O is for Outlining

I used an outline for my novel, and I am using one again. As an outliner, I have learned a few things.

1. Follow the characters first, then the outline. An outline is important. But I have found that the best way to keep the story flowing naturally and organically is to look at it as little as possible. I know roughly where I'm going, and I know my characters, so when I get to the end of one scene and am ready to start another, I listen to my characters first. What is the next natural point in this story? What is her natural reaction to what just happened? Usually that works just fine, and in fact, its usually the next point I have on my outline anyway. If for whatever reason I get stuck and can't figure out organically what happens next, thats when I go to my outline.

2. An outline is moving pieces. Following the strategy above, this means I do sometimes end up going from point A to point D or bringing point E and putting it in between B and C. This is allowed. In fact, sometimes I will be stuck between scenes, and I've checked my outline but it still seems like there is a gap between the scene I finished and the next scene in my outline. When this happens and brainstorming a new scene doesn't seem to be working, sometimes I'll look down my outline and find a scene to bring up, and it turns out to be exactly what was missing.

3. An outline is a hand on all threads. This is sort of the other side of the first point. Its good to keep your plot flowing naturally and organically, but its also nearly impossible to keep track of all the things that need to happen and have happened and all the plot threads you've got going on without writing them down. At least it is for me. Before I even start writing I like to make sure I have in my outline everything filled in as far as I can tell for each plot line. This always ends up being total bologna and there are always major holes you don't see until you've started writing, which is why you follow your characters and not the outline. But its nice to be able to keep track of all the balls you've got thrown in the air.

This all sounds a lot more intensive and structured than it really is. I mean, my current outline is basically a bullet point list of about 25 plot points sorted into the seven days in which my story takes place. The outline for the other novel was pretty similar. And they're pretty quick, one sentence points. Obviously every writer has their own way of doing things, and for some, an outline stifles them from the very beginning. So yeah, this is just how I do it, and maybe it will help a few of you.

Other outliners out there? Do these ideas help, does this process sound similar to your process?

Sarah Allen