Here we are, week two of the April Challenge to use the Writing & Selling Your Mystery Novel book to create an in-depth and complete blueprint to write my own mystery novel.

Maybe you can tell by the post title that it could be going better, but then I could also stop being so hard on myself when I still have three weeks to go.

The steps and information that author Hallie Ephron recommends that you already have decided and at your fingertips about your characters, setting, and the mystery itself before actually writing the story are awesome. It makes sense to have such a complete understanding of this world that is being created.

Getting myself to actually figure this stuff out ahead of time is making my brain hurt because it’s not what I’m used to.

I’ve written novel-length stories before, and many times I discover things about my characters as I go, things that, according to this blueprint, I should already have figured out. I don’t disagree with that, but apparently my writing brain is so used to winging it that actually having more than a bare bones outline is overwhelming.

But it would solve so many problems that always come up for me later on.

I don’t know how many times I have caught a continuity problem, or my characters acting totally out of character on a re-read and been like, “Did I write this in my sleep?”

I should have been keeping track of these things, writing it down somewhere on a character worksheet, but I didn’t. I’m sure I’m not the only one who just writes and whatever happens, happens. But I think I can do better than that if I could just change my writing habits. Or maybe actually create useful ones?

Lately though, I’m going in circles.

I sit down to write and many times end up reading instead.

I sit down to read and think about how I should be writing and end up re-reading pages because I’m distracted.

I grab a notebook and then stare at it until I end up writing out a “things to remember” list for work.

Then I get frustrated and go watch television.

Since my biggest hurdle right now is figuring out the details for the characters, I think I will jump around and see if I know more about the setting and untangle my ideas for the mystery itself. 

Nobody said that I have to follow the steps in order.

I find it funny that I am having such a problem with this because I am a planner in most things. I plan to make sure I can deal with situations. I like plans for when I can’t deal. I do a task at work and then write out the steps for it so that the next time I am ready. 

Why I am not being as thorough in my writing is a little weird.

So let’s see if I can change that.