I can't work from outlines. Most of the time, an entire story starts from a single scene--Little Girl Lost started from the scene with Rachel curled up in the vestibule freezing and dirty.
Of course, then you have to write the stuff to go around and explain that! <bg> I may know where it's going, but the characters dictate where things go. Even original characters take on a mind of their own after a while. It sounds trite and corny, but it's true!
I've likened writing to being slightly schizophrenic--you've got all these voices in your head fighting their way out.
My current WIP, Innocence Lost, also started with a couple of scenes, some of which ya'll haven't seen yet. Forever and All Eternity (the whole trilogy) started with a scene and a song. <g> I still have yet to finish that one! Outlines never really play much of a part in *anything* I write, I may know basically where it's going, but it rarely gets there the way I first envision it. And the fun, they say, is in the journey.
Laura
