Does anyone else have this problem? I have written 4 outlines that are currently incomplete! I have given all them at least 2 weeks to mellow out, but when I look at them again to finish them, I get stuck. I see more things in my mind, but I have trouble placing them on paper. I haven't even started on a rough draft. I hear that incomplete outlines usually result in incomplete novels, and I'm tired of that. I am extremely passionate about my ideas and I want to get them out by the end of next month....Does anyone have any suggestions for me?
Incomplete Outlines?!
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a few possibilities, depending on how you work
.1. Just start writing. (With or without stopping to fill in the outline as ideas come to you as you're writing). See where the story takes you.
OR
2. Freewrite about the spaces where you need to fill-in-the blanks. Stream of conscious writing where you talk about what you know, "I know I want X to happen, but I'm not sure to fit it in. I know that I need more to happen between Y and Z, but I'm not sure what. I somehow need to get things from A to B, but I'm not sure how". And just keep talking about whatever problem it is you need to solve. The purpose here is the thought-process that the freewriting triggers, not the text of the freewriting itself (which will be mostly useless).
OR
3. Just fill the blanks with something, anything, even if you're not happy with it. When you think of something better, go back and change it.
OR
People will probably come along and post better ideas than mine
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Relax, slow down. You're only making yourself stressed.
I find that just brainstorming random things about the characters help. It gets you writing.
Well, that's what I do anyway.
I find that just brainstorming random things about the characters help. It gets you writing.
Well, that's what I do anyway.
Learn to finish things. Even if they suck.
The number 1 skill you'll have to aquire is finishing. & I'm sorry, but if you want to write stories, you'll have to finish the story. Outline doesn't count.
Write anything you can that you can finish. I started out with a screen play, didn't bother with the format or anything, just needed to get the story out. After that I did a short story - it took me - really this is true - a year to write this story 6K words. Writers block? I deal with some serious writers block every day. BUT - now I'm writing a novel, & writing 500-1000 *good* words 6 days a week. It took me 5 years to get to this point. I started at 50 words/day, 4 days a week. As long as I was doing that, and I wrote a complete story - even if it sucked sucked sucked - I could tell myself I was writing. For a couple of stories, I got to these dead ends, where I just make a hack ending, something like, and then Richard's mother called - he had inherited half a million from a forgotten aunt. He paid off the loan shark, and married matilda. Something like that after meandering for 8K words over 3 months. But I gave it an ending. A stupid ending, but what was more important at that stage than the quality was the fact that I was finishing. So, start small, be steady and --- gambatte kudasai
The number 1 skill you'll have to aquire is finishing. & I'm sorry, but if you want to write stories, you'll have to finish the story. Outline doesn't count.
Write anything you can that you can finish. I started out with a screen play, didn't bother with the format or anything, just needed to get the story out. After that I did a short story - it took me - really this is true - a year to write this story 6K words. Writers block? I deal with some serious writers block every day. BUT - now I'm writing a novel, & writing 500-1000 *good* words 6 days a week. It took me 5 years to get to this point. I started at 50 words/day, 4 days a week. As long as I was doing that, and I wrote a complete story - even if it sucked sucked sucked - I could tell myself I was writing. For a couple of stories, I got to these dead ends, where I just make a hack ending, something like, and then Richard's mother called - he had inherited half a million from a forgotten aunt. He paid off the loan shark, and married matilda. Something like that after meandering for 8K words over 3 months. But I gave it an ending. A stupid ending, but what was more important at that stage than the quality was the fact that I was finishing. So, start small, be steady and --- gambatte kudasai
Learn to finish things. Even if they suck.
So, start small, be steady and --- gambatte kudasai
Arigatou gozaimasu!! I shall press on.
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Outline chapter by chapter.
Like where ever you left off in your incomplete outline. Start writing up to that point. Then just outline the next chapter and write from there.
An outline doesn't have to be finished for you to write.
Like where ever you left off in your incomplete outline. Start writing up to that point. Then just outline the next chapter and write from there.
An outline doesn't have to be finished for you to write.
The bolded above clearly identifies the problem.
