Does anyone use a Outline?

Sometimes I try. I'm working at getting better at using them but it's been an uphill climb for me.

For long works, yes. I really need to establish goals and effects character have on the novel in a whole. It helps me stay on track but if something comes along that feels more enticing I'll revise it to suit the current mood.

Pike

I created an outline for my current WIP but I did not really stick to it all that well.

I create one afterwards so I can keep up...

I don't use one, but I think it's always worth trying to see if it works for you. There are also all different types. One type of outline might work for you, another might not.

Btw, and I say this only because we're all writers and we're here to improve, you should correctly say "an outline." Since "outline" starts with a vowel, you need to use "an" instead of "a."

I outline in my head. Which doesn't work so well when I forget things. Which defeats the purpose of outlines I guess.

I guess what I'm saying is I more or less know what my story's going to do but I'm open to change.

Yes. Keep in mind, the outline for my current novel consists of only 9-10 bullet points.


ETA: Moved from Novels to BWQ.

I am uber outliner woman.

My current project has many layers of outlining.

* Determining amount of books and overall story
* Getting beginning and end of each book worked out
* Spew outline for first book, i.e. spew out the story into a file
* Scene by scene outline for first book
* Expand scene outline with plot, character, and theme emphasis
* Detailed scene outline (sometimes)
* Write novel

Yes, I'm insane. But if I don't do most of these steps, I can't write. I'm exactly the opposite of people who say they lose interest in a story if they do any kind of outlining. The more I outline, the more I want to write the story. I have to know where I'm going and what I'm doing. And yes, even with all that planning, I still get surprised by what happens in my scenes.

I've actually tried the organic method, i.e. sit and write. Doesn't work for me. More power to those it does work for. So please, no "OMFG I can't write like that" responses. It's ok. I'm just insane with my detail work.

There is no one true way. Take what works and run.

I do. Sometimes I have very detailed outlines; sometimes they are looser. And even when I have a detailed one, I may end up deviating from it somewhat as I go through the book. But I find it helpful to know the emotional arcs, the plot points and the basic pacing of what I'm about to do.

Outlining doesn't work for everyone, but if you feel drawn to it, definitely give it a try. It works for me.

I just let it happen. There are so many possibilities, I can't afford to lose a chance for better things by placing a straight-jacket around my imagination. I have a general idea in my mind, of course. That's why I eat green veges - to try to put off the onset of alzheimers!

Always, for novels. I learned the hard way that jumping feet first into a novel and just writing is fun and exhilarating, but the results are not as good for me as they are when I outline. The novel doesn't always stick to the outline, but the outline provides a structure and a scaffolding for it.

Personally, no. I've tried and it just doesn't work for me. You should give it a shot, though! What works for any of us may not work best for you. Everyone's mind works so differently.

-Kim

I've tried in the past, mainly because everyone (the books, friends, family) all said I should. I've found, I think, that I really can't write with an outline--it's a little too structured for me. What I did instead was to write my hook for the book first and identify what makes it different from the other books in the genre. However, I'll probably do a scene-by-scene outline on the book after I finish it. This was something I saw at a workshop, and it might help with identifying problems during the rewriting process.

This is the scene by scene outline, if anyone is curious: http://www.margaretfisk.mmfcf.com/writing/writing_tools.html It's an Excel file.

Also worth looking at is The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall. It has a step-by-step procedure for writing a book, including an outline. It might not be for everyone, but I found that I still got things out of the book anyway.

This is a frequently asked question. I'd suggest you do a search.

I hate outlines and haven't done one since forced to in school.

Hi Carimel,

For every person who uses an outline there will be another who doesn't. If you find it works for you, use it. If it doesn't....

Carimel said:

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone uses a outline before they start writing. I have been thinking about using one because it might be helpful. I was just wondering everyone's input? Thanks!!!

Click to expand...

For larger projects, I do. Then, that outline is converted into a working table of content. I write non-fiction, so I'm thinking that might be easier to transpose than with fiction work. I use them when outlining goals and lists of things I want to accomplish from month to month also.

I write fiction, and mostly short stories. Sometimes I create a proper outline, but more often I just jot down a few ideas on a scrap of paper. I also do a lot of brainstorming, though, which sometimes ends up more like an outline than anything else.

Give it a try if you want. If it doesn't work for you, just scrap it. Every writer's different.

My outline is done using a 36x36 piece of paper tacked to the wall with brief chapter outlines about the action, plot, characters involved, scenes, etc. I like my storyboard technique because I can easily see the flow.

I use outlines. Just how detailed depends on the project. And they are never set in stone. If I get a better idea about the direction something should take I write a big "OR" beneath the current outline and set out the new storyline.

For me an outline just helps me keep track of where I'm going for those points when I get really frustrated/blocked. It also means that when I get a good idea for part of a chapter I haven't reached yet I don't have a problem sketching it out because I know that I won't forget where I'm at or how to get from there to the later stuff.

However, the end section of my outline tends to be much more vague. Then as I get closer to finishing I'll flesh it out more. That helps keep me from working on the outline so long I lose interest in the story.

I always have a detailed scene-by-scene outline before I start writing. It never occurred to me in the beginning to even try to do it any other way (later I did try to write a book without an outline. One of these days I'm going to make sense out of that 15,000 word mess I ended up with as a result). Without a detailed outline I will write in hopeless, meaningless circles until I'm both nauseous and dizzy.

A lot of the story elements other people work out during the first draft I work out during the outlining, which is one reason my first drafts require so little revision when I finish. For me, writing the outline makes me more excited about the story, rather than less. I'm still frequently surprised by how scenes end up turning out, and I always end up changing some parts of the outline to match with unexpected turns the story takes. I always joke that I can't think and write at the same time, so all the thinking has to have already been worked out before I start.

That's just how I do it. Some people are happy with a one page general outline, and others do best with no outline at all. Try the different approaches, then do whatever works for you. I think the key to using an outline successfully is to not treat it as a set-in-stone path that the story must never deviate from.

(I will say that I don’t think doing a detailed outline means more work. The time I spend outlining is more than saved during revisions.)

Yes. And it expands as I write. Some things also get deleted. If I didn't use an outline, there's no way I could keep up with all the events of a 300 page story.

Only when I'm coloring with my crayons.