Novel outlines

Don't outline unless you need to. Some do, some don't. I don't. I let the story take me wherever it wants to go. The only time I start writing notes is when I'm in the middle of the novel or left it for awhile, and need to remember color of a character's hair or eyes or some little thing that distinguishes him/her in the story. Or something about the location that's important. And if you do outline, you can do it any way you feel comfortable. No publisher of fiction is going to ask you for it, as a teacher might. They'll want to see a good query and/or synopsis and/or first three chapters. Just have fun with your story. Then when you're finished (a few months from now or a few years from now) make sure there's a consistency in characters or scenery. As I said, that's why somewhere along the line, I write a few notes to myself.

For me the outline depends a lot on the particular story; more complex stories need more careful outlining. I've had one novel that I wrote with an outline that I could fit into my head, which just basically involved 4 or 5 phases of the story I knew I would need to work through.

Sometimes I find this approach useful: write a really short outline. Three to six sentences, just giving the broadest possible idea of what your story is about. An example, here's an outline of a novel I'm about to start working on:

* Petra (an agent for a futuristic security agent) is working undercover to expose a terrorist organisation; she discovers that they are planning to steal some military secrets. A mafia-like organisation also want those secrets; wouldn't it be good if we could get them to fight each other over them?
* The terrorists get the secrets, with Petra's help.
* Petra gets the mafia to attack the terrorists, take the secrets back.
* Petra's waiting to take them back from the mafia.
* Something goes wrong.
* Somehow she recovers the secrets.

As you can see, I'm not really very sure about the details. What are the secrets in question? (I'm thinking about a design for a prototype FTL drive) Why do the terrorists want them? What will the mafia do with them? How do we get them from one place to another. What's Petra's precise plan?

But, I don't really need to know all of these things to start writing. What I can do is start -- and then when I've written something that clarifies how a later part of the plot will work, I can expand the outline a little with the new information. If I get to a point where I'm stuck, I'll work on the outline more, because I probably just don't know where to go next (this is why I have outlines really; I find without them I get stuck and spend ages thinking about the next scene, when what I really need to be doing is thinking three or four scenes, or maybe even a few chapters, ahead and putting the stepping stones in that I'll need to reach those scenes...).

So basically, I start with a really simple outline, and expand it as I'm going along.

Outlining

I hate outlining. I find it unnecessary, boring, and plain no fun. But if you do outline, I don't think there is such a thing as a normal way to go about it. I've seen outlines ranging from a few notes on a scrap ofpaper to ones that were as long as the novel.

One "simple" method of outlining is to go chapter by chapter. Simply give yourself one or two paragraphs to outline what will happen in each chapter.

But there is no "normal" way, and I'm sure I've never seen two identical outlines.

I hate character outlines and charts even more, and usually hate characters drawn from such charts. But, again, they come in every conceivable size and shape and level of detail.

I don't know anyone who actually likes to outline. Whether or not you do so is something of a personal choice, I guess. It's a handy skill to master, though.

I do work with an outline of sorts, although it's really more of an in-depth synopsis. I didn't use one for my first published book but I had dozens of hand-scribbled Post-It notes hanging all over the place to keep track of things. When the publisher who bought that book dangled a two-book deal in front of me, I had to throw together an in-depth synopsis/outline of the second book. The second book proved much easier to write with this guide in hand, though I did deviate from the original outline quite a bit as the story progressed.

Subsequent book contracts required similar outlines or in-depth synopses. Otherwise I had to wait until I finished the whole ms to get a contract and advance. It was nice to get paid some money before writing the book.

Now I outline all of my works before I write them (novel length stuff, that is) because it helps me keep things organized. A typical outline runs from 10 - 15 pages, single spaced, and hits on all of the major plot points, characters, and scenes. It's a tedious process at times, but it makes the actual writing process much smoother and forces me to work out potential plot problems before I write myself into an inescapable corner.

To be honest, if I hadn't been forced to do an outline years ago, I'm not sure I'd be using anything other than my Post-It note method to this day.

Good luck with your experiment and have fun with it.

