• “The smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance story ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting 'Scrooge McDuck' comics.”—Salon.com
  • A time-hopping, continent-spanning salmagundi of genres.”
    —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
  • “These books have to be word-of-mouth books because they're too weird to describe to anybody.”
    —Jackie Cantor, Diana's first editor

How I Write – Part II – Logistics

HOW I WRITE – Part II

Well, first, a brief digression in re logistics, to answer Midge’s question as to how I handle all the bits and pieces. It’s pretty simple, really, but it works.

Having started writing far back in the mists of time, when DOS-based programs only allowed one to have an eight-character filename (with a three-character extension), all my filenames are in this basic form: [bookname/number][year symbol].[date], wherein the date is the date upon which I began writing whatever file this is. E.g., were I to begin a new scene for AN ECHO IN THE BONE today, the file would be named JAMIE7&.39. (The abbreviation for each OUTLANDER novel is “JAMIE” [g], and ECHO is the 7th book in that series. “&” is the symbol I’ve chosen to represent 2008 (2007 was “@”), and today is March 9. Ergo—JAMIE7&.39.) (This, btw, is how I happen to know that I began to write OUTLANDER on March 6 of 1988; the oldest filename I’ve had is JAMIE!.36. And no, I don’t have this file available anymore; it’s undoubtedly backed up somewhere, but it’s on a 5.25″ floppy disk, which is for all intents and purposes unreadable. It wasn’t a scene that made it into the finished book; just a half-page or so of a young man arguing with his sister while she chopped vegetables—just a place to start, in other words. So I’ve been at this for twenty years—my, time flies when you’re having fun! [g])

OK, so we’ve got filenames. Now, I never leave the computer without backing up what I’m doing to an external medium—these days, that’s usually a USB jump-drive. NEVER. (And I keep whatever word processor I’m using set to do automatic backups every 90 seconds; I hate losing work). But once a week, I set aside an hour or so to do formal housekeeping. This involves:

1. Making a P-file. This is a “printfile”—just a dump of whatever new work I’ve done during the week. No formatting, no nothing—I just pull all new files (or old files that I’ve worked on during the week) into a single file and print it off (with the date at the top) and put this in my hard-copy dump. I’ve luckily needed a hardcopy backup only once or twice in the last twenty years—but nice to know it’s there. Any electronic medium can be corrupted in the blink of an eye and without warning.

2. Updating the MFILE. This is the Master File; I have one for each book (or novella) I’m working on. All this is, is a listing of filenames, with a few keywords following it, which will let me locate a specific file. Here’s a brief sample:

JAMIE#.42 – Death of Simon Fraser (Wheatfield)

JAMIE#A.42 – same as #.42 (compare)

JAMIE7#.413 – Clouds in the water – follows “Laoghaire”

JAMIE7#.414 – fragment at Saratoga – wolves devouring the dead

JAMIE#X.D8 – beer for breakfast

JAMIE7@.410 - Son of a Witch/Sanctuary

JAMIE7@.54 – Simon Fraser’s death – Claire/Dr. Rawlings – Willie’s hat

JAMIE7@.511 – fragment/image – rhythms of sex

JAMIE7A.511 – peelie-wallie, fragment – acupuncture

JAMIE7@.512 – fragment/image – Jem and gem, means of navigation

JAMIE7@.514 – Roger and the chapel (goes w/ @.410)

JAMIE7@.517 – Roger’s faith (goes w/ @.410/@.514)

JAMIE7@.519 – Claire and Dr. Rawlings, injury to hand (Saratoga)

JAMIE7@.524 – fragment – Roger’s faith/father decision (goes w/ @.410)

JAMIE7@.527 – “I’ll just mind it more” fragment

JAMIE7@.528 – numbness – “Bruise me”

JAMIE7@.64 – Lizzie’s Love-Knot (chapter title only)

[“fragment” means it’s not a whole scene, but is a partial scene, or perhaps just a kernel or an image that I wanted to catch, but either didn’t have time to develop, or it just didn’t expand at the time. Additonal letters like “A” or “B” mean it’s the second or third scene that I began on a given day (When I’m really rolling, I often have simultaneous things pop up), whereas an “X” means the scene exists under the original name, but something happened with the computer and it wouldn’t let me save a later version under the same name (Word occasionally corrupts its filenames, or takes exception to the original file having been written in Word Perfect, and won’t let me save unless I rename the file—so I use the original name with the addition of an “X”.).]

