I commenced my preparatory work on Book 8 of "The Demonata" today. I started, as I always do when plotting a book, by jotting down a rough outline of the book on a couple of sheets of A4 paper. I always write directly to a PC, except when I'm planning a book -- at this early stage, I prefer to write by hand. I'm not sure why -- it's just a habit.

I came up with some nice twists and ideas while working on the plot. Would-be writers often ask me about how to develop ideas, and I think the key is to actually write. Thinking's all well and good, but when I actually sit down with a pen in my hand and start to scribble, I find ideas pouring out -- the writing down of one idea usually leads to others. I had a vague idea of what I wanted the book to be like yesterday -- today I have a fairly full structure which, while it still needs a lot of work, should see me safely to the finish.

Once I finished the rough plot outline, I began work on the chapter breakdown. I don't always do this (with "Cirque Du Freak" and "Lord Loss" I worked from the rough plot only), but usually I do. I write a short description of what will be in each chapter. I find that this helps me flesh out the plot -- I usually have some more ideas at this stage -- and, when complete, it makes the writing process a lot easier. As I go along, I tick off each chapter on the pages, and that gives me a real sense of progress. Of course, I can veer away from the chapter descriptions along the way -- I often find that I'll split a longer chapter up into a couple of shorter chapters, or run a few together -- but I usually stick quite close to them.