Space Opera Planning
03/19/21 08:21 Filed in: Space Opera | Planning
Now that I've written my Holmesian novel, I need to start another project. I'm going to write a space opera next. That means it's time I start planning.
I’ve often said that I’m not a planner; I’m a panster [autocorrect just changed that to “punster”; I’m that too.]. I like to plan for extremely large and new writing projects. A space opera is both. Space operas are large in scope, character, and melodrama. I’ve never written one. I need to plan. Space operas need alien civilizations. I need to plan the aliens and their civilization. So how do I plan for something this large? I “panst” my planning.
I sit down and brainstorm idea. I open my notebook and grab my fountain pen (old-school technology). I jot down all my ideas in a list as quickly as I can. I write every idea no matter how bad, wild, or even if it applies to my topic (space opera). I also make a list of everything I know about space operas, such as tropes, key moments, examples of character types, etc. I do a brain dump onto the page.
Once I’ve dumped everything, or am tired, I take my notes and type them into my writing app, organizing them and filtering only the ones that I feel are worthwhile or applicable. I then switch back to my notebook and use the lists in my app to brainstorm story premises. Once I come up with maybe a dozen premises, I write a sentence or maybe a paragraph to explain the concept of the story in a cohesive manner. I transfer this back into my app. This is now my premise, or if it’s short, my tagline, pitch, or concept.
If you’re wondering, this is the premise/pitch of my space opera:
“A starship stumbles upon an advanced civilization intent on invading our galaxy. The ship’s captain must overcome the alien commander and their superior technology, while maintaining command over his own crew.”
Back in my app, I collect images that relate to space operas: book covers, movie stills, ship designs, etc. I use this to help motivate me and to give me ideas. Next, back in my notebook, I work on answering high level questions about the story that either I need to know, or the reader may want to. These deal with the plot, characters, the aliens, ships, etc. This helps me solidify the story in my mind. This is again brainstorming, but more focused given my premise. I switch back to my app, and reorganize and filter the questions so I’m left with a broad swath through the story in somewhat of a timeline.
That’s as far as I’ve gotten. As you can see, there is a lot of bouncing between pen and ink and my app. I prefer handwriting everyone, but I like the fact I can read what I type the following day. Writing by hand is also slower and more tactile which allows me to slow my thinking process and only write what I feel is worthwhile. The dual-mode is more work, but worth it for me. That’s an aside.
I have no title. I have no characters, apart from generic roles. I still don’t know everything about the plot. I know very little about my aliens, but I know what makes them alien, and what one key component of their technology/weaponry is. Based on what I have so far, my gut tells me I have a story that will span over one book. I have a lot more to do before I can write.
I need to juggle planning this new story with editing and publishing my noir. I’ve made about ten passes through my noir and I’m still finding things I don’t like or need to fix. I’m not a perfectionist. I just don’t like seeing obvious problems in my writing. I also think I need to find a couple more beta readers. I want to get this noir our and published before autumn.
If you’re interested in what I’m working, you can check out my Current Projects page.