The Perfect Outline Trap & A New WIP

I have been going on about how much I like a proper outline, and what wonders it has done for my no holes WIP that I am currently editing. I still hold to that. But I have also discovered a pit-fall, from rather painful, time wasting experience.

For several months now, I have been working on an outline. Granted, I worked on more than one WIP, deciding which one to work on. But it was taking longer than I had anticipated, because what I wanted was a completely detailed outline. I know the beginnings, I vaguely know the endings, but I don't know everything that would happen in the middle, and how it would all be tied together. I was hoping to sort that out in the outline.

I was aware that while I was doing this, of course I wasn't writing. I told myself, that's okay. I need to spend some time on the outline, so story will be better for it from the beginning. So I carried on. But after two months, and not much to show for it, I see how much time I have wasted. Two months of not writing new words - that's not exactly an ideal writer, is it? At least, it is not for me.

So the wake-up call came, as it often does with me, abruptly. The thoughts usually marinate, niggle in my head for a while, and then one day - BOOM! I realise what the hell I have been doing. And need to do something about it.

I made the decision to start writing. Now. Start with whatever fragmented plans I have, and work on it as I go. Even if it means writing a Draft Zero, doing an Outline, and then rewriting it. It doesn't matter. What is important is writing, because only by writing, I can discover and improve on my processes. Theories are all very well, but without application, I cannot know what I have learned.

So I started my new Fantasy WIP on the 1st of March. (See the word-counter to the right) It's going to be a part of my March Writing Challenge. And I look forward to discovering what this process teaches me. But now that I have started writing, the thrill of discovering what happens is back, and I am kicking myself for waiting so long to start a story!

What about you? Do you spend months and months without new words, or are you always writing something? Does editing, planning, etc. take over creating new stories?

Conundrum, Confusion, and Some More Conundrum

Okay, so I was just being a tad dramatic with the title, because all those Cs sounded very nice. But the confusion is all too real.

Remember that post about selecting a new WIP - between Urban Fantasy or Science Fiction? And the end result of that was yet another Urban Fantasy which was suddenly and unexpectedly born. So I started brainstorming, outlining that. And you know what, I love it. I've got characters. I've got main storyline - though not all the scenes. 

But you see - when it comes to new WIPs, I have this major problem. I have TOO MANY choices. And it doesn't help that I am amazing at logically arguing myself in or out of a story. It would be okay if I argued on one side - but I have good reasons for all sides, and that makes making a decision hell of a thing. Even worse, it's a nightmare after the decision is made, and I have more amazing reasons for why I should work on something different. 

So now I think....I have made a decision. And I am telling myself that I am going to stick to it. (I won't tell you what just yet - because let me wait a bit and see what I end up writing). 

But here is the question - have you got a problem of too many choices? How do you decide what to work on next? 

Post-It Outline for New Wip & Rejections

This could be called "notecarding" but I am using post-its, because I can stick them in a notebook or a sheet of paper. Just a matter of convinience, and I have pretty colourful post-its. Anyway, to the point... I did a partial post-it outline for a science fiction WIP but never got around to finishing it, so I have started the process for my new Bristol Fantasy WIP. My brainstorm doodles usually end up all over the place, which is why I usually outline on the computer since it's easier to get things together. Or if I write things down, I transfer them consistently. So why post-its? Because while my last WIP outline was very helpful, I realised that I wanted more details. For this outline, I want to try to make sure all subplots are included, all important scenes are included, and in a consistent manner. This is also slightly tricky one because this story will be from first person POV, so while my brainstorm tells me somethings are going to happen - those things happen away from the MC's sight, so when including them in my outline, I need to incorporate them differently. So the post-its are ideally going to be scene by scene. One post-it will include details of one scene. Everything just as it would happen in the book from MC's POV. None of the background information, or how things might occur elsewhere. I intend this to be a straightforward outline which could give me the gist of the story at a glance, so I will know whether I have got everything or at least most things covered or not. Because I know that brain doesn't always cooperate with answers when you ask questions, I have got two colours. All the main scene points will be written on green post-it pads. Then any other ideas that might come to me for those particular scenes will go on orange-pad, so I can then decide what to include and how to arrange everything. So orange will be like a sub-outline for the main green outline. It is quite exciting brainstorming this novel - well it's always exciting brainstorming novels, but this one is just so much fun. I am really having to restraint myself from starting the first draft. But I won't do it. I am determined to have a satisfactory outline before starting the first draft. But hopefully, it won't be too long. AND for some bad news... Two flash fiction rejections in one day. Seriously, I submitted weeks ago and both magazines decided to send their emails on the same day. I am not that surprised because as you are all aware I am not a fan of short stories. But since I did make an effort to write several short stories and flash fiction for my WB course, I figured I should at least make decent effort to submit it to various places. Still, it's depressing to receive those rejections. :(

