Monday, October 5, 2015

Outline or No Outline: Where Do You Fall? by Hilary Wagner




I'm not an outline driven writer. For me, the closest I'll ever get to an outline, is a few random, but nonetheless important items I want to get into the manuscript, usually written on various pieces of paper saved in various places...under my laptop, stuck in drawer or a book. I even found notes once under the seat of my car (yes, as you can tell I'm the queen of organization). It's not that I have anything against writers who create outlines for each book, it's more that, innately, it's just not in me. If fact sometimes I wish I could go the outline route, but I've realized my brain just doesn't work that way. It would be difficult for me to create an entire outline to begin with (or even the outline of a single chapter) and if I ever actually did complete one, I know I'd probably ignore most of it once I got going. Generally, when I do save any kind of notes on my laptop, I actually forget that I saved them or what I saved them under!



Now, I'm sure some writers out there who do follow the outline format just cringed as they read the above. There must be a wonderful level of comfort for having your book all mapped out and I can't imagine the fulfilment a writer must have after following their outline through to completion as they write their manuscript and having that manuscript be successful. I've realized, though, I tend to start with a main character and then build the world around that character scene by scene. So as willy-nilly as my process might appear, it's really not. There is more structure to it than meets the eye. 

So, for those of you who outline, have you ever written a manuscript without an outline? Do you think you could or you'd even want to? And for those of you whose outlines are the equivalent of scribbles on a cocktail napkin (like me), do you think you could ever complete an outline start to finish, before diving into your manuscript?

10 comments:

  1. I feel the same way you do about outlines. Even when I attempt to write them, I don't end up following them. That's not to say that I don't have a general idea about my plot before I start. Call me a dot-to-dotter. I know a beginning, an ending, and some key events along the way. But I can only figure out how to get from dot to dot by writing the story.

    I recently had to submit an outline for an option book. I tried -- but got stuck on the outline halfway into the story. So I started writing a first draft. I immediately saw things that were wrong about the outline and had to change. Meanwhile the path to certain "dots" that seemed unreachable in my outline became glaringly obvious once I was writing the story.

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    1. Dianne, I'd be the same way...just let me start writing it! :) It's the same for me on the other spectrum too...once the book is finished how do I tackle the dreaded synopsis? Condescending your entire book into a few pages is crazy hard! Now my brain has to shrink it all down! I guess it wouldn't be so rewarding if it were easy. :)

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  2. I know people for whom the first draft is basically a giant outline. I even know one guy who writes the first draft, and then, once he knows where the story is headed, deletes the whole thing and starts over.

    I could never do that!

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    1. Matt, you just made me choke on my lunch. Throwing out a complete first draft?! Be still my heart!

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  3. I follow the same game plan as you, Hilary--except I use a notebook instead of a cocktail napkin. (I once had the heady idea of using a tape recorder to memorialize my fabulous thoughts while on my walks, but I found the neighbors were giving me a wide berth.)

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    1. Ha! I will add I have use notebooks before, but generally I forget where I put them or (even better) I can't read my own writing!! :)

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  4. I've done both ways: written with an outline and with just a general idea. Each worked for the story at the time. But, I am learning that each story I write requires a different process and I cannot simulate one for another. In letting go of "formulating" a process to use for each book, I've now given in to finding the right process for each one.

    I have learned to write a 1-2 sentence description of each chapter at the end of each chapter so when I am done I have a fairly strong synopsis - the dreaded synopsis!

    I do love now having a smartphone and recording scenes as I go for walks (and acting them out when no one is looking!).

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    1. Donna, that is literally the best idea I've heard in terms of writing a synopsis! You've totally got a write a post on this! This is truly a tip I will use in the future!

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    2. Hilary, yes, it's working so far and I will def. add this tip into a post in the future!

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Thanks for adding to the mayhem!