As best-selling author James Patterson begins a novel, he likes to outline his entire book first, from beginning to end, then fill out the details of the story. I can see where that would be excellent in following the plan, sticking to the path, but I cannot work that way. When I began Lion’s Gate, irrespective of the fact that it once was only Part II in a three-part novel, I really had no idea how it would end or how I my characters would get out of the traps I laid. All along the way, I was constantly surprised as I turned corners and went down blind alleys, only to be thrilled at the myriad elements that came into play to solve problems. In fact, on the very last day, a few hours before I wrote THE END, I didn’t know where my characters had to go in order to accomplish one last task, but it had been staring at me all the time by virtue of who one of the key players was. Once that all came together, it was a thunderous AHA! moment, causing what Phil Cousineau says is “horripilation”—the hair on my neck and arms standing straight up. For me, THAT’S the magic in writing.
To keep track of where I was from chapter to chapter, I stuck Post-its on the wall, allowing me to see at a glance who was doing what, when, and where. And a few times, I had to rearrange the chapter order because of certain elements that crept into the story, either earlier or later on, and with some tweaks, both major and minor, I was again on my way.
I got the idea from Igor Stravinsky, who had a round studio in his house on Waverly Drive when he lived in Beverly Hills. He tacked score pages to the walls, all around the room, so that he could sit in the middle on a swivel stool and scan through the entire piece.