Plotting

I always plot. Always. I’m too insecure to be a pantser. I don’t trust myself to come up with enough clues, suspects, and plot twists if I don’t plan them ahead. That said, if I think of something better along the way, so much the better.

I got really sick last Wednesday. I can’t remember when I’ve felt so bad, but some good came out of it. I had more dreams than usual, and some of those dreams were about my book. And each time, the dream was better than what I had in my plot points. I think my subconscious was bored with the chapters I was writing and let me know.

Usually, Jazzi learns something new about a case and is anxious to share it with her friend, Detective Gaff. This time, she meets someone she really likes, learns something she wishes she hadn’t, and she doesn’t want to pass along the information. Even if the person is the killer, she doesn’t want him to be caught. It’s a moral dilemma that causes her grief. If she tells Gaff, he and Caden will interrogate the person, and everyone will know she’s the one who tattled on him. If he really did it, he’ll go to prison, and it will be her fault. Well, not really. But she feels that way. And she’ll make enemies, probably for life.

I’ve never put her in that position before, and as I wrote her into the corner, I felt sorry for what I was doing. But boy, did it add some tension. Usually, she’s digging for clues. This time, she wants to bury one of them. A nice twist from the usual. Now, I have to come up with a great last quarter to the book. Wish me luck!