Stage One of the Writing Process: Brainstorming / Outlining

I have combined brainstorming and outlining in one stage, because even though pantsters might find it difficult to believe, outlining is a creative process. Before you huff and puff in protest, let me explain. Up until NaNo Novel in 2009, I was a pantster, and now I am a firm outliner, so I have been on both sides of the fence. Writing has always been the method of learning and remembering for me, and a way to develop ideas. When I was in school, if I needed to memorize things for exams, instead of just reading it, I would write it down over and over again. Even now, the things I write down become more solid memories even if I never look at them again. So when I am brainstorming a story, I write down those thoughts. Of course, like most people, I have creative flashes in random places at random times. But if I attempt to do conscious brainstorming, I can’t do it just by thinking, because my mind is far too susceptible to distractions. For example, if I decide to brainstorm when say taking a shower or walking somewhere – I start thinking about my story, and then a few moments later, I have moved on to something else. Having pen and a paper at hand, keeps me firmly grounded on my subject. From Scribbles to Skeleton Once I have all the scribbles and I feel that I am familiar enough with the story and the characters, and generally have a feel for the book, it’s time to consolidate the scribbles into a skeleton outline. Skeleton outline is a step up from brainstorming, but it is still very much a provisional document. In my skeleton outline, I write down bullet points of things that happen, in the order that they would happen in the book. The length of this outline depends on how much I know about the story at this stage. For example, currently I am trying to decide which book I will write next. I have two options. For one of them I have a skeleton outline that is 4000 words, and for the other one I have a skeleton outline that is 600 words. I have spent far longer with the former idea so it makes perfect sense that I know more about that story. I prefer to move on to my skeleton outline as soon as I have major facts of the story, because that gives me the foundation, around which I can build my story. For example, say I know about two scenes that will happen. The MC will be run over by heroine’s car The MC will escape from the hospital Those two scenes are the foundation. And here is where the creativity in outline comes in. Now, I get to brainstorm some more and think about where and how MC got hit by the car. Did he already know the heroine? Is this their first meeting? Whose fault was it? Did she stick around to take him to the hospital? Why did he escape? Was he hiding something or did he have to be somewhere? How would the heroine feel about this? You get the idea. So now, I am brainstorming, but in a slightly structured manner. I am brainstorming for specific answers. The more questions I ask, the more answers I get, and my outline becomes all the more deeper for it. Sometimes though, I get endless parade of questions and not many answers. But that’s okay. It just means that I need to spend some time at that stage. From Skeleton to Skin Okay, we have got the skeleton. But that ain’t pretty. So now we need to gloss it up with shiny skin. This is the time to add more details. This is where I make sure that entire plot makes sense, and there are no plot holes. This is where all subplots must be tied up. This, in theory, should be the preliminary version of synopsis that you might one day send to an agent. Every single scene that is supposed to happen in the story is recorded in the correct order. If my story is going to be in two parts, then my outline will be in two parts. This is the pencil sketch, over which you will paint your pretty picture. Once I have this, I revise it. Yup, revise the outline. Make sure it all makes sense. That's not to say that it's perfect. In my NaNo novel, I found I had left one subplot hanging after all. But it's still a damn sight better than any other book I have written without an outline. Skin can be Modified So we have got the revised outline. It's all neat and tidy, probably printed off, and looks so formal and final. Except that it isn't. That outline, despite all the work and thousands of words, is still just a map. It is the provisional sketch of a story I intend to write. It tells me facts. It tells me this will happen, and that will happen. But it doesn't show me how all of that will happen. Nor does it make me feel what my hero is feeling. That's what the writing is for. When I start writing, despite the outline, despite knowing what every single scene is going to be, it is still a creative process. Because now, I am trying to tell a story. Now, I am trying to bring a character to life that I want my readers to love. Now, I am trying to make the world that is my own creation, be the kind of place that other people might want to live in. Now, I am trying to use the power of the words. In doing so, it might happen that something changes; a plot might go off in a different direction that I had planned. And that is okay. When those changes occure, I automatically change the outline. Depending on its significance, I might or might not change the actual physical outline (if I am in the middle of writing, I don't want to step out of that process), but I will be aware of that alteration, and will reflect in all the coming scenes. You may ask, what's the point of wasting time on the outline if you end up with changes anyway? I firmly believe that if I have spent enough time brainstorming and outlining, chances of major plot changes are quite slim. Because by spending considerable time during this first stage, I have already gone through many variations of the story. I have already considered the possibilities and decided what I liked best. By not hastily jumping into the first draft, I have given the story a chance to float in my mind and become more concrete. The Moral of the Story Is... Only you can decide what works for you. You just need to experiment and find out. But for me, a combination of organised outlining with creative brainstorming is the all important first step. I suppose outline is the tunnel through which my creativity can be focused into a coherent storyline. Without that tunnel, the creative juices simply tumble into the sea, all over the place and I have to swim around and gather them together.

