Outlines
I will start this blog with a dark and terrible confession. I have a huge pile of abandoned novels sitting on my computer. They live on the C: drive and haunt my dreams.
Second confession, I’m what some, familiar with the craft, would refer to as a “Pantser.” Before your imagination runs wild, I will explain the term to those who are unfamiliar. It means I write from the “seat of my pants.” I have no detailed outline. To be clear, I do work from a very basic outline. I know who the good guys are. I know who the bad guys are. I know how the story begins, I know how the story ends, and that’s it. I have no idea how the story is going to get from point A to point B.
Third confession. I want to be an “outline” guy. Here’s why. Every novel I’ve written, or attempted to write, has always evolved into character “deep dives.” I spend an enormous amount of time inside the heads of the protagonists and antagonists. I thrive in the “nuts and bolts” of how they think and act. I don’t know why that happens; it just does. I’ve given up trying to fight it, because, and I will steal a line from Star Trek, “Resistance is Futile.”
As I grew older, and presumably smarter, I decided to go back and try and figure out what was happening with those failed projects. I immediately noticed, that in all my abandoned novels, I had a similar issue. I wrote myself into a corner that I could not escape from. I could not find a way to easily “plot” my way out of it. The only way I could fix it would be to go back and do a massive re-write of the entire manuscript. When faced with that daunting task, I always threw in the towel. I figured I might as well just start over.
Maybe I should start with a detailed Outline!
What a great idea!
I went and looked at flawless, and awe-inspiring novel outlines by famous authors. I marveled at the level of intricate detail. I knew this would solve my problem, so I threw the cats out of my office, brewed gallons of coffee, and got to work.
After a week of this, I would emerge from my “man-cave,” draped in the stench of despair. All the joy, creativity and confidence had been destroyed. I was a soulless corpse. I had been consumed by the raging flames of the process. I had a workable outline but I didn’t care about the characters or the story any more. The process killed something in my soul. I had to accept it. The writing gods had written my fate for all to see. I would never be able to work from a detailed outline.
I have tried to emulate the incredible outlines I’ve reviewed and worshipped, many times. I failed without exception. The outline process, simply does not work for me. I end up with a spreadsheet and broken dreams. Somewhere the writing gods were nodding their heads in satisfaction. This mortal’s dreams had been crushed. Time for wine and song! (Could not help that bit. Just saw the original Jason and the Argonauts from the 60’s. There were lots of scenes with the Greek gods talking about how much fun it was to torture the hero, who happens to have the same first name as yours truly. Great old movie. It’s on Hulu right now if you want to watch it.)
If you can build a detailed outline, like those glorious artifacts that exist in digital space, then the rest of this post is not going to interest you.
When my confidence and resolve returned. I would start “pantsing” again. The unfinished novels piled up and the years passed by.
One day, the solution came to me like a bolt of lightning from the heavens. I screamed with unbridled joy, for after many years of beating my head against the wall I had an epiphany. It’s always about the characters for me. It always has been, and it always will be. The answer was always staring me in the face, it just took time to see it.
OUTLINE THE CHARACTERS, NOT THE PLOT!
The real problem was this. I was trying to drive plot disassociated from the character arcs. That’s where the joy and creativity is for me. It’s where I spent all my time!
DUH!
How can I be that dumb. Maybe it was the sweet nectar of brandy and the soft sounds of a harp strumming in time with the sound of cool water in a crystal fountain. (Sorry, another scene from J and the Argonauts!)
I had this epiphany about 15 years ago. I never looked back. The words flow freely now, and I’ve completed a dozen novels and short stories in that time. The plot blossoms out of the character arcs and character outlines. The characters take me on a journey. I didn’t realize it for years, but that’s where the creativity and joy come from for me.
The best part about beating your head against the wall, is when you stop!
Now, I outline the characters, not the novel. I let the characters take me on a journey with them. It works for me! The best part about beating your head against the wall comes when you stop!
So, in a nutshell. If you’re a “Pantser” and you’ve written yourself into the corner countless times, try detailed character outlines. Review them carefully, then let the characters take you on a journey. It works for me. It may not work for you, but I thought I would pass it along.
Now if I can figure out how to slay the editing monster, my life as a writer will be complete. I will save my rant on editing for another blog.
Cheers
Jason Gabriel.
The post Outlines first appeared on Jason Gabriel.
