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Outlining: Why I Made the Switch and Tips for Trying It

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By Flickr's Thiophene_Guy
By Flickr’s Thiophene_Guy

Our guest today is Elizabeth S. Craig who writes the Southern Quilting mysteries for Penguin/NAL, the Memphis Barbeque mysteries for Penguin/Berkley, and the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink and independently. She shares writing-related links on Twitter and curates links for the free Writer’s Knowledge Base. Her most recent book is Death Pays a Visit. From ForeWord on Myrtle Clover: “The treat here is Myrtle’s eccentricity, brought to life with rich humor and executed…with breezy skill.”

[pullquote]If there are other writers out there who start doubting their writing process, as I did, I want to encourage them to experiment. The results can make a tremendous difference.[/pullquote]

Connect with Elizabeth on her blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Outlining: Why I Made the Switch and Tips for Trying It

I was a mystery writing pantster. I was rather proud of it.

This approach worked enormously well for me. Until, one day, it didn’t.

I was on a deadline and realized the book had several huge plot holes that I’d not seen until close to the end. I pulled some all-nighters and initiated a writing schedule that made NaNoWriMo look tame. I hit my deadline, but it was enough to shake me up. It shook me out of my complacency.

Around this time, I was signed to a new series. My editor liked reviewing outlines before the books were written. I had two books to write that year and one I wanted to put out myself. I realized I’d have to outline for the one editor anyway, and I’d either have to be super-organized and not make any mistakes to get the other two out…or else I could try outlining all three of them.

I became a reluctant outliner.

This is what I discovered

The Pros

  • I’m faster. Definitely faster. There was less mulling-over happening during my writing time.
  • The drafts are cleaner.
  • There are fewer plot holes because I can spot potential problem areas.
  • I have better woven-in subplots and theme, if I use theme.
  • Fewer character inconsistencies.
  • More complete character development right off the bat. I have a better sense of who the characters are before starting the draft.
  • If I must leave the manuscript alone for a while, I jump immediately back into the story with no problems. The outline basically states: “Here’s what you write today.”
  • Cover designer and copywriters can create back cover copy and covers (for both traditional publishing and self publishing) before I’ve even finished the book.  On a couple of occasions before I’d even started the book.

The Cons

  • Less creative energy except during the initial brainstorming process.
  • I write shorter. Sometimes too short.
  • Sometimes my writing can sound stilted or flat after outlining and have to be fluffed up later.
  • Outlining takes time. A couple of outlines have taken over a week to complete.

Ways to combat the cons

I give myself permission to veer off the outline, if I’ve got a great idea. DeathPaysaVisit_ebook_Final-1-200x300I add the deviation to the outline with Track Changes and comments. I add in more detail or additional scenes later, if I’m writing short. I mentally acknowledge outlining as writing time. It can seem like a different process, but it “counts” in the long run toward completing a book.

A special note to those who write multiple series: It’s a tremendous time-saver to outline the following book in the series directly after you finish writing a book in that same series…before jumping into a new one.

Tips for those new to outlining

To prevent myself from overthinking the outline and stalling out, I fast-track it, completing it as quickly as possible. I improve the story in a second outline draft and as it’s written.

If the idea of a formal outline creates a mental block, it may help to write the outline as a story/synopsis. Mine are in paragraph form and sometimes even include bits of dialogue that occur to me as I go through. It ends up being a nice skeleton of a story…without chapter breaks. There are also no numbers on my outlines, since I feel strongly that words and numbers should remain segregated.

Writing the back cover copy first (for our own benefit, since many traditional publishers have their own copywriters) can help provide us with a global view of our story, the main conflict, and remind us of the most important characters.

After I finish this skeleton of a book, I go in and add other bits and pieces. I’ll hint at the beginning at the trouble about to engulf the story’s world. I’ll repeat the opening image and the closing one. I try to make my protagonist appealing or sympathetic to the reader toward the story’s beginning. I brainstorm and then work in character arcs.

[pullquote]After I finish this skeleton of a book, I go in and add other bits and pieces. I’ll hint at the beginning at the trouble about to engulf the story’s world. I’ll repeat the opening image and the closing one. [/pullquote]

I try connecting some characters’ arcs with others in both positive and negative ways. I brainstorm and include subplots that can help characters grow and change…bonus points if the subplots tie into the main plot and help affect the outcome in surprising ways. These elements and others, if they feel overwhelming to you in the outlining stage, can be worked into the second and later book drafts in layers.

