Seven for a Secret journal The pretty (and cheap) lil' notebook that I bought in a small Alpine shop to outline the story in early 2011.
Seven for a Secret scraps Where Seven for a Secret was born: character profiles jotted on the back of my husband's resume at Cafe Nero in London, popular 1920s names listed on hotel stationary in Singapore, the catalyst and its ripple effect on different characters scratched onto a torn piece of paper who knows where, and the draft plot outline, key questions, and possible scenarios scribbled into my notebook at a cafe in the French Alps.
Seven for a Secret outline Taking a page out of Agatha Christie's book, who incorporated nursery rhymes into her plots several times, I decided to use the "One for Sorrow" rhyme as my story's structure.
Seven for a Secret outline Spastic scribblings in my journal and by no means neatly divided into tiers of A, B, C, i, ii, iii, but guidance nonetheless. This bullet-pointed bird's-eye view helped me tremendously by giving a sense of the story's shape and direction without also confining my creativity.
Seven for a Secret opening scene Rough draft of the first scene in Chapter I, where Kate meets Leo and Vera at Camden Court Apartments.
Seven for a Secret opening scene Technically, this scene was scribbled in my journal for a different WIP, just because that was handy at the time. As you *might* be able to see, Vera was originally "Elma" and Leo was "Paul"!
Seven for a Secret "decision tree" I was closing in on the final chapters when I needed to stop, step back, and brainstorm my way through a State of the Story outline: basically, Here's where my characters are at right now. Is this where I want them to be, and, if so, what are their options from here?
What the Clocks Know journal The black linen journal that inspired Margot's "dream diary."
What the Clocks Know scraps Scribblings from my Brompton Cemetery walks. Epitaphs, observations, story ideas, etc.
What the Clocks Know scraps More scraps from later in the process when the plot needed problem-solving.
What the Clocks Know cemetery scene Rough draft of Margot at the cemetery.
What the Clocks Know dream entry Truth be told, this originally had nothing to do with the story. It wasn't a dream either, just me freewriting to vent after a tough day!