Write the damn book. You can outline until the sun gets big and red and fries the earth, but that isn't writing. Lots of writers work without any outline at all, including many famous and successful ones. If you're really "extremely passionate" about your ideas, get them down in narrative form. Writing actual narrative prose will generate further ideas that no amount of obsessive planning will do. You have to be extremely passionate about writing, not about ideas or the planning thereof.
caw
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...for some writers.
This is what makes me wonder:
Am I understanding correctly that you have incomplete novels as well as incomplete outlines? If so, I'd guess the problem is the same in both cases.
That may be a situation where you need to just sit down and push through it - write something, regardless of quality, that you can go back and fix later. Or it may be that you're missing some element of story craft that you need to figure out before you can move forward. For me personally, the thing I had to consciously pay attention to was novel structure. (storyfix.com was the source that finally clicked, for whatever reason.) I'd suggest looking at your incomplete works and see if you can identify a common element that's causing you problems, and then look at ways to address that specifically.
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Between storyfix.com and Techniques of the Selling Writer (with a side helping of The Snowflake Method), I felt a huge leap in my understanding of writing and my entire writing world opened up.
/plug
I know of writers who outline the first half of their novel. After that, they usually outline as they go, normally at the beginning of a writing session. Sometimes, if they feel bogged in the boggy middle, they'll break out the outline and work a little on it to get a sense of direction, then keep writing.
Some writers have a bare bones skeleton of an outline. The beginning, the middle, the end and maybe a few candy bar scenes and they write with an eye to hit those milestones and wing the rest, relying on their characters to get them where they need to go.
Many writers use the outline as a basic roadmap but don't cling to it with a deathgrip, realizing that in the writing of their novel, it will take them new, exciting and unexpected places...then adjust their outline accordingly.
Many writers use no outline, a basic idea of what they want to do and just go with it and write.
Many writers sit down with no idea and just write, letting it all unfold in front of them.
Some writers will outline everything and manage to stick with it.
Here's the corker. Sometimes one writer goes through all those phases, depending on the project.
One thing the finished novel has over the incomplete one: it's finished.
Frankly, it sounds to me like an incomplete outline is an incomplete plot. This is not a bad thing! But you are clinging to something that isn't working and it what may need to happen is for you to release it and try something completely different.
You know what they say about the definition of insanity...it's doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.
You are putting a lot of pressure on yourself to perform and most likely evaluate your self-worth based on how you well you'll do. Your mind is then trying to protect you from that huge risk and the threat of your overly ambitious deadline. Your mind has it's foot firmly planted on the break pedal and it likely won't move until you can find some safety.
The cure for this is to be very clear on what you are trying to achieve, check if that is indeed realistic and if it is, start really small. When you have a proper safety net you'll know that the fall won't kill you.
Yes, because we all know how useful an advice Pull yourself together! really is.RobJ said:
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Thanks, everyone. I forgot how to relax and just write. I better get off the Internet and start scribbling. LOL
When I have an idea, I don't really outline too much - a little is okay - too much is stifling.
Think in terms of an unplanned vacation - as long as have a general idea of where you're going ( a goal is not the same as a locked down ending ) you're pretty much free to explore new possibilities. I would suggest brainstorming some happenings but keep it relaxed.
Also just start by jumping into a scene - no exposition - and work from there. What's more exciting? - arriving at a party and being slowly introduced to characters with bland how-do-you-dos
or arriving when that fella-what's-his-face stupidly touched a cigarette to a helium balloon, sparked off a fire ball which set you're girlfiends wiglet on fire?
Think in terms of an unplanned vacation - as long as have a general idea of where you're going ( a goal is not the same as a locked down ending ) you're pretty much free to explore new possibilities. I would suggest brainstorming some happenings but keep it relaxed.
Also just start by jumping into a scene - no exposition - and work from there. What's more exciting? - arriving at a party and being slowly introduced to characters with bland how-do-you-dos
or arriving when that fella-what's-his-face stupidly touched a cigarette to a helium balloon, sparked off a fire ball which set you're girlfiends wiglet on fire?
