Apr 06 2008
Outlining Works For Me
The first draft of my novel, Mija, is thisclose to completion. In between writings, I brainstormed ideas for my next book. Since this blog chain is about New Beginnings, I decided to post about the writing process and the beginning stages of a new novel.
Before I started writing Mija, I wrote a loose outline. I wanted to see how an outline would affect my writing process and the end result. The following is what I discovered:
When stuck on a chapter, I simply chose another to start working on. Since all the scenes were created in advance, the fact that I could delve into a different chapter kept my momentum going. This drive, eliminated writer’s block because there was another focal point in the book that I could turn my attention to. In addition, when using an outline, writing out of sequence kept the novel organized. In the past, when I wrote organically, every time I wrote out of sequence bits and bits of various chapters were misplaced. You should see my NaNo novel. It’s a mess in terms of organization. So much so that I dread revisiting it.
Creating an outline also helped with catching discrepancies or scenes that didn’t belong in the book. I anticipate this will save time in the editing process because there will be limited scenes that need to be rewritten due to inconsistencies. In addition, since my writing time was focused, I’m expecting that only a small amount of scenes will hit the trash bin because each scene was written with a specific purpose in mind.
Though perfection is hardly possible when writing a first draft, an outline has helped in creating a first draft that reads as good as a second or third draft.
Every writer is different. There is no right or wrong way to approach writing a novel, but I think I’m an outlining type of gal.
What works for you? Organic writing? Outlines? Any specific tips you can offer in either approach?
Up next is Polenth’s Quill.
Psst, insert a space in between “this” and “close” before everyone else starts reading this.
LOL…that wasn’t a mistake…thisclose means I’m closer than this close.
I have just “finished” my current novel and it evolved over seven years. Usually, I begin writing because a character begins to speak to me. Sometimes I begin based on a newspaper article or I see someone walking down the street and wonder who they are. I have no idea where it’s going to go so an outline doesn’t work until I’ve written and written and think I know where I’m going. That said, often things happen when I’m writing - new characters appear, subplots emerge - that I hadn’t anticipated and I simply work them in and the novel goes in a slightly different direction. If I stuck to a rigid outline, I wouldn’t be able to take advantage of these unexplainable moments, I would never go down the untrod path and I think my writing would be too rigid and the writing wouldn’t be much fun. I did do a general outline - at some point, I knew how I wanted the novel to end, I knew her background, but as for the rest, I just had to wait and see what would happen.
FreshHell,
I wonder how it feels to work with a rigid outline.
If anyone uses a rigid outline, please let us know how it works for you. There are some writers that write sixty page outlines. My outline was a page and a half.
I think, if I ever write a book, I’ll be using an outline form. I tend to get lost along the way, if I don’t have some kind of map.
When I write it is usually organic, but I rarely write anything terribly long…
I always write orgainically but this has a down-side to it, as I never really know my endings until I get there. That means I always have to go back and lay the appropriate groundwork to get it to flow correctly.
My new book (Mars) is the first novel that I’ve outlined and I think it will help. I never thought about writing out of order, as my outline isn’t **THAT** detailed. I don’t know if my scenes last 1, 2, or 3 chapters. I guess this book will kinda be a hybrid. We shall see.
My work in progress is coming along VERY slowly due to the fact that for this one, I don’t have an outline (and I usually use one). I’m writing this one organically at the moment because at the moment, I actually have no idea where I’m going with it. I’m pressing on anyway, though, because I figure better to write something that I don’t know where is going than to write nothing at all
My modus operandi is different depending on what I’m doing. Right now I’m mostly writing nonfiction — I’m finishing up a book-length dissertation and looking ahead to turning it into a book. This is the first thing I’ve ever written that is anywhere near this long (I’m guessing it will end up at around 600 pages or so). I had to arrive at my methodology gradually, but I’ve learned that I need to simultaneously think of the whole work as one big thing and the individual chapters as discrete, more manageable units. To that end, I began by outlining the whole project. I then jumped in in the middle, where I felt like starting. Then I’d just start writing. As I finished a chapter, I’d outline it retroactively — I use the one sentence per paragraph method. I find this incredibly helpful with writing longer works. It helps keep me from inadvertently repeating myself and it helps me relate chapters more easily to the whole. I’d make any adjustments I thought needed making right away, and then I’d move on to the next chapter. When I had most of the chapters sketched out this way, I went back and rewrote the original outline to reflect changes that had written themselves in. Then I grouped the chapters by subject area, monkeyed around with the order, and began rewriting, this time in order from beginning to end. By alternating between a sort of organic writing approach and a more structured outline, I feel I get the benefits of both fluidity and also the kind of organization that is imperative for useful scholarly work. My next large project may end up being a novel. I’ve set it aside until I finish my current task, but I’ve written a summary and a very, very basic outline. I will probably jump in and start writing when I get the chance and see where it takes me. But I will also probably write some brief character sketches first, to get to know the people I’ll be writing about. Wow, that was long-winded. Sorry!
