Tayari's Blog: do you outline?

Comment #1, by Judy

I have NEVER been able to outline. I love the way you put it -- "rather stick needles in your eyes." My sentiments exactly.

I tried outlining a long time ago, but like you, I don't know what will happen until it does -- while I'm writing. Like visiting a fortune teller, if I know what's going to happen, I will feel forced to make it happen. That results in a less interesting story, and it makes it harder for me to work on it.

Comment #2, by persistence

Whenever I’ve tried to outline it feels like a class assignment. The first draft of a story I wrote actually began as a movie script, which began with a flashback, which at the time, I was told that beginning a movie with a flashback was too cliché. So, I began writing the story as a novel, from the beginning of the story, at which point I already knew the story I wanted to tell. So, I figured an outline wasn’t necessary. The first draft of my second manuscript I wrote the story first, THEN tried to write an outline based on that.

Basically, like you, I like to watch the story unfold, on its own: sort of like life.

Comment #3, by Mr Carter

I'm actually the opposite. Outlining allows me to reel the characters in and not be all over the place with possibility. Before, I was very indecisive about my characters'
motivation. Now it's a much more streamlined process for me.

Comment #4, by Michael Fischer

I've never outlined before a draft, but I've only written short fiction. I might outline pre-first draft when I eventually write a novel, though knowing myself, I will probably only "outline" when I revise. I do use something similar to a "character chart" in a later draft of a story. The one I use was published in that famous creative writing text "What If?" by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter...same sorts of questions: “what are your character’s hobbies, pet peeves, etc. etc.”

Something else I do with later drafts that might be considered a type of “outline” is compose a “story board.” Film producers and directors do this all the time: visually sketch the major scenes of a film, like a comic strip:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboarding

Writers can use this same model, replacing the “visual” with the “verbal.” I compose my story board on index cards; each card contains a major, integral scene, then relates that scene to the story’s overall scope.

Comment #5, by Tinesha

For the novel I'm working on (my first) I did use an outline - simply because I knew the story I wanted to tell - I knew where it went - where it had to go - and where I wanted to end up. Only after I started writing and got to really know my characters did I do a character chart - more so to make sure I knew the characters as well as I thought I did.

For my next book - I'm not sure if I'll use an outline - I know the story I want to tell - I know the premise and message I want it to convey - but I have no idea the road it needs to take to get there. So I may have to just start writing and see where it ends up as long as I keep the premise in mind I think I'll be okay.