I had this problem too. I found myself tearing out my hair trying to make everything fit together in a way that made sense! Here's what helped me:
I got a batch of index cards. Starting with the scenes I already knew I wanted to write, I wrote 1 scene per card and set them aside. Afterwards, I counted them. However many I had, I subtracted that number by 60 (just a guess, you can use the number of scenes you think you'll use). The resulting number is the amount of scenes you need. Then, I started writing down ideas for scenes as they came- one per index card once again. The key is DON'T worry about whether or not they will fit into your story or if they are in chronological order. This is just one of those "hey, that would be fun to write" moments. When you have about 5 or so more than you need, put them in with your other scene cards. Then, start laying them out (I usually make 4 coloumns, one for each act of the story. At the bottom of each column you should put the scene of your major plot points). Then, shuffle the cards around and try out some of the new scene cards. You'll be amazed at some of the things you come up with!
Hope this helps
I got a batch of index cards. Starting with the scenes I already knew I wanted to write, I wrote 1 scene per card and set them aside. Afterwards, I counted them. However many I had, I subtracted that number by 60 (just a guess, you can use the number of scenes you think you'll use). The resulting number is the amount of scenes you need. Then, I started writing down ideas for scenes as they came- one per index card once again. The key is DON'T worry about whether or not they will fit into your story or if they are in chronological order. This is just one of those "hey, that would be fun to write" moments. When you have about 5 or so more than you need, put them in with your other scene cards. Then, start laying them out (I usually make 4 coloumns, one for each act of the story. At the bottom of each column you should put the scene of your major plot points). Then, shuffle the cards around and try out some of the new scene cards. You'll be amazed at some of the things you come up with!
Hope this helps
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Money shot. If you continue to leave things half finished you're conditioning yourself to always quit. Take a story, see it from soup to nuts and see how you feel after that
Similar to cmtruesd's suggestion, I work with project management in my daily job, and a lot of it entails maintaining that golden thread from start to finish, but also linking the many, many ideas together into a coherent picture.
Post-its are your friend. What I would do is stick up some brown paper on the wall - and I mean, make good use of an entire wall, and then lay out your four story-lines horizonally, so you have 4 x swimlanes of post-its. The idea is to get everything up, and out of your mind, onto a blank, BIG canvas for you to work on.
You want to do this at a conceptual level - no detailed info in post-its, just high-level descriptions i.e. post-it 1: man goes to store, post-it 2: store held at gun point etc. Your second swimlane can be a seperate story line: post-it 1: police having coffee, post-it 2: police get a call
You want to evaluate each item respective to the item(s) in the next swimlanes. Which should go first. Which event is linked to the other. Which is the precursor? Which has to happen for the other events to occur? You can swop the post-its around depending on what suits you. Linking them is easy - just use a pencil to draw the links.
You can also leave space for blank post-its, and if you are battling to fill those, then dont. Sometimes a story needs gaps as much as it needs to be filled.
Sometimes getting the idea off your computer screen or notepad and onto something like a big board is enough to give you a different perspective on things.
Post-its are your friend. What I would do is stick up some brown paper on the wall - and I mean, make good use of an entire wall, and then lay out your four story-lines horizonally, so you have 4 x swimlanes of post-its. The idea is to get everything up, and out of your mind, onto a blank, BIG canvas for you to work on.
You want to do this at a conceptual level - no detailed info in post-its, just high-level descriptions i.e. post-it 1: man goes to store, post-it 2: store held at gun point etc. Your second swimlane can be a seperate story line: post-it 1: police having coffee, post-it 2: police get a call
You want to evaluate each item respective to the item(s) in the next swimlanes. Which should go first. Which event is linked to the other. Which is the precursor? Which has to happen for the other events to occur? You can swop the post-its around depending on what suits you. Linking them is easy - just use a pencil to draw the links.
You can also leave space for blank post-its, and if you are battling to fill those, then dont. Sometimes a story needs gaps as much as it needs to be filled.
Sometimes getting the idea off your computer screen or notepad and onto something like a big board is enough to give you a different perspective on things.
incomplete outlines are the story of my life!
If we're talking about the kind where you dont know how to get character/events from point a to point b, make notes on what CANT happen and why. Then let those whys shape your plot-even if you know they are placeholders, you can make a checklist on a seperate spreadsheet or whatever, saying "Unsure about plot point X." So you know which to come back and look at later.
Ive been doing some non-linear writing recently to help with this problem. I do feel like Im creating as much work for myself as I am getting done, almost, but I AM getting some ideas out. I wrote a scene from book 2 of a series a few weeks ago that gave me some nice things to think about for book 1; I had created a situation that I must lead up to, and I can use that to fill in a gap I was struggling with, regarding when two characters meet for the first time in book 1.