That’s about it. You notice that a couple of files in this listing note that they “go with” one or more other files. When stuff starts sticking together—or when I’m on a roll and writing sequentially—I get files that I know are part of the same bigger chunk. Eventually, all the smaller files get attached to one of the filenames, and that grows into a large piece of 10,000 words or more. At that point, it becomes a “chunk” [g], and I’ll likely save it as “CHUNK 2 (rev) – GREAT DISMAL” (for instance). When I have five or six chunks, I can usually arrange them in rough chronological order, and at that point, will probably have a decent idea of the timeline underlying the book. Often—though not always, I’ll also see the “shape” of the book at this point.

I have to go and buy bagels for lunch, so will post this for now. With luck, I’ll be back later tonight to resume—if not, see you tomorrow!

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46 Responses »

  1. I’m glad to hear that there will be some scenes in ECHO from Lord John’s POV [g]. Especially if William is finally going to learn the truth about who his father is; Lord John’s reaction to that will be priceless, I’m sure.

    Karen

  2. Diana, it makes perfect sense. I don’t know why, perhaps b/c I’m an artist. I don’t presume to know what goes on in that brain of yours, highly intelligent as it is. However, for some reason it makes sense that you would see a scene as a photograph, a glimpse. Is this what you mean by Kernel?(am I understanding correctly?) Then, you begin to ask yourself questions about that scene. I am not a writer, really. It makes sense to me that things would pop up and be filed, to later come together as you mull over the story. It seems much less like an overwhelming task, as though the story just comes to you in bits and pieces until the last piece comes and then its done. I am *not* a writer. I do write a journal and somethings on a blog. Descriptions come to me like glimpses and I just write them down. It is as if a great weight is lifted when I do. The same feeling happens when I make something as an artist. (I am a functional artist so, knitting, embroidery, metal smithing, construction but occasionally the mood to paint or photograph strikes me.) Would you consider yourself an artist? I most certainly would. But I mean for more that what you are doing in a certain art form… I mean as a person. If you couldn’t write, (God forbid) would you feel stifled and unproductive only to seek something else out to produce? I can see this written out in Brianna’s character. She is always producing something even if she isn’t painting or drawing. She is making something always, or having an idea of something to create or build.
    I am wondering when you research these personalities, have you talked specifically to doctors to find out what or how Claire would feel or react to certain situations? What about Brianna? how do you how a doctor would respond, an artist, a pastor’s son, a Scottish laird from the 18th century? There isn’t the slightest notion of invention in your characters as if they were real people. ??? Am I making any sense? I know that they just come to you in a way but where do you get the part that isn’t a part of you? sorry for rambling. sorry for sentence fragments. -charlotte

  3. Diana,

    I have just recently started reading your blogs. I am finding that they are very interesting! I have recently started writing myself. Well, other than the scientific stuff I have to do for work! ; ) One of my writing “projects” here at work this week is writing the answer key for a lab report. I work with the Fudamentals of Horticulture class/lab here at Purdue University. I am in charge of the lab portion of the course.. about 110 students each semester in 6 lab sections. So… some of my activities involve writing answer keys for labs. I also did research before I got involved in the class and did some writing for that.

    But now the writing I am doing, outside of work is for me… fun stuff! I LOVE to read and have ever since I learned how to. Of course, I have read all of your books… and am a member of the Ladies of Lallybroch (Piper Mom)! I am writing historical fiction. It is a story that takes place in the 1770s in Virginia… at least it does for now! : )

    As you can guess from my nickname, and in case you didn’t recall from LOL…. my son is a bagpiper (he started with lessons when he was 7 and is 15 now). We are part of the 42nd Royal Highlanders of Lafayette, Indiana. I have been interested in 18th C stuff since 1981. And have been involved with the 42nd since 2000. So… for me, that seemed like a natural time period and life to focus on. Like you were with Outlander, I don’t know if it will ever get published, but I am having fun anyway!

