I’ve finally figured it out. Two days of wrestling with Zoe’s new chapter and going not far (well, 1405 words, but that was damned hard work), and now I know why. I didn’t outline it.

Y’see, I’m an organised person. Too organised. Making lists is an actual hobby of mine. Put it this way: if I have a day off, I make a big list of all the fun things I need to do that day, and if I don’t tick them all off I get annoyed with myself. Did someone say OCD?

Anyway, the idea for the new chapter came to me only a couple of weeks ago. I thought it would be a good bridge between two events – rather than have one character sit down with two others and TELL them about what she just did, I thought it would be much better to SHOW what she just did. And of course that is perfectly true. Plus, Zoe gets another chapter all to herself later in the book, so by giving her an extra one right at the beginning, it helps to introduce the reader not only to her character, but to the style of the book. Dark Heart is, by the way, almost entirely first-person, with the narrative being shared out by a handful of characters in their own chapters. Actually it’s mostly seen from Dr Clarke’s point of view, but allowing Zoe to tell her own story at this particular stage fits perfectly.

Now I certainly wasn’t making it up as I went along – I know some writers do this, but I honestly think it shows in the finished piece. I’ve outlined Dark Heart from beginning to end, but this chapter wasn’t around back then. So in my mind I just identified a beginning, middle, and end, and sat down to start typing.

Big mistake. Zoe and Nick race off into the night, eager to get a close-up look at the epicentre of the London explosion. They need to reach a cordon, find a way past, make a shocking discovery, then quickly split up with Zoe running off to meet her brother and Dr Clarke at the St James’ Park Airdome, and Nick off back to her office.

So 1000 words in, and Zoe and Nick are hiding in an alleyway, wondering what to do next. I’m sitting at the keyboard, wondering what to do next. I tried to figure out why this apparently simple chapter was being so difficult to write, but couldn’t work it out. I hit 1405 words and called for time-out.

In hindsight, the problem is obvious. I didn’t outline it. I’d created my own problem, and one that a lot of people make when starting out as a writer.

There is a difference between an idea and the plot. An idea is the seed, the spark that sets it all off. It could be the central concept of the story, or a little side-detail. But an idea is NOT the plot. Until now, Zoe’s chapter has existed only as an idea, and by fooling myself that this would be a short, easy section to write, I mistook the idea for the plot and got stuck. I’ve seen it happen with others – go to an convention or panel or workshop, and people in the audience will always ask the same thing of a successful (ie, published) novelist: “I keep coming up with great stories, but when I start writing I get stuck on page 3. How do you do it?!” The problem is that they’ve confused the idea with the story. Sounds obvious, but actually it can be difficult to understand. And look, I know this myself, but that didn’t stop me being caught out!

The solution: take some time, outline the chapter. Figure it out, run it through your mind, note it down. Then start writing! Bingo, should be good to go.

The thing is, if you find what you are writing is hard to finish, or boring to write, then there is a 100% chance that your reader will find it hard to finish and boring to read. Your mood is reflected in what you write – if you’re forcing it out, it’ll show instantly. And the plotting-as-you-go really isn’t for me. Tolkien didn’t outline The Lord of the Rings, he made it up as he went along. And man alive, does it show.

So back to the plan. Tonight: read through Zoe’s chapter (what there is of it), plot it out from the beginning to end. Tomorrow: finish the sucker. And by finish, I don’t mean rewrite (because editing as you write is made of pure fail), I mean finish it off. I’ve got 1405 words there and it would be silly to waste them! But at least I’ll know where I’m going, and before no time Zoe will be relaxing in that wicker chair with G’n'T, floating high above the south of England.