Goes Around Comes Around

I got an invitation to submit a 10K word story to a YA fantasy anthology...an original. Good money and I really like YA. I got started on it this week, with a rough plot idea in mind...know where I'm going generally. Now usually, I work out my story pretty thoroughly. I hate first drafts and this is my way of avoiding them. :-) If I plot out the story I use the same creative energy as if I'd slogged through that rough first draft. When I actually write that detailed summary out, it's like doing a second draft...my favorite part of writing. (That's when I get to really bring my characters to life. I love that).

But this time...from my first scene everything went out the window. Yeah, I know what I want to achieve eventually. But I have a fun pair of characters and...I'm just finding my way there. Haven't done it this way for some time, but that's the cool thing about writing. You don't have to do it the same way every time. You should not. So I'm letting myself be surprised by where the story takes me. Yeah, I used to do that, but without a lot of craft ability, it meant a LOT of rewriting. This time, I'm letting the story take me where it wants to go, but I have a lot more experience with Story. So I'm guiding a bit, even as the horse runs away with me. :-) That's why I do this. Every piece I write is a new experience.