Beth

I won't presume to say whether anyone should use an outline - I'm still experimenting with outlining myself. But as far as I have discovered there are 2 ways of writing an outline, depending on whether you have inspirations for scenes and events, or whether you have inspirations for themes and characters.

In the first case, there are lots of structural templates out there: 3-act, 5-act, 9-act, hero's journey, Dramatica's hybrid 4 signposts/3 journeys thing... all of them are based on Freytag's pyramid. To outline your story you just have to figure out your initial incident, your climax, and any major complications or reversals in between.

In the second case, you are likely to have little or no idea what your major plot points should be. Instead, you may want to figure out how many dynamic characters you have and how each changes over the course of the story and/or what is your thematic argument and how do you make your points over the course of the story until they add up to a conclusion. This will give you the underlying structure or flow of your story, and then you can think of plot events to encode or illustrate what you have to say about your theme and/or characters. (I am this second type of writer, and a combination of the programs Dramatica and Storybase is what I am using to develop my outline.)

Examples from my project:
Character Changes Throughout Story
Madlibbed And Hacked Dramatica Reports
Character And Thematic Synopsis

I'm with the consensus - if you outline is your choice. I don't outline, not a lick. BUT I do take notes about various things I want to be in the book. They may not all wind up in the final draft, but at least I have them on hand if I need them.

I write by the seat of my pants, and sort it all out later. It's fun for me to do it that way, but it may not work for you. How much and what you put into an outline is also your choice. Chapter headings, conflicts, resolutions, yada yada. How much detail you include is up to you.

SunandShadow:

Not to sound like a laundry commercial where I smile and hold up the product, I use DramaticaPro and Storyview, as well, mostly Dramatica. Without some imposed structure I don't think I would have spent the hours developing the outline and plot chart to work from. Other than a teaching tool, that's all I used it for--outlining and charting. I think it was worth the investment, but I wish I were a little more adventurous with it.

I made a rough outline to get me through a tough part of the story. It helped me get writing again. I went for about seven chapters before hitting another block.

I looked back at the outline and realized I'd barely followed it at all. It helped me get going, but the actual writing turned out better. So my advice would be, if it helps you get a clear idea, that's great, but don't look back at it. Just go.

I wrote a first draft by the seat of my pants, and now it's serving as my outline for the second draft. I went back in and pulled out the stuff I want to keep, put it on 3X5 cards (scene by scene), and arranged them in order. Some new things needed to be added to make the transitions from one to the next. The cards are my outline now.

For me it's a system of threes. Everything has a beginning, middle and end. The book, each section, each chapter, even each paragraph is made up of those three things. If I keep that in mind, I get it done.

I really enjoy outlining - I like jotting down notes on what my story's about and where it's going and being able to change direction without having to ditch pages and pages of written story. Plus, it gives me direction when sitting down to write the damn thing!

I start outlining by knowing the beginning of the story and the end of the story, and then I brainstorm like crazy finding out how to get from A to Z. I put my (feasible) ideas onto notecards then stick them all on the wall, moving scenes around as I figure out where everything fits. Last time I did this I also - accidentally - put one story line in a different colour, and that helped me balance the other story elements out well.

Once I had my notecards in the order I was happy with, I transferred them onto the computer, discarding a couple of unenecessary scenes along the way.

I've popped in a couple of new scenes while writing the story, and dropped a couple, but I've found that knowing where the story's going, and knowing I have enough of a story to end up with a novel (rather than something smaller), gives me confidence while I'm writing.

aertep said:

For me it's a system of threes. Everything has a beginning, middle and end. The book, each section, each chapter, even each paragraph is made up of those three things. If I keep that in mind, I get it done.

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For a mathematical demonstration of the power of repeated divisions into threes (the Koch snowflake) and the most extensive system of outlining I've run into yet, check out www.rsingermanson.com. Now, I'm not sure even the creator of the system actually does all of this, but I think it's a good idea to try it and see how far you want to go with it.

An interesting and valuable part of my experience with outlining is that at some point you get bored of doing the outline, and want to get going with the actual draft. And that is a good thing, and will answer your question about how much outlining there needs to be.