I know that sounds quite vague, just one of those things... If you can make yourself write non-linearly, even if its just to do a detailed outline of a scene that comes later, you can sometimes answer questions you havent even asked yet
If we're talking about the kind where you dont know how to get character/events from point a to point b, make notes on what CANT happen and why. Then let those whys shape your plot-even if you know they are placeholders, you can make a checklist on a seperate spreadsheet or whatever, saying "Unsure about plot point X." So you know which to come back and look at later.
Ive been doing some non-linear writing recently to help with this problem. I do feel like Im creating as much work for myself as I am getting done, almost, but I AM getting some ideas out. I wrote a scene from book 2 of a series a few weeks ago that gave me some nice things to think about for book 1; I had created a situation that I must lead up to, and I can use that to fill in a gap I was struggling with, regarding when two characters meet for the first time in book 1.
I know that sounds quite vague, just one of those things... If you can make yourself write non-linearly, even if its just to do a detailed outline of a scene that comes later, you can sometimes answer questions you havent even asked yet
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All I can think to say is oh, jeez....
If lack of a complete outline is keeping you from writing, then shuck the outline and just write. The outline is supposed to be a tool to help keep you focused, organized, keep events in their proper timeline, and so on...
But if the outlining process is hindering you from the real goal - which is to write a story (novel, novella, screenplay, short story, etc.) - then the outline has become an obstacle.
Sit down and just write something, anything. Lines of dialogue. A description. An action scene.
Then maybe the outline will gel and you can write it - or maybe not. Maybe you don't need an outline.
Echoing what others have said - if you can't finish an outline, drop it and write the story. Or work with a partial outline. Work with cards that have scene summaries. There are as many methods as there are writers. Keep writing, and try things until you find one that works for this book. Be warned - the next book may need something completely different - but at least you'll have one method that worked to start with.
After I trunked a novel that wasn't going anywhere, I had some issues with finding a working project being I'd keep writing outlines which would stop after writing ideas for a few chapters, numerous for months that would remain incomplete. My Advice continue writing them out to keep the ideas flowing, wait til one ends up complete and obviously that will be the idea to go with. I ended up finding an idea which I am 10,000 words into now therefore I am satisfied with how things worked out in finding the right idea.
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I just realized this is a resurrected thread from last December and the original OP hasn't visited AW since March (2012).
Therefore I am hopeful she is somewhere writing-writing-writing and has fixed her outlining problem.
Therefore I am hopeful she is somewhere writing-writing-writing and has fixed her outlining problem.
I don't think it's true that incomplete outlines end with incomplete novels! Most of the outlines I've begun with are incomplete or at least underdeveloped, and I add to them as I write. I always try to have some notes and a general idea of where I'm going with my stories, but sometimes I can't figure out how everything is going to unfold unless I've already started writing it.
Does this go in here?
I'm not sure if this should be a reply or a new thread all together.
I am an amateur screenwriter trying desperately to finish a mini-series set in the 1880s old west. This idea was inspired by a song so I know for a fact where I'm going with it and where I need to end up.
I've written the first two of four episodes, plus the first act of the third episode but unfortunately the plot died on me and I don't know how I can get to where I need to.
I pretty much know what I want act four of episode three and acts three and four of episode four to be.
Does anyone have any tips on how best I can fill in the unknown acts?
I've tried thinking the next act through completely but I can't get anywhere. I know what I want to do with the next two acts but I can't seem to figure out how to do it.
I'm not sure if this should be a reply or a new thread all together.
I am an amateur screenwriter trying desperately to finish a mini-series set in the 1880s old west. This idea was inspired by a song so I know for a fact where I'm going with it and where I need to end up.
I've written the first two of four episodes, plus the first act of the third episode but unfortunately the plot died on me and I don't know how I can get to where I need to.
I pretty much know what I want act four of episode three and acts three and four of episode four to be.
Does anyone have any tips on how best I can fill in the unknown acts?
I've tried thinking the next act through completely but I can't get anywhere. I know what I want to do with the next two acts but I can't seem to figure out how to do it.
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