Then I skim the outline for obvious issues. Dead spots, boring stretches. Places where my protagonist seems to be taking a back seat in the story. I look for anything that seems confusing, anything that requires readers to suspend their disbelief.

Although there are times when I think wistfully back on my pantster days, I’ll admit that I’m now reluctantly sold on outlining. The pros outnumber the cons for me. It’s been one of the most important business decisions I’ve made.

Do you outline or make up the story as you write? Have you ever tried another approach? How did it work out for you?

 

Comments

  1. Elizabeth – thanks for the article it was very timely for me as I’m about 75% through my book and a little stumped. I’ve pantsetred it up till now but was thinking I really needed to outline the rest to recapture my momentum.

    I’ve recently been watching The Self-Publishing Podcast with Johnny B Truant, Sean Platt and David Wright and they are great proponents of creating what they call beats (otherwise known as outlines) to maintain the speed and quality of their work.

    So I’m going to follow your advice and give it a go….

    How do you outline – on index cards, in scrivener?

    Thanks again

    Hazel

    • Hi Hazel–I’ve done that before, too–changed over to outlining 3/4 of the way through. It can really help.

      Yes, story beats…I think that’s basically what I do. Telling the big plot points or a sentence-long summation of a scene.

      I have a separate Word document for my outline. So I’ve got a Word folder with the title of the project on it, then separate docs in the folder…the WiP itself, the outline, the cast of characters (with brief cheat-sheet style descriptions of them). Anything to make life easier.

  3. I’ve just come to the conclusion I have to go back to outlining to make sure I actually write a story… So I’m with you here :-)
    I outlined my previous novel and made changes along the way if writing the actual scenes gave me more and better ideas for the overall story (very often it did), so I came to view the outlining process as something dynamic.
    For my next novel I wrote sort of an outline, but I didn’t really have an idea where the story and the characters were going. Instead of making the effort to figure that out, I started writing that first draft, thinking I might discover the story while writing. I ended up with something that could be a story, and maybe one day will be a (different) story, but right now I’m bored out of my brains with it. Some characters have changed so much over the course of the first few messy and mostly incomplete drafts that they don’t even know whether they’re male or female anymore, and which side they’re on.
    Time to start over, this time with some rigorous outlining to discover the story I want to write and why it’s important I write it…

    • Andrea, I think your mindset will give you future success here…that outlines aren’t static things that can’t be altered. If we can stay open to the fact that new and better ideas may come along and can be incorporated into our outlines (I use Track Changes’ comments to add in deviations), our story will be richer for it.

      Good luck with your do-over…we’ve all been there!

  4. I am participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time, and decided on Halloween to participate–I had no choice but to be a pantser! But, some days it would get tough to think of what else I needed to say. I jotted down rough plot ideas that I could go to when the well ran dry. It wasn’t an outline exactly, but certainly kept the progress moving along.

    I am happy to say that I am on track to finish NaNo on time. Next time I will have an outline ready before I start. It isn’t so detailed that I don’t feel creative, but is still structured enough to keep me going.

    • Beth–Congratulations on your NaNo progress! That really takes focus and commitment.

      Sometimes I’ve compromised…only outlining the next scene or two scenes ahead. I did that even with projects I was approaching as a pantster that ran into trouble. Mini outlines can definitely help. But sounds like you’ve got a full-fledged plan for the next project and the flexibility to keep your writing creative.

  5. You’ve nailed it, Elizabeth. The real fear for “pantsers,” I think, is the copious outline, the sort of thing James Patterson is famous–or infamous–for, i.e. 80 pages, single spaced. This is not the same as being structurally aware and doing prep work.

    I want writers to nail their elevator pitch (same, basically, as back cover copy) first, then develop the four crucial cornerstones (I call this LOCK for Lead, Objecting, Confrontation and Knockout), and then be aware of the signposts of structure. This is really fast tracking the outline and being fully creative, too. This is the place to play. Adjustments can always be made along the way.

    BTW, taking a week to do this is just about perfect, IMO.

    Great post on analyzing the “switch,” Elizabeth.

    • James–And who wouldn’t be scared of an 80 page, ss outline? Gives me shivers.

      I love your approach to a down and dirty pitch/cover copy and moving forward with the manuscript.

      Speed is key for me, too. Glad you think a week is about right. :) Used to worry I wasn’t being thoughtful enough with a week’s planning, but it sure seems to work out well in the end.

      • Elizabeth, great stuff here. I’m a rough outliner, even for long short stories; I think outlining can allow for lots of divergence in the actual writing, and not suffocate the muse.

