1500 Words, and Counting!

Yes, people, I have actually made PROGRESS! 

I am one of those people who like to make an extensive plan when I do anything, but especially when I write. I like to work systematically through the problem in my mind (in this case, how do I get the idea in my head onto a page?) before I tackle it.
I've done quite a bit of planning. I've written very detailed outlines on several parts of my story and I plan to follow them religiously. I have a map drawn up, and I know how I am going to use that map. I have characters worked out (mostly), I know their names and what they look like (some of them). I know what they like to do and what is important to them. I have a plan.

And I just threw half of that plan out the window.

There are two reasons I've done this:

First, sometimes my creativity doesn't follow my plan.

And that's ok. When working on a fictitious piece of work you sometimes have to abandon your carefully thought-out plan to follow your creative intuition. Then you proof-read it, and if it turns out to be crap, you throw it out. You don't have to hold onto that burst of creativity you had that one time. 

You can throw it in the trash. Heck, you can throw your plan in the trash if it's no good. You don't have to religiously follow a plan (though it helps to sort out your ideas), and you don't have to cling so tightly to your bursts of creativity. You sometimes have to let your work grow and evolve, and that often means putting those ideas and plans to death.

Second, I've read too much Russian literature.

Russian literature doesn't produce very good protagonists, but it creates some very interesting antagonists. The reason for this, I am convinced, is because Russian authors in the late 17th century had a very stark picture of humanity to work with. Their society, at least as portrayed by these classic authors, was riddled with depression, oppression, and poverty. These authors wrote about their society in such a way that even the prosperous were cast in a grimy hue. 

Humanity in all of its sinful debasement comes to life under the skillful pen of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Such a vivid and varied presentation gives greater insight to the human condition and so influences my fashioning of characters.

It also has brought about the realization that, when I write, I do not want to create characters out of my ideals. I want them to be human. I want them to sin, to fall down, to look grimy and weak, but always with redemption in view. I don't want my villains to only show arrogant pride in their wickedness but show the varying degrees of villain-hood. I want to show that the weak, apathetic villain is as much of a villain as the cocky, pretentious one.

So I've started a (very) rough draft, and - you guessed it! - I started with a contrast in villainy. I abandoned my original plan and did something else. Only time will tell whether or not it too will need to be abandoned, or completely renovated, but it's a start.