Best wishes.

BenMears said:

An interesting and valuable part of my experience with outlining is that at some point you get bored of doing the outline, and want to get going with the actual draft. And that is a good thing, and will answer your question about how much outlining there needs to be.

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Hear, hear. That's one of the benefits of outlining. And when you do get going with your draft, you know which direction you're going in (if I may dangle...)

BenMears said:

For a mathematical demonstration of the power of repeated divisions into threes (the Koch snowflake) and the most extensive system of outlining I've run into yet, check out www.rsingermanson.com. Now, I'm not sure even the creator of the system actually does all of this, but I think it's a good idea to try it and see how far you want to go with it.

An interesting and valuable part of my experience with outlining is that at some point you get bored of doing the outline, and want to get going with the actual draft. And that is a good thing, and will answer your question about how much outlining there needs to be.



Best wishes.

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I feel a bit guilty about Randy Ingermanson. I stumbled across his website a few months ago, and I really liked it. I like what he believes, I like the way he thinks, everything. But I've tried reading two of his novels and I simply couldn't get through them.

Outlining rocks

Meg said:

If anyone wants to show me a sample outline, I'd really appreciate it.

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I posted an example outline here:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/zornhau/7662.html#cutid1

IMHO, outlining rocks, but only if you do it right, which means in a manner which suits you.

I use a system of nested story questions and plot points which I call "Moves". I'm unpublished, but I get good feedback from my crit group, which suggests the system works for me.

However, I'm fairly clear that it would melt the brain and freeze the muse of some of the other posters on this thread.


My attempts to explain my system* are listed here:
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=zornhau&keyword=Writing+Resources&filter=all

*NB System is mine, for me. I've no idea if it works for other people, or even if it will get me published.

YMMV
Z

I don't outline - not at all. The reason being that I have to live the story while writing it, whereas outlining is a very rational, very cognitive process. But I understand some people do outline, and need to. For me, any discussion or the story BEFIRE it is written kills it off - it's as if putting it down on paper draws the sap and the life from it.

However, once it is written and revised several times, i will make a list of each chapter and outline what occurs in each, in a few words. This helps me to ensure that the whole thing holds together in terms of plot developent, character growth, crises and climaxes, etc. If not, I will rearrange scenes to get the order write. It's a rational, cognitive undertaking - and it comes at the very end.

I outline every story, just because I like to know where the road's going so I don't make any wrong turns. My outline are usually about 3 pages long, I just describe a few major things I want to happen, and try to come up with some new ideas. Once I have a plot that should work, and get the main characters sorted out, I dive in. But then again, half the time more ideas come to me when I'm writing than when I'm outlining.

zornhau said:

I posted an example synopsis here:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/zornhau/7662.html#cutid1

IMHO, outlining rocks, but only if you do it right, which means in a manner which suits you.



YMMV
Z

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A synopsis is different from an outline. In a synopsis, you're telling your story in a shortened form, say, three single line pages. An outline is just that; what you did in school when you were taking notes. An outline is usually asked for by a publisher if it's nonfiction that you're writing. So doing an outline is really up to the individual's comfort zone or needs if that person is writing fiction.

stormie said:

A synopsis is different from an outline. In a synopsis, you're telling your story in a shortened form, say, three single line pages. An outline is just that; what you did in school when you were taking notes. An outline is usually asked for by a publisher if it's nonfiction that you're writing. So doing an outline is really up to the individual's comfort zone or needs if that person is writing fiction.

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Yep. Mea culpa. I should have said outline. Have edited post accordingly.
Z

I first started out with my first novel having only a thought, sometimes one word will get me going on a new novel, or a chapter. What follows that may go down in black and white as I progress to the next chapter and there I wait until my brain catches another idea. Now dayzzz I throw ideas down on black and white and write around it, copying and pasting below the story line what I don’t want to forget to add. I could be in the middle of a paragraph and grab an idea and put it below what I’m working on, for later.

As I write this, I may add in below it, “Jerry, don’t forget to take your medicine before hitting the sack.”