, darlings!

You'll find something. I have faith!

Eva said...

Good luck with the new writing! It sounds fun!

Mariah Irvin said...

*Encouragement*

I had a ski trip in my last book. It didn't go over very well!

Heather said...

I have the opposite problem for my second book - too many directions to go in, none of them particularly good. And my idea whore notebook doesn't have any ideas that really apply to my MC's particular situation.

Good luck!

Tana said...

I have an idea whore file too. Pus I like to add to it to make me crazy. Good luck to you!

Kristy said...

Good luck! It's so hard to plan a series, but the idea file is an excellent resource.

Kristy said...

P.S. Can't wait to read your book!

Rebecca Knight said...

I love the Idea Whore file :D! GOOD LUUUUUUCK! We're all super excited to hear about book numero dos.

I used to do the scraps o' paper in the jeans system, but recently switched to an email account just for idea storage! Whenever I have an idea, I email beccaswritingideas, and booyah--saved forever, and no risk of it going through the wash :).

Brigitte said...

i admire that you can sort out your ideas in a more organized way i ever did. XD
i'm horribly scatterbrained and need someone to give me a the right shoes before i can keep walking.
otherwise, it's just idea-vomiting everywhere. just plain chaos!
i need a lifetime supply of post-its to get them fixed on something. haha!

ps: you can start following me on looking-glass-fables.blogspot.com.

wordpress went all weird on me.

Conda Douglas said...

Ah, the difficulties of what you outline and what you write...oodles of luck!

Kim said...

Having a whole file of ideas sounds incredibly organized. I'm a Post-It then Lose-It Note girl, myself.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll strike gold.

Shannon Messenger said...

Eeesh--outlining. Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaah-good luck with that! (I think I'd rather get a root canal than outline). But I'm VERY impressed with your idea whore file. Mine is in a series of journals scattered throughout the house. One single, electronic location seems like a MUCH better way to go. :)

erica m. chapman said...

Good Luck! I'm sure it won't be a problem for you guys :o)

Ski Trip - yeah, chaos does ensue in the cold temps... Would love to read that one :o)

Jade said...

Ah, the old whore file. Mine sits next to my crap file, filled with crap, half-finished epic fantasy from the time when I thought I was going to be the next Tolkien. So glad I switched to YA.

Good Luck!

K. M. Walton said...

I have a file too but I don't have a witty name. I just call it an idea file. Boring.

I need a witty name for my file too.

Yeah, I'm at a loss.

Jemi Fraser said...

Good luck! It's hard when your plan goes sideways, but I know you'll find your way :) Have fun!

Kimberley Griffiths Little said...

Oh, you GIRLS!!! Too funny. But I know you'll come up with a great new premise for book #2!

Artemis Grey said...

Hahaha! If I had a nickel for every scrap of an idea that I had stashed somewhere, I could just afford to publish myself! As for changing the outline of your second book... I've been there ladies... and it's messy... but also fun... in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre sort of way... :)

Sarah Wylie said...

Good luck! Book 2 is going to be brilliant.

kah said...

I like Simons gigolo ideas! Looks like magic might happen when the whore and gigolo collide. :)
Good luck to you gals.
My blog

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Did you get your shots first? Or at least use those doctor gloves, because you know some of those ideas have got chummy after getting tossed together that way. Just saying.

Bethany Wiggins said...

Two heads are better than one, right? You ladies will write an amazing part two! I can sense it.

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