Three Stages of the Writing Process

I have been writing for a good few years, and I have written several books left at various stages from outlines to second or even third drafts. But it was only since last year that I got serious about taking writing as a career and not just a vague dream or a hobby. So since last year, I have been examining my processes, and trying to find what works for me. When I was writing my first draft of this book last November for NaNo2009, I had a pretty solid plan in mind. Finish the book, edit for two-three months, start submitting. Solid plan. Or not, as it turned out. While I was getting frustrated with POV decision and daunted by editing, I realised that deadlines are meaningless if they don’t produce good result; they are also meaningless if they are unrealistic. That’s when I started to think consciously about the whole process of writing a book, from thinking of an idea to finish the final edits and polish and declaring it ready for submission. That brings me to… Three Stages of the Writing Process 1. brainstorming / outlining 2. writing 3. editing This will be a three part post starting tomorrow where I will talk about these three stages, as I see them. I hope you will find something useful in them, and I look forward to hearing your opinions/experiences about these three stages as you see them. Disclaimer: All opinions and views are subject to change with experience.

Outline Angst

I discovered after several years of hassle that I am an outline person. A good, solid outline makes not only the whole novel writing enjoyable for me, but also gives me a better result at the end. With my last novel (NaNo Draft), I also came up with a method that works for me. So when I decided to start outlining for a new project, I figured it was no big deal. I knew exactly what I was doing. It would be a piece of cake. Well, more like a piece of plastic cake that you can't eat, as it turned out initially. There is nothing wrong with the outline bit. The problem was me. Initially I brainstorm, and in the process I know how some things are going to happen. But even before the brainstorm the idea would have had been in my brain, and I would have a general plot in mind. I started outlining along with brainstorming. What I ended up doing was writing beginning of the outline millions of times. Because I would start doing it, and when I started, I started from beginning. In one session, I didn't get very far. This happened for quite a while. Also, outlining properly means answering hard questions as to how exactly certain things are going to happen. Well, I don't know at this stage how everything is going to happen, so I went off again to something I did know. For a good few weeks then this went on, madness without method, and not much to show for it at the end. Then I decided to do NaNo in February. Here I must interject: Nothing like NaNo to get things moving. At least that's the case for me. As soon as I made that decision, I thought if I don't get that outline sorted I won't be able to start NaNo on time. So then yesterday I started with plain, old fashioned method. I took several empty sheets of paper and a pen, and began to write from the beginning what happens. There are still things I don't know, major questions that need to be answered, but this time, I do not allow myself to go back. It's just like writing a first draft. First, you must get to the end. What I am now doing is going from beginning to end with the things I do know, and where I don't know how or what I write things like - "he does something and something happens". My favourite words are "something" "stuff" "somehow" - yup, very creative. But in one day I made more progress than I made in weeks. I haven't suddenly learned a great deal of information. This information was already in my head from brainstorming and from thinking about the book, but I simply wasn't working methodically enough to finish the outline. I let myself get distracted by things that needed to be sorted, questions that needed to be answered, before making sure that what I knew was going to happen made sense. This is merely the first draft of the outline. I call it my "skeleton outline". Once that is complete, then I will go back and try to fill in the gaps about things I don't yet know. But at least by that stage, I will have a general idea of the whole story and how everything is supposed to fit as a whole, and more importantly I won't be fed up of the beginning by going over it again and again. So there you have it - even outline has creative issues.