    I find that some of my writing is also in chunks and some of it is linear. The first stuff I have written, is not the beginning of the story; I haven’t gotten that figured out yet. ; ) I just kind of jumped in there, where a “scene” came into my mind and wrote that first. Then it started to go linear, now another chunk came to mind and I wrote that. It will get attached to the story sometime. I am thinking about swiping my son’s digital voice recorder and using it to get thoughts recorded. I have about a 30 min drive each way to work and things tend to pop into my head while I drive. I then formulate things, work out the details and then try to not forget it before I get to a computer! I am currently saving my writing on my home computer, work computer and a flash drive.

    Thanks for letting me ramble! It took me a bit of nerve to write this, as you are such a great writer! I am off to grab some lunch… then it is time to work on that answer key…. and try to concentrate thru construction going on 2 floors below me… drilling/cutting into cement.

    Vicki

  4. Charlotte–

    Yes, I read a lot of doctors’ memoirs/stories, as well as memoirs from WWII nurses (and soldiers, while mentally “equipping” Claire. Beyond that, a lot of her cultural attitudes and references came from Dorothy L. Sayers’ Harriet Vane–they aren’t the same sort of people at all, but Sayers’ mysteries are all set in England of the mid/late 1930′s, and Harriet Vane is a middle-class but very educated woman (as Sayers was herself). Vera Brittain’s TESTAMENT OF YOUTH (which was about her experiences as a nurse in WWI) was useful, too.

    Whenever you do historical fiction, one of the most important kinds of research material is what’s called “primary sources”–letters and diaries of people living during the time of interest. These give you both an authentic “voice” (in terms of idiom, expression, etc.), and a sense of personality, as well as an idea of the things that were important to a person living in whatever place and situation.

    That’s one great advantage to the 18th century (and one reason why I chose it, aside from the original “Dr. Who” inspiration [g])–it was a very literate time (in terms of western culture), and while it’s certainly far enough back to be truly “historical” to modern people, 1) the language hasn’t really changed greatly in its essentials–slang terms change, of course, but it’s possible for a modern person to read and easily comprehend almost anything written in the 18th century, and 2) there’s a great deal of material _left_. Newspapers, magazines, diaries, journals, advertising posters–you can find books printed in the 18th century, still in a very good state of preservation (I have a few; I like to fondle them, and imagine Lord John taking this volume of Burke from the shelf in his father’s library, or Jamie trading a bottle of whisky for this worn copy of Homer’s _Iliad_, to add to his small but precious collection of books).

    Beyond research, of course, a lot of the essence of the characters is simply common sense and acknowledgement of our common humanity. What would Claire feel, presented with a woman dying of something she _knows_ can be treated in the 20th century–but can’t deal with at all with what she has in the 18th? What anyone would feel in the same situation–anger, pity, sadness–
    resignation.

    And there are the modern equivalents of older professions; I don’t know any Scottish lairds [g], but my late father-in-law was a small-time cattle baron. I _know_ what men who deal with horses and livestock are like; I’ve seen dozens of them, going to rodeos and cattle sales with Max. I know what young men who like to race and do stunts are like–I’ve seen them, over and over, bull-riding, calf-roping, etc.

    I have a garden, myself; I know what it smells like in the rain, and what it feels like to pull up stubborn weeds in a shower of dirt. [g] And all the interesting bugs you see, and how annoying it is to find a rabbit has got in and eaten the tops off all your lettuces.

    The art of creating a character comes as much from the writer as it does from anything external; we extrapolate our own physical and emotional experiences, and blend them with our knowledge and expectation of the other character’s situation and personality.

  5. Good heavens! Now I know why Claire seemed ‘familiar’ somehow. I LOVE Harriet Vane, Dorothy Sayers was an awesome author and The Nine Tailors is still one of my favorite mysteries. I rarely *don’t* get the villain until the end but in this case…it was a wonderful read.

