Wednesday, November 9, 2011

What’s in an Outline?


Do you prefer to have a detailed outline when working on a new story? Or maybe you prefer to fly seat-of-your-pants? I suppose I’m somewhere in between myself.

I’m working up an outline for a new story, but at the same time I’m chomping at the bit to get to the meat of writing that first draft. In some ways it’s a pleasant conundrum, but I often find myself beset by two internal forces competing for my attention: on the one hand I know from experience that a well-crafted outline really makes the story better from the very beginning, but at the same time I never want to inhibit the raw inspiration of creativity when it actually decides to show up.

So how do you balance these two opposing virtues of the writing process? Do you give in more to a well-planned plot or do you prefer to allow a more organic form to take over? Perhaps a blend of the two, but ultimately what works best for you?   


19 comments:

  1. Hello Mark:
    Although we do not write anything of great length, and so this may make a great difference, we always like to have a structure to what we write. An attention grabbing start is essential, a satisfactorily detailed middle, and an ending which may be open or closed as the mood takes.

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  2. I'm like you. I write up an outline, but I'm not rigid with it. I leave large holes I can fill in as I go along. Some of my best ideas come after I've written a first draft and I'm done with my outline.

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  3. I'll credit an outline, but it's more of a suggestion, because my characters tend to have a mind of their own.

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  4. I don't outline anymore. I did that in the beginning and all I did was write an outline that changed with each page of story I wrote. It means that revisions are a nightmare, but I've learned to live with that because of the alternative.

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  5. I've started outlining more and more the longer I write. I usually start out with just a bare bones outline - 5 or 6 main plot points that gives me a rough idea of where I need to steer the story. Usually as the story starts unfolding, I'll add to the outline, as more ideas and plot points occur to me.

    My serious outlining happens in the revision stage though. I chunk out all my scenes and really go to town on detailed outlining.

    My friends call their first drafts Zero Drafts - because they are usually such a hot mess you can't show them to anyone. I've adopted this phrase :D My very first draft is just for getting the story down. Then the "first" draft is where I really outline and get everything hammered out.

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  6. I'm a detailed outliner. I tend to run the entire story once through my head before committing anything to paper. After that, it changes many, many times. Since the beginning is always the most difficult for me, I don't mind delaying the writing until I'm sure I know what I'm doing.

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  7. I don't outline. I know my inciting incident and my ending when I start, and I generally have a pretty good idea of what I want my character arc to look like, but I let research and behavior guide the story in the middle. I think it's a slower process, but it's the way I enjoy writing the most. Those days I surprise myself with a great new scene I didn't see coming are the best!

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  8. I don't do detailed. I do turning points. here's a couple good resources if you're interested. http://www.kkitts.net/downloads/files/TenScenePlot.pdf
    http://thescriptlab.com/screenwriting/structure/the-sequence/45-the-eight-sequences

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  9. I write because I want to know what happens next, and if I outline, then there's no reason to write.

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  10. I usually try to find a balance; most of the time I start with a rough outline that sets down the beginning, a few points in the middle, and the end, and add in details while I'm writing the first draft.

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  11. I write notes as they come to me, but don't strictly outline. I'm always chomping at the bit to do the actual writing, though, rather than the prep and editing.

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  12. I like to make a basic plan of where things will go. The middle is up for wherever the winds take me. But I do have to plan out the ending. I can't get to that ending unless I'm excited to reach it.

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  13. I prefer to outline, but not in too much detail. I'm like you, too excited to get started :-)

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  14. I don't tend to outline that much at the beginning. The only two times I did do an outline first, the steam went out of writing the books. The outlines are still in my filing cabinet. Hmm, maybe I ought to go take another look at them when I finish my revision of my current WIP. But seriously, I'm a little envious of writers who find it so easy to outline first and then use it as a roadmap.

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  15. Sometimes when I write an outline and I get stuck in the middle, I have to write the first chapter just to get a handle on the story and characters and to give myself some freedom to just write. That usually does the trick.

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  16. Jane/Lance – I wholeheartedly agree, but that “satisfactorily detailed middle” can be a bit harder to come by than it may first seem;)

    E.R. – I feel much the same, but oftentimes I find myself adjusting the outline once I’m a few chapters into my first draft.

    Miranda – Yes, a “suggestion”…I suppose for me it’s a guideline more than a rule:)

    JD – I can see how that would make revisions a nightmare, and that’s what I try to avoid myself, but to each his/her own.

    Michelle – Yes, I definitely do that to. However, I try not to revise it too much once I’m on the second draft, then again... “zero” draft…hmm, I like it.

    Alex – Definitely, I suppose the more I think about it an outline is a must, but it’s just a question of how detailed we each go.

    L.G. – It is fun to get surprise scene, but I don’t find that outlining necessarily rules that out. You just have to leave room for it in your story outline…but if you don’t outline, then I suppose you’ve got lots of room;)

    J.A. – Turning points…very cool way of putting it! I’ll try those links too, thanks!

    McKenzie – There is definitely an exploration portion to writing. I suppose, however, that an outline could be used as a tour guide, you’re free to go “off road” as often as you wish:)

    Eagle – Balance is the word, especially during that initial draft.

    Shannon – Yes, that chomping at the bit thing gets me too, but maybe it’s good to have a little outline first so I don’t go off too far in the wrong direction.

    David – Indeed. The ending is crucial. I need to see it, even if vaguely, just to know where things will ultimately end up.

    Sarah – Definitely don’t want to curb the excitement:)

    Elizabeth – Well, if you can make it work without an outline, power to you then:)

    Lynda – Hmm, that’s a really good tip if I ever get stuck in the middle of an outline. Great idea!

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  17. A blend of the two is what works best for me. I started with a very general outline, but I've found as I've been writing that ideas come into my head that were never planned, but they seem to fit perfectly. I think for me the trick is sticking enough to the original plans that I don't end up totally off the rails with a plot that has gone off in too many tangents, while still going with the raw inspiration when it strikes.

    Good luck finding your balance!

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  18. I have written one full length novel following a strict outline method and two completed manuscripts just going with the flow. I have to confess that I like having a rough outline in mind before I start writing, but at the same time having the freedom to deviate from the outline.

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  19. Neat Blog...NEW FOLLOWER.

    Elizabeth

    http://silversolara.blogspot.com

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