Singing the Non-Fiction Outline Blues

Ba dum dee dum. I gots outlines on the brain. Dah dum dum dee dum. They makin’ me cray-zay! Ba dum dee dum. ‘Cause getting me or-ganized is the only waaaaaaaaaay I’ll move on this book. Whoa-oh. Whoa.

Oh yeaaaahhhhhhhh.

Anyhoo, it’s Wednesday and that means it’s time for me to wonder where the heck Monday and Tuesday went. Also: to admire said Angry Birds formal gown. Recently pored through an article written by Quentin Rowan, the “fake” spy novelist, that talks about how plagiarists are insecure and that’s the reason why they do what they do.

Also: I popped by Do Some Damage today, writing about Investigating a Decent Price for eBooks.

Today’s post shall be a little more random and less coherent in favor of outline for [redacted] and submitting THREE WHOLE REVISED CHAPTERS for [redacted]. I require outlines for non-fiction (I include game material in this camp, not because game material isn’t fictional, but because I consider it to be reference material and is of the same ilk) moreso than fiction. A story I get a draft and I beat it to death revise it. Revising a story is fun, because I hear it in my head. Sometimes the draft is cloudy and the voice is telling me one thing, but the story (or the guidelines) another. Other times? It’s as clear as a bell.

Non-fiction is like the black pit of despair. If I’m not careful, I could go on and on and on and on without even realizing it. Right now, I make sense to me, but put that on paper? At least in a story my characters have some amount of sanity. Well, most of the time. Sometimes I write really weird shit stories that *direct quote* are “too weird for Weird Tales.” That last bit was meant to be funny, by the way.

Anyhoo. I’m off to wrangle my lines of thinking to ensure they’re pieced together appropriately like little tin men. Using this week to catch up so I can finish [redacted], [redacted], and a new outline for [redacted] which are all being written on spec. Guaranteed paid work supercedes spec work every time.

    Mood: Stupid Silly Crazy Batshit
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Many.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: I thought about it.
    Word Count Logged Yesterday (not including day job): 3,165
    In My Ears: My kitty eating bubble wrap *seriously*
    Game Last Played: Picross 3D for Nintendo DS
    Movie Last Viewed: Harry Potter on Blu-Ray
    Book Last Read: Dark Faith anthology
    Latest Artistic Project: Byzantium chainmail bracelet with pink/iris green/black rings
    Upcoming Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem



Monica Valentinelli is an author, artist, and narrative designer who writes about magic, mystery, and mayhem. Her portfolio includes stories, games, comics, essays, and pop culture books.

In addition to her own worlds, she has worked on a number of different properties including Vampire: the Masquerade, Shadowrun, Hunter: the Vigil, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, and Robert E. Howard’s Conan.

Looking for Monica’s books and games that are still in print? Visit Monica Valentinelli on Amazon’s Author Central or a bookstore near you.

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