Yes, it is happening!
So … what’s the plan?
I’m experimenting with more efficient ways to write. I’ve got two books in three-book series that I’m dying to finish, but I’m stuck because I don’t want to repeat the mistakes I made in Book 2. I need a structured system that helps me write in a more grounded framework and walks me through to the end of the trilogy. I don’t want to fight a strident, formulaic process; I want to work with a creative, flexible set of tools.
So … I am starting at the very beginning …
Want to come along? I’ll be documenting the process here as it unfolds, failures included. You can follow me on the blog or sign up to the newsletter for bonus content.
“Daily” Updates
Thursday, 6 April 2026
Turns out my outline needed its own outline. Enter: the Narrative Spine.
It tracks narrative threads and loose ends from beginning to middle to end. Middles are where my plot lines tend to wander and characters go rogue into the woods. So I added a row for “what happens in the middle” to both the Character Anchor sheet and the Narrative Spine, because containment.
Progress has slowed—I couldn’t say no to a paid contract (cost of living crisis, world going to shite, anxiety did its thing). But the structure is there. Slowly. ✨ \(^-^)/
#WritingProcess #Outlining #WorkInProgress #AmWriting #StoryStructure
Monday, 30 March 2026
So, I decided to give a different approach to story outlining … like starting a story outline in a spreadsheet before I am already too deep into the story. I tried the approach before, but always with reverse outlines when both the characters and the story were already running away from me.
The result is a mixed bag. I began with a so-called Scene Spine—one row per scene/chapter. As soon as I started to fill in what I know so far, I ended up with too many columns—all must-haves of course—and the whole thing ran away from me… again.
I added a Character Anchor sheet. This time, I have one column for each character, and each row has different sections like “Where are they at the beginning,” “What is their role in the ending,” and “Validation—Making sense of it.” It seems to be working better for now. But I’m still a worried that these tools force you into a formula that restricts rather than aids …
To be continued …
Monday, 23 March 2026
I spent the last few weeks taking stock and resetting my approach for tackling Book Three.
- I have a flimsy, unstructured outline I don’t like.
- New characters I love.
- New settings I adore.
- A beginning I want to keep.
- A satisfying ending.
What I am missing is a framework that keeps me from running in circles and my characters and the story running away from me.
So this is where I start …
#amwriting #writingprocess #writingcommunity #wip #storystructure
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New here? I am New Zealand-based writer, artist and maker Minu Freitag. I have published my first book—The Fragments, an inventive mix of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Dystopian fiction—in 2022 and am currently working on the second book in The Spheres Series—The House—due for release in December 2025.
You can follow my writing adventures on Bluesky, Instagram, Goodreads and Amazon.
