Let’s Talk About Outlines

Hello everyone! 

We have just a few days left before November arrives. It’s almost Scorpio Races season, Thanksgiving, Christmas prepping, and for my fellow writers, NaNoWriMo. 

Similar to last year, I’ve decided not to do NaNo this time around, mainly because November is such a crazy month and my writing projects don’t line up super well with the timing. 

But still, the approach of NaNoWriMo has gotten me thinking a lot about the different processes of writing. Lots of NaNo-ing writers have spent October outlining their projects. My mind has been stuck on outlining for a long while, so this week I decided to talk about outlines and the prep before the actual writing shenanigans begin. 

The Writing Process 

There is a basic structure for the writing process. Outline, write, edit, rinse and repeat. It’s a good place to start. But someone’s writing process will differ depending on who they are and how they like to write. There are writers who don’t outline, and there are writers who have a rigorous process of outlining. Everyone has their own way of doing the same thing. 

Discovering your writing process takes a lot of time and experimentation. For some, it might constantly morph into something new. But even though it takes tremendous effort to figure out how you write best, it can set a great foundation for writing stories. 

The Case For Outlines 

Let’s discuss how outlines themselves can differ. When I was younger, I made very brief outlines. I basically figured out what happened in the story, and had a vague idea of how I wanted it to play out. Years later, I’ve now completed an outline that includes a master list of scenes to write. 

For me, a lot of my story ideas stem from one random scene and experience. My ghost story originated from the idea of a ghost wanting to talk to her family. That basically happened in the story, but I added context and characters around it to make the story, well, a story. 

There are some mediums and genres that would rely more on outlines than others. For example, when making a movie and tv show, the whole cast and crew needs to know what is happening. There are storyboards, rehearsals, and plans. But for something like a flash fiction story, a writer wouldn’t necessarily need such a detailed outline for something less than 500 words long.

Writing Quickly

Outlines are meant to help make the writing and editing process smoother. They take a lot of the scattered papers and slight insanity away. 

An average author publishes 1 or 2 books every year. To a reader who is desperately waiting for the author’s next book, that can seem like FOREVER. It kind of is, (especially when you’re waiting for a sequel)

But to a writer, that seems like a very short amount of time. It takes months to write a draft of a novel, and that’s not including editing and more drafting. Somehow, authors write a whole novel, which is compelling and structurally sound, along with being edited and fully polished in less than a year. 

This got me thinking, are there ways writers try to speed up their writing process? I mean, there would have to be if you have to publish books that fast. So let’s take a look at one of the most integral parts of finishing a project fast. *drumroll* (can you guess it?) 

Outlines! 

Outlines can allow you to write a story without actually writing the story. You can figure out how a character gets from their cottage to the castle without having to actually write the scenes and journey. Outlines give a peek into the story before you spend months writing it.

I spent almost the whole summer outlining my ghost story. Granted, I didn’t have a ton of time to work on it, but that is still a very long time to spend on outlining. I took a look at the original short story and just jotted down any and all thoughts. Blech, the first interaction is horrible. Let’s have less focus on driving and creepy wych elm stuff. 

From there, I could pick out the strong parts of the story that I could build my second draft off of. This story is mainly character focused, so I tried to rebuild the characters a bit. Switch some personality traits and add in better backstory. From there, I built the rest of the story around that. 

After I had a general outline, I presented it to some friends for feedback. Then I revised and changed things until I thought I had a strong outline. Having written out a story using that outline, there are definitely weak spots. The story isn’t perfect, but it’s so much stronger than it would have been without my outlining adventures.

Motivation 

Sitting down to write can be challenging. Let’s picture it. A writer opens their computer and opens their story. Maybe they consult an outline, or look at the stuff written before to try to figure out where to go next. But let’s say they quickly get distracted with brothers and plastic trumpets. They come to sit down again, but they still have no idea what to write or where to start. 

In my summertime outlining shenanigans, I decided to try something new and outline each individual scene. I wrote a little about what needed to happen in the scene, and then laid them all out. Now, whenever I sit down to write, I can look at the scene I’m on and have a plan. It’s made my writing time much more productive and super helpful. 

And…. that concludes my ramble on why I think outlines can help a writer along with the insanity that is writing a story. What do you think? Do you like outlines? What is your writing process like? Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a great rest of your day! 

-Hannah

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