Quick Outlining Tip
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Although I started out with a pretty antagonistic relationship with outlining, I've learned to both make my peace with it and to find ways to make it work for me.
The nice thing is that we can customize our outlines to make them more useful. Sometimes this means having just a bullet-pointed list of where the story is going next. Sometimes it means sketching out entire scenes throughout the book.
I write five or six in-depth outlines every year. Each time I've tried to make them more useful to me when I'm using them. They're supposed to function as tools, after all, and figuring out ways to make them work harder for me is definitely worth it.
My latest discovery is that I can use my outline to help me move faster through the toughest scenes for me to write. My toughest scenes vary. They used to be endings, for instance. Now, for two out of my three active series, the toughest things to write are my transition scenes and my subplots.
Whatever the area of concern is, I make sure to focus on it while creating my outline. For transition scenes and subplots, for instance, I'll first brainstorm possible subplots and tie-ins to the mystery, then I'll add them in as much detail as possible in the outline.
This helps in a couple of different ways. For one, it helps me move faster through my manuscript. If I know I take twice as long writing those scenes, an outline really helps me move quickly through it. For another, it gives me confidence that I won't run into time-consuming issues when I start to write. That confidence ensures that I'll be eager to open up my laptop the next day and start another writing session.
For more on how I use outlines, see:
Lengthening a manuscript in a meaningful way.
Using them as cheat sheets before speaking to a book club.
Do you outline? What's your process for planning a book?
Using Outlines to Help With Your Problem Areas:
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Image by Лариса Мозговая from Pixabay
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