To Write Or Not To Write
To Outline or Not To Outline? by Mallory York Ah, the age-old
writer's debate--to outline or not to outline? Outlines have
proven quite effective for a lot of writers, and many of the
famous stories we know and love--such as Star Wars--were
outlined before they were fleshed out into a living, breathing
story. (Well, metaphorically living and breathing, anyway.) But
many of the stories that touched us most--like real-life
experiences--simply happened, no outlining was needed. Some
stories just come to you, while others need some refining before
they're ready to be written. The question is, which one works
best for you? I have always been a 'seat-of-the-pants'
writer--that is, I've just sat down and written most of what I
want to write, without any outlining or prior planning. However,
on several occasions I have actually written detailed outlines
and come up with very rewarding and satisfying pieces of writing
for my efforts. Some people swear that they can't write a single
sentence until they know what the end is going to be. Other
people--like me--are the opposite. They can't write the ending
until they've written the beginning. They have no idea how the
story will end when they type in that first sentence. Some
people even write an outline for each scene, number them, put
them in order and then write them in that order, without
considering which to write first--ending, middle, or climax. For
me, outlining in too much detail takes all of the spontaneity
out of writing. It makes me feel like I've already written the
whole story before when I sit down at the keyboard to start
typing. I know from experience that if I outline scene by scene,
going through every hand motion and every eye motion and every
tilt of the head that my characters are making--it won't be as
new and exciting when I'm doing the actual writing. And I will
get bored. Not being one to outline by trade, I sort of made up
my own outlining style, and it is actually more of a summary
than an outline. For example, I have a 36-page 'outline' for a
novel I want to write. Every time I sat down to write on
it--excited about finishing this story and getting it
published--I would read the first few lines of the outline, try
to start where I left off last time, and fail miserably. The
outline was just too detailed--I felt that it took away all of
the freedom I have as a writer. So I thought it over, and
decided that an outline was just a tool, and we all use tools
differently. Now, if I have an outline at all, I consider it a
"rough draft" of the story, and so I can change things around if
I decide it's better that way. But you're asking, "Do you mean
that the answer to 'to outline or not to outline' is not to?"
Not at all! Outlining works for some people and it doesn't for
others. I believe that everyone should write in whatever style
works best for them. If you find yourself at a dead-end in your
creativity (sometimes known better as 'writer's block') you
might want to examine what an outline means to you. If you
usually outline and now find yourself at a dead end, try
spontaneously writing something--without an outline. Anything
will do. Write random scenes and keep them all in a folder or
journal to read later--who knows, one might even inspire a new
story for you. For those who usually write spontaneously and are
at a dead end, perhaps you should experiment with outlining. I
used to swear I would never outline. But when I gave in and
tried it, I did get some good results. If the outline seems too
rigid, you might try what works for me--which is to put less
detail into the outline. I have a very detailed writing style,
so it's natural for me to want to note every little thing in the
outline. But that was a mistake. I've learned to write the
outline with just enough detail so that I will know what will
happen, when and how, and then move on to the actual
story-writing. So the answer to 'to outline or not to outline?',
at least as far as I'm concerned, is 'to outline--loosely, and
only if it works well for you.? In closing, here are some tips
for writing a more flexible outline: 1) Keep it simple. You
don't need to write the outline with perfect grammar and
punctuation, or from your point of view character's perspective.
Remember, this is just a generalized guide. 2) Try not to get
too detailed about what happens in any one particular scene.
Just figure out where they are in the beginning ('They're
slogging along the roadside in the rain.') and where they are at
the end ('They finally decide to stop and rest, so they make a
tent out of the umbrella and blankets and go to sleep') and fill
in the blanks when you actually write the scene. 3) Write it in
present tense. That seems to make it easier to feel more in the
immediate "now" of the story, and seems more natural to me. Even
though I always write in past tense in my stories (present tense
actually annoys me in stories, but that's just my preference I
guess) I always write my outlines in present tense. The outline
seems more immediate and real when written in present tense, and
helps me stick with it and develop the outline all the way to
the end of the story. I suppose you could write your outlines in
whatever tense you like, but this is just another way to
distinguish the real writing of the story from the
outline-writing. 4) Enjoy yourself. A writer's mood translates
through in their word choice, so if you're writing humor but are
actually feeling angry, the funny story may seem a little
forced. While not always true--I frequently write angst and sad
stories even though I'm generally happy--the truth is that if
you don't enjoy writing your stories, what was the point? And if
your answer was 'money', perhaps you should try a different
profession and just pursue fiction writing as a hobby. Happy
scribblin'! Mallory York