        Your and Mr. Bell’s comment on speed reminded me of Steven Pressfield’s “Foolscap Method” of one-page novel outlines, which I think belongs in this discussion as well.

        Here’s one of his posts on it:

        http://www.stevenpressfield.com/2011/04/the-foolscap-method/

        • Tom–Suffocating the muse…yes! That’s exactly what I was afraid I was doing when I switched. And maybe it *was* what I was doing until I opened myself up to more flexibility in the outlining approach.

          I have seen Mr. Pressfield’s post before–which is an indicator of how helpful it is! Nice to give it another read-through…thanks for the link, Tom.

        • Hey there, Tom! (and hulloo, Elizabeth!)

          I keep forgetting Pressfield’s foolscap. Need to apply that to my works in progress retroactively; still useful that way.

          For a true outliner, an 80-page outline for a 400-page book is super.

          For the rest of us, there are 12 waypoints a novel has to hit. Identify them up front and you can pants your way from one to the next, secure in the knowledge that you won’t have any major gaps.

          Then all you have to do is create fascinating characters and tell their story with brilliant language. But, I digress.

          There’s a balance; a way to ensure you get all the right details in the right order, without, as y’all mention, stifling the muse.

          Hey, she doesn’t mind a leg up as long as you’re putting her on the right horse.

    • It’s not about fear for every non-outliner. Sometimes outlines don’t work naturally with the writer’s process, and I know that’s a hard thing for outliners to actually understand. I’ve had many a person try to “fix” me because they thought I was writing wrong because I didn’t outline. I’ve tried them, and rather than helping me, they were the worst decision I’ve ever made. It’s not always the helpful thing that everyone makes it out to be. Depends on the writer’s process and the way their mind works.

      • Linda–Nothing more frustrating than a well-meaning person trying to make us see the light…ugh. If a writer’s approach works, she should stick with what works! For me, it works to write at 4:45 a.m. If someone tried to convert me to write at 11 p.m., it simply wouldn’t come together.

      • The thing is, panting is searching for structure, no structure, no story. May as well go into it knowing what the story is.

    • Great post, Elizabeth. I am currently in the middle of just such a switch from pantsing to partial plotting, and will happily plug James Scott Bell’s new book, Writing from the Middle, which has been a great help with plotting for the first time. My three other books were totally pantsed and I did run into problems as I wrote them. Ultimately I worked the problems out, but with way more rewriting than I want in future. This time the clear and simple process in the book got me started quickly on this third-book-of-the-series, and has kept me ontrack through a death and an upcoming marriage in the family.
      I just want to say thanks, Mr. Bell.

  6. Elizabeth–
    Clear and succinct, your post provides a very workable guide to outlining. I think your last sentence provides the perfect coda to your topic: the professional, business-oriented writer who has deadlines and multiple obligations just plain needs to be an outliner. Perhaps the pleasure side of writing takes a hit, but in terms of meeting the demands of business, the writer must develop this ability–and your post today is a very workable guide to doing just that. Thanks!

  7. Wow, your post is like stepping on the bathroom scale and discovering the reality of those 10 (20?) dreaded extra pounds. It’s not that the skinny jeans actually shrunk after all… I’m a pantser. There, I said it. And your post came at the perfect time for me, Elizabeth. Having more writing assignments than ever I have to do something about it. Outlining. That’s what I have to do now. Thanks!

  8. I don’t like to outline. In fact, I hate it with a fierce passion, but I can see how it can be helpful when we have more than one project going at a time, and it is a good marketing/pitching thing to have. It’s not my preferred way of doing things, but my business side sees the positives of it for some upcoming projects I have. Thanks for the post. It’s a good reminder that as authors, we need to be flexible and sometimes learn to work within new parameters.

    • Tina–Exactly. What I’d like to do with this post is encourage other writers to look at what’s *not* working with their writing process and consider ways to move past it. It may not be fun at the beginning (I still don’t enjoy outlining), but it can be ultimately rewarding.

  10. I’m an outliner, even for short stuff, like flash fiction. Except with that, I simply put thoughts and ideas, phrases, and reminders of things I want in the story up top in a clump from which to pull. Some (a lot) of the stuff doesn’t make it; the story doesn’t need it or the direction changes.

    I sometimes mind map, which is outline in a more creative, visual form. For the most part, I write how I’d like the story to begin and end, a few plot points along the way, and then write. Character analyses are separate for me. I have my main characters that I develop and give a history; reasons why they do and think and feel as they do, their motivation.

    But all that said, if the story starts veering in a better direction than I originally outline, I let it take lead…and then redo the outline the story dictates.