    And yes, I can see a lot of Vane’s attitudes in Claire. Not the same personality of course, but Vane was Wimsey’s match in every way and now I understand much more.

    Thanx!! :D

  6. Diana,
    Thanks!!! Your words of encouragement are nice! In 3 weeks I have written 35 pages, with some gaps in the story…in time snippets here and there, whenever I get a chance to write. For me, some things come so quickly I feel that I just have to get them written. I will go back later on and fill them in with more detail.

    Ugh… now I have to convince myself to work on that answer key again. Got a bit of it done. I am going thru pics I took of the experiment to write down my visual observations. I did some of the graphs already.

    Thanks again!
    Vicki

  7. Diana,
    Oh, I almost forgot… I find what you say about primary sources interesting too. I am also a member of the Yahoo group: 18cWoman. I have been on if for a few years now too. I have learned so much from that. Sometimes people post some interesting snippets from 18C documents. It has also been helpful for me in making my 18C clothes better for our events… which is why I joined in the first place.

  8. Diana:

    Re your statement that “a lot of the essence of the characters is simply common sense and acknowledgement of our common humanity.” I think you do a great job in showing the ways in which 18th century people *are* just like us. Two quick examples from your recent books:

    1) The scene in “Haunted Soldier”, at the hearing, where Marchmont sits through a tedious part of the proceedings, picking barbs off his quill, showering tiny feathers everywhere. It’s a very small thing, maybe, but it helps to anchor the reader very specifically to that time period. In a modern courtroom setting, he might be playing with the cap of a ballpoint pen, or checking e-mail on a Blackberry [g]. The technology may have changed in 200 years, but we can all relate to the sense of impatient boredom that Marchmont shows here.

    2) The opening of BOTB, with the allusions to famous stepmothers of literature. When I read BOTB the first time, I was frankly a little apprehensive. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to relate to the characters or not; I’d had a very hard time getting into PRIVATE MATTER, and I wasn’t sure if this book would be any different. As soon as I read that line about stepmothers, I had an involuntary little start of recognition; not quite a laugh, but it made me smile, and I remember feeling myself relax. Almost as if to say, it’s OK, if he’s making allusions to Cinderella, then these characters must have enough of a common cultural frame of reference with 21st-century people that someone like me will be able to understand and relate to them. (And in fact I did end up really enjoying BOTB.)

    Karen

  9. Hi, Diana,

    Today, as usual, I answered a user’s question on a newsgroup. The poster responded that she’d recognized my name from a software training video I did recently and went on to tell me I’d done a great job. It was a great feeling! I get the same warm fuzzies when I hear from people who’ve found my (software) books useful. It doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does, well….

    So I’m just posting to say thank you for being so accessible to your readers. I know I’m enjoying reading your various posts, articles, and excerpts. It surprises me, but, having spent the past 6-8 weeks in Jamie and Claire’s world for the first time, I find myself going through a bit of a withdrawal now — kind of like the withdrawal I experienced between Harry Potter books [g] — but your availability and willingness to discuss the books (past and future) helps somehow.

    Someone mentioned names in a comment on another post. I have to say I find it amusing that book 7 is “Echo.” Since that’s my name, I always do a double-take when I see it capitalized. I’ve been doing lots of double-takes on your various sites lately!

    And FWIW, I found your explanation of the master file quite clear. But how do you tell, say, January 26 from December 6 (*.126)?


    Echo

  10. Ah, but Echo…you do software training videos (brava by the way!) and so I can only assume you have an analytical mind which would explain why you understood the first and I the second. My mind is just full of fluff….

    lol :)

  11. heh, my software specialty is PowerPoint, so there’s a *lot* of fluff here, too, believe me!

    Seriously, though, explaining computer stuff is often a challenge, and it’s not unusual to have to use two or three different explanations before it makes sense to everyone.

    (and thanks, by the way!)


