Russell Kirkpatrick's Journal
My Greatest Gift
16-Apr-2009
My greatest gift is to see the connections between things. It's not just seeing the big picture, it's knowing where the big picture sits in relation to the rest of the pictures in the art gallery.
So I'm increasingly changing the way I write. My first series, 'Fire of Heaven', was closely plotted. I decided to do things differently for the 'Husk/Broken Man' trilogy, and plotted the story much more loosely, relying on my ability to make connections to tie it all together. And I really believe it worked.
With my new SF story - the first part of which is tentatively titled 'State of Flux', I have done virtually no plotting at all. There are a few basic scenes, a list of characters with interesting backstories, and a conclusion I have in mind. I'm writing the story to see what happens. I hope readers find it as exciting as I do.