I write in a random order. I often have some idea of the ending, and I might write it first. Or I might write the middle first. It all works out in the end.
Being somewhat new to writing, I have only written organically. After reading your post and the comments, I may try writing an outline before I continue my WIP.
I didn’t do an outline for Meet the Larssons (current novel in progress), although I did bang out about five pages of notes right before I started. It has grown organically, although I do have some idea where it’s going. Since it is mainstream/commercial fiction rather than genre fiction, I feel like I have a little more room to be flexible.
What a fascinating exchange. Every writer is different indeed. Personally, I can’t imagine despite all creative writing class lessons to the contrary, to put together an outline. Like FreshHell, sometimes thoughts just pop into my head from something I’ve ready or someone I’ve met, and the story progresses from there. I don’t really want to know the ending, the story will write itself and will end accordingly. Outlines seem restricting to me.
I sometimes outline, but since I mostly write non-fiction the story is already completed, it writes itself from memory, steers off into other places and at end I find it fascinating or crap, and THEN I make an outline. Ha, that’s funny. Never realized I do that. Excuse me, Livin, you may want to add a g to that. LOL
I start with notes. I also start with cultural products if there’s an historical element. Mostly, though, I start with characters and it’s their interaction with my notes that turns into a plot. Sometimes I get reall curious false starts from this method and I know that an outline would be easier, but I love my characters and I’ve been an addict of 6/4 notecards since I was 17. You don’t want to know how old I am now, but let me reasssure you, 17 was a long while ago.
Diane, your last sentence…LOL too much.
Everyone, I’ve heard some writers say that outlining depends on the project and it’s not a matter of personal choice for them. That makes sense. Someone I know swore never to outline. And then three days ago started an outline for a WIP that has gotten stale (you know who you are
)
I’ll also use myself as an example. I started Mija with a loose outline and in the midst of writing, I wrote a chapter organically. Zero notes. And I didn’t know I was going to write the chapter until it called to be written. So I wrote it.
[…] Time is leading this month’s Absolute Write Blog Chain, and our theme is new beginnings. Auria Cortes posted about the beginning stages of writing a new novel, and Polenth at Polenth’s Quill […]
For the most part, I write organically. I don’t outline chapters per se but I make notes on everything. Outlining after the fact seems like a more feasible thing for me to do in order to keep everything together but at the moment, I write linear anyway, it’s just a matter of remembering detail from one chapter to the next in order to keep it consistent.
I’ve never outlined in advance simply because I don’t have enough information to work with. I know bits and pieces and I have a point in the story where I know I want to get to but I like being surprised by my own work so I just let it flow.
[…] Auria Cortes Polenth’s Quill Unfocused Me Spittin’ (out words) Like a Llama Food History Fantastical Imagination Life In Scribbletown For The First Time Polyamory From the Inside Out Livininsanity Spynotes A Wayward Journey Virtual Wordsmith […]
[…] is spring and new beginnings. The responses have been all over the map. So far we have addressed the process of beginning a novel, learning 3d design, rebooting your life, taking breaks, fasting, spring allergies, the wonders of […]
[…] Auria Cortes Polenth’s Quill Unfocused Me Spittin’ (out words) Like a Llama Food History Fantastical Imagination Life In Scribbletown For The First Time Polyamory From the Inside Out Livininsanity Spynotes A Wayward Journey Virtual Wordsmith […]