Anna
asked
Nicola Griffith:
Do you outline before writing a novel? If so, much time do you spend outlining?
Nicola Griffith
No. And yes. That is, I know where I'm going before I begin: I always know what the end will be and head towards it.
I have outlined but don't always. Outlining is necessary if you want to sell a novel before it's written: the publisher wants a rough idea of what they're paying for. But I don't do that anymore. I place a novel when it's done.
My outlines never took long. I tended to write them once I knew where I was going. I suspect, though, that if one uses an outline to figure out where one is going it could be a giant headache: thinking with your fingers at the keyboard has never worked well for me.
I have outlined but don't always. Outlining is necessary if you want to sell a novel before it's written: the publisher wants a rough idea of what they're paying for. But I don't do that anymore. I place a novel when it's done.
My outlines never took long. I tended to write them once I knew where I was going. I suspect, though, that if one uses an outline to figure out where one is going it could be a giant headache: thinking with your fingers at the keyboard has never worked well for me.
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