Shortly after my first novel was published in 2010, one of my co-workers asked me about it while I was installing and configuring his new laptop. The president of our division at the time happened by and overheard the conversation. “I thought you were just a boring IT guy,” he remarked.

Perhaps I am—and that’s fine with me—but as I recalled this memory recently, it occurred to me just how much my 23 years in IT support might have have benefited my fiction writing, as contradictory as that might seem on the surface.  Really, it’s all about balancing the skills dominated by each side of the brain. Research suggests that the left brain controls reading and writing, calculation, and logical thinking while the right brain controls three-dimensional sense, creativity, and artistic senses.

Plan the Work, then Work the Plan…but also Be Organic

When it comes to approach, I realize there are two schools of thought—namely “plotters” vs. “pantsers”. The former are those writers who outline their stories in advance, thus creating a road map that plots a course from the beginning through middle to the end and everything in between. The latter group are those who have a fairly solid idea of how their story will proceed, but prefer not to
plan too much, thus writing by the “seat of their pants.”

With few exceptions (such as flash fiction and some short stories), I’m an ardent plotter. Working in the corporate world of project plans that show a logical progression from beginning to end,
with milestone goals along the way, is not much different from outlining a story.

Your outline is your plan that allows you plot a course through your story arc, including your characters’ journeys (protagonist, antagonist, and major supporting characters) and specifying key plot points (milestones) such as the inciting incident, scenes-and-sequels, the moment of change when your protagonist must stand up/step up/adjust attitude to overcome the major problem, and more.

However, writing fiction is an organic process and I have been known to take detours from my outlines if a better idea comes along while writing the story. That’s called flexibility and it’s perfectly fine.
Writing is also an experiment, just like any other art. If you try something that does not work, you can always turn around at the next intersection, or find a new route.

I’ve yet to be involved in a project in the corporate world that has not encountered even the smallest obstacle, required a different solution than what was specified in the initial plan, or needed timeline adjustments.

We’re human beings, after all, not automatons.

Solve the Problem

If there is one skill you hone quickly as an IT support tech, it’s troubleshooting. Some problems have quick fixes (change a setting or the old standby…reboot!) while others require research (a bizarre error message you never saw before) or a complete overhaul of the system (re-installation of the operating system, upgrade or replacement of the hardware).

The same could be said for plot problems. I’m not referring to the plot complications faced by your protagonist in your story. I’m talking about the heart-stopping, “oh-shit” mistakes you encounter while writing.

Did you stumble upon a plot hole that you need to fix? Did you fail to take something into consideration when you were outlining and now it’s become evident while writing your story (hopefully, you weren’t too far along)? Did it stop you in your tracks and prevent you from moving forward? Do you need to step back and rewrite the last several scenes or chapters?

I’ve been fortunate so far in my young writing career that any plot problems found in my drafts were solved with relatively simple rewrites. In a few cases, further research was required, but I’ve never had to completely overhaul or (yikes!) abandon a work-in-progress. I attribute that to solid planning up front.

Troubleshooting problems in your writing can be just as frustrating as it is with technology, but the ability to think on your feet (or in your seat) and try various solutions is a skill that will never let you down and might even improve your story or at least get you moving forward again. It will most certainly mold you into a more experienced writer.

Think Logically

There’s an old writing adage: Real life doesn’t make sense, but fiction must.

IT professionals often encounter system problems that, at first glance, make no damn sense at all. However, careful analysis of the sequence of events that led up to a problem often reveals the cause.

Readers must be able to follow your story’s logical progression without retracing their steps and analyzing the sequence of events that led the characters to wherever they are in the story.  If the plot is too dense or stultifying,  or contains too much extraneous information, or if you mention something fleetingly in Chapter Three that suddenly reemerges in Chapter Nine as an integral part of the story, this may confuse the reader, which could result in a negative review for your book on Amazon or Goodreads.

I suggest that YOU analyze each draft of your manuscript to ensure a logical and smooth flow of the plot and story. When I finish a first draft, I put it away and do not look at it again for at least a week or more. I then go back and read through it specifically searching for plot problems, areas that need to be rewritten, extraneous narrative, and anything that throws me out of the story.

I don’t believe in the popular saying, “the first draft of anything is shit,” but there ain’t no such thing as a perfect first draft either.

Remember, what made sense to you while writing the story might not make sense to a reader.  As you gain experience with each project, you’ll develop an instinct for recognizing more of these pitfalls, but you’ll never catch everything.

I typically wait until a second or possibly third draft before allowing my critique partners to gnaw on it.  Through self-editing, you’ll solve some problems and trim some of the fat on your own, deft critique partners will find more, and a perspicacious editor will find ones that escaped everyone else.

I don’t claim that my writing is perfect, but I use my growing skill set and experience to the best of my ability on every project.

Now, balancing time between IT and creative writing careers is a whole other challenge!