Power Plotting

I have the capacity to get into a project, like my novel, and feel this urgency to finish, finish, finish!! But, it's like my daughter playing soccer -- sometimes she is running so fast that, when she gets to the goal, she has blown right past it before she can slow down, refocus, and bomb her power kick into the goal. (She's beautiful to watch though.)

Yesterday I was talking to my writer friend Shelli, who I will be excited to see in Atlanta this weekend! She said that she wrote her first novel using the non-linear method in which I am currently working. However, it caused some problems with her plot. She just finished writing her second YA and found that it worked best to outline the whole book repeatedly, and keep this outline open as she wrote. She worked on the novel, and the outline simultaneously. She explains her process much better HERE. And trust me, it is worth reading, printing and possibly tatooing.

Our conversation made me stop my mad dash to the finish line, and re-examine my plot structure. Like I said before, I have all of the major plot points in place, and am now trying to fill in the empty spaces in between. So I have decided to do "The Shelli." But before I do THAT, I am going to print THIS, which was gifted to me by Mermaid Robin and is a fantastic outlining and plotting tool (also found in Our Favorite Places). 'Cuz what's the point in being the first one to get to the end of the field if you miss the power kick into the goal?