Slow Steps Towards NaNo

I am still working on my outline. My experience with outlines is fairly new. In fact, before this one, I only completed one full outline, and even that was not totally prior to writing a draft, so I am still figuring out what kind of outlines work best for me. Having written several first drafts without planning, I now firmly believe that planning ahead and outlining properly is the way to go for me. The reason being that gaping holes in the first draft after it's supposedly finished demotivate me a lot, because then I am usually forced to rewrite from scratch. So I am definitely in favour of outlines now. But with this outline, I aim to do better. Usually when there are hard questions in plot somewhere that I don't know the answer to, I leave them and hope that when I write the first draft, things will just sort themselves out. Most of the time they don't, or if they do, by then I have written considerable amount already. So with NaNo outline, I am planning to have all the important questions answered. I know some people worry that outlining in detail might take away the excitement and creativity from the first draft. Personally for me, that is not the case, because an outline is just that - a list of things that will happen. The first draft is when you put the list together, and turn it into a story. The outline does not have all the details of the draft; it doesn't have quirks and habits of characters; it doesn't have a soul. The outline is just a guideline, a map to get you to the destination you want to get to. So I continue to mark my map. What's important to you in your outline?

Working from Outline

It is the first time I have started a novel draft after completing almost full outline. So far I have found it to be a positive experience. Without outline, I usually wrote whatever scenes came to mind, which was fine in terms of inspirational writing, but caused a havoc when it came to putting everything together. Finding gaping holes in a middle of the story is the worst thing, and I usually end up re-writing the whole thing from scratch, so having a direction from outline, I know where I am supposed to go next. No doubt, there will be some changes, and there are things that can't be worked out in outline so they might change the story, but I believe that having an outline is still a very good, crucial step. One just has to remember that it is just an outline, not something set in stone. So if needs to change, then it should. Do you create outlines for your books? Or do you find you work best without them?

Outline Complete

The idea for this particular novel came to me about a year ago. I did a lot of planning, wrote random scenes. Last week, I decided to sort out my outline and start a proper first draft from scratch. Over the weekend I did the outline. When I thought I was almost done, I remember I had taken notes so got the notes out from mountains of books. Just looking at it, I was totally overwhelmed by the sheer amount of notes and various scenarios I had written. Somehow, over the year, I had forgotten just how much detail I had come up with. Anyway, managed to go through a lot of it, and the world came alive and kicking again in my head. So finally, today I have finished the outline at 6,951 words. It is by no means full of all details; there are still a few important things which will have to sort themselves out as I write, but at least now I think I have a consistent enough plot to properly start a first draft. I am excited and quite nervous, because this is the first methodical first-draft I am planning to write, as oppose to my usual haphazard methods. So hoping for the best....if this works then I might actually turn into an organised writer.

Importance of Outline

I have learnt the importance of outline hard way. When I first started a novel, many years ago, I started writing whatever scenes came to my mind. That is the approach I used up until recently. It worked in terms of the scene that just happened to land smoothly in my brain, but eventually I would find all these unfinished pieces of work with gaping holes in the middle.

What happened when I tried to fill those holes? I either had to change other information in completed scenes, or the holes remained because I didn't know how to bridge the gap from one scene to another.

Finally, I learnt my lesson. Inspirational writing is all very well, and I still adhere to it. But now, I keep a seperate file called, "Misc. Scenes" where all these random scenes go. If they happen to fit in the outline, great.

I am still polishing this approach, trying to streamline my outlines, because I often find that once I get an idea, they start running wildly. And before I know it, I have more information than I can put in a book.

So now the next step - a very hard step - is to slowly write outlines for half-completed novels, ideas, and then I will most likely have to rewrite everything. But better to do it right then to produce less than what I am capable of.