    Echo

  12. You’re welcomed :D

    The only thing I’ve ever taught is music…AKA…Fluff! ;-)

    I think perhaps I got lost in the details with Diana’s first explanation. I have a master folder for each story and then chapters with maybe a small snippet or two here or there. I do rely on OneNote a lot to store stuff.

    But I write in a very linear fashion. In fact, I never know what’s going to happen until the characters tell me. I know, that’s terrible for a writer. One is supposed to have at least a semblance of an outline. I just can’t do it.

    So, her second explanation was easier for me to understand since I don’t write ‘scenes or bits and pieces’ way in advance.

  13. Nightsmusic:

    “Ah, but Echo…you do software training videos (brava by the way!) and so I can only assume you have an analytical mind which would explain why you understood the first and I the second. My mind is just full of fluff….

    lol :)”

    AND~

    “The only thing I’ve ever taught is music…AKA…Fluff! ;-)”

    My dear, music is NOT fluff! As a music
    major-cum-frustrated performer, I know that those of us in music are rather bright, self actualized, and typically wonderful. While my math skills never benefitted from my training, and Diana’s 1st explanation made my eyes cross, I must say that I am otherwise intelligent and can bullshit like a pro. (Must be all the years of vocal pedagogy!)

    Midge ; D

  14. Midge,

    I suppose I would have to agree with your assessment of us musicians…whether we’re any good at it or not ;-)

    And no, it never helped my math skills either, which is why I always write my checks to the next highest dollar amount. Less numbers for me to subtract!

    I’m just a right brain kind of gal which is why Diana’s second explanation made perfect sense and the first was beyond me, even though they’re saying the same thing.

    I only wrote music/lyrics for years. It’s just been recently that I branched out into ‘noveling’ so maybe that’s why I write in a more linear fashion. I look at the whole rather than the parts. I don’t know.

    I do know there’s no right/wrong way to write as far as getting the story on paper and Diana’s method may differ from mine (and let’s face it, she’s awesome!) but the joy for me is in the writing itself and watching it all come together, be it linear or bits-and-pieces. And since no one is going to see mine anyway….

    nm

  15. Echo–

    Oh–once past September, I use letters for the month, rather than numbers: O = October, N = November, D = December. So a file begun on December 26 (of last year) would have been JAMIE7@.D26, while one begun on January 26 would have been JAMIE7@.126.

  16. Diana,
    Having done computer work “pre-windows”, I understand your file naming system. Some days, I think working pre windows was easier!

    Hope you day is going well!

    NM and Echo,
    I am musical, artistic and scientific. Maybe that explains why some if my writing is linear and some is in chunks! Just can’t seem to stick to one style! ; ) Hey, whatever works and you get from your mind into writing!

    Vicki

  17. Err… that last part should say… “whatever works; just as long as you get your thoughts from your mind out into writing.”

  18. Diana,

    Ah, yeah, makes sense. Thanks.

    To all the musical people in the thread,

    I’m so jealous! [g] And I think teaching music sounds hard — especially if your students are as musically challenged as I (pun kinda-sorta intended, but not really, lol).


    Echo

  19. Well, it was elementary, 5th grade beginning band. Can’t get much more rudimentary than that I suppose.

    And you don’t have to good at music on the outside, Echo, to have a soul that thrives on it, on the inside :D

    I have a feeling, yours does.

  20. oh diana, what a beautiful description of your finding the characters, the garden in the rain!?, Jamie trading whiskey for Homer?! I love it. I will have you know that your books have made me into a reader. I was never much of one but now, after reading your entire Outlander collection in 6 weeks (while 7 months pregnant, with two toddler’s under 3yrs running around, and a husband just out of a shoulder surgery needing to be nursed) I am definitely a reader. Just ordered Fanny Hill and Tom Jones to read while waiting for Echo to come out. :)
    oh. and just read the Lord John series all except last BOTB and the Haunted Soldier. All excellent. Do you have any authentic perspective’s from gay men in the 18th century, just curious? and

    Also, wondering if Jack Randall was “in” love with his brother, Alex. Or was it the boy who hung himself, Alex McGregor? Why does he call Jamie, Alex when he asks Jamie to tell him that he loves him?

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