I had the opportunity to team teach a couple of classes in the past few years, one on scriptwriting and a second entitled “Christianity and Science Fiction.” Both of them were fun classes, a fun experience, and I hope to have the chance to do it again.
One of the statements that my fellow teacher said surprised me. He said I was one of the most organized people he ever met. It surprised me because I never thought of myself as organized. Patient, yes. Creative, of course. But organized?
Now I am experiencing my first time as a co-author of a book. The experience has me shaking in my boots. When in doubt, I always fall back on my storyline. In this case, I felt we needed a very specific storyline because the two of us needed to know where the other author was headed.
My colleague, who has co-authored before, told me that her writing is character-driven, not plot driven. That’s OK, and it probably will make for a more balanced approach. But I still need that storyline.
For me, it’s like jumping into the deep end of the pool. No, it’s like jumping in the deep end, in the middle of the night, blindfolded. Yes, I want my characters to live their own lives, but I need to know where everything is going. I can’t be the conductor if I don’t know how the symphony is going to finish.
It’s going to be an interesting experience. Organized or not, here I come.
The Great Adventure 