    • ML–So you keep a sort of word bank at the top for inspiration? I like that idea. Might help to keep voice continuity, too. I tend to put characters at the tops of mine.

      I’m glad to see another outline editor here! I usually will edit my amended story in Track Changes on the outline.

  11. *waves to Ellizabeth*

    I’m huge fan of loose outlining. Like you, I add room for creativity. I also write short and add fluff later. I’m okay with that. For me, it’s all about getting the story down on paper. The rest I can tidy up with revisions.

  12. I am currently “pantsing” my way through what will be my 76th release. It has been nearly 34 years since I began writing what would become my first novel (it was published in 1984).

    I tried every process I heard about early in my writing career. I tried outlining. I tried motivation/goal/conflict. I tried interviewing my characters. I tried writing faster first drafts. I tried writing in a non-linear fashion. If writers in RWA or in Writers Digest or wherever were talking about it, I tried it. That’s a good thing. We need to experiment.

    But finally I came to the place of rest, in being content to create the way I was made me to create. It is okay to accept your particular process. If pantsing is the way you work best, then feel good about it.

    I am not afraid of an outline, copious or otherwise. It just is not the best way for me to work. I do prep, but it isn’t an outline. I have always thought my process is best explained as headlights on a car. I can see just far enough ahead on the freeway to keep me between the lines and to help me arrive safely at my final destination.

    There is no easy way to write a novel. They are written one word, one sentence, and one paragraph at a time. So find what works for you and don’t apologize for it.

    • Robin–Very wise words. Experimenting is good…but if your previous method *works* for you, that’s the right way to go. If a writer recognizes that something isn’t working or isn’t working as well as the writer feels it should, that’s when flexibility to experiment comes in.

      So…if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. :)

    • 76th book? I’m impressed! :D Congratulations on such a prolific and successful career, Robin. I’ve completed a couple of drafts but have yet to be published. Hearing stories like yours inspires me to continue, because I want to arrive at your destination someday. :)

  13. Thanks for sharing this, Elizabeth. When I began my third attempt at a novel, I thought I’d see if outlining would help me create something that actually worked out. Well, I loved it, but… I found when I finished it that the resulting story left me with a novel lacking some key ingredients. My approach was to keep the outline static, adding to it a few things, but not allowing myself to change it structurally. I’d done my best beforehand, spending time to anticipate what I could, then, convinced it was strong, I wrote the novel accordingly. I focused on rendering it, and when I realized there were serious flaws, I just kept writing my way through.

    I’m now trying again on my fourth attempt at a novel, but this time Im treating the outline as a work in progress too. It grows and changes as I’m writing. I’m a chess player, so I like to think of how I outline as a game plan for chess – an idea for checkmate that will evolve based on game play I couldn’t predict without actually playing the game. Ideas come in the discovery process, often I find as I encounter directly the experience of the story, and so I’ve found that as I’m drafting I need a way to reconfigure the structural plan as well. It means that drafting for me is a case of thinking on two levels–the outline and how it can be further developed and implemented into what’s been written + what’s ahead (I tend to get great ideas while I’m waiting in traffic jams), and the actual words I’m writing in the scene that’s living and breathing. So far it’s working very well and I’m learning lots.

    In fact, like my approach to outlining, I like to think of my approach to writing itself as a work in progress; I am always open to new approaches when I see something better. Thanks for giving me further things to think about today, Elizabeth.

    • John–You know, I think that’s sort of a common trap with outlining. I did much the same. I thought, “Well, I’ve planned this thing out so well that it’s now a foolproof story.” But then found problems later (with flatness, with length, etc.)

      When I changed my mindset to the point where I could view an outline as a helpful guide instead of a set-in-stone coda, things went so much better.

      Happy writing to you this week, John.

  14. The timing of this post is perfect for me too! I’ve just been bit on my panster behind. I missed an obvious flaw in the most recent book I sent to my editor. It’s an easy fix, but it really upset me that I didn’t see it myself. I’ve been a proud pantster for years, but I’ve decided to try outlining for the next book. I’m hoping it will reduce future structural edits and keep me meeting my deadlines. Thanks for writing about how you made the switch!

    • Jennifer–It really does help with structural errors and other problems. Yes, I had an instance where one of the characters from another series made an unintentional guest appearance in a book I was writing. :) My editor said, “Uh…Elizabeth, I don’t know who this character is…”

  15. Thanks for the great post, Elizabeth. Pantsing may be fun, but I truly believe that for 99% of writers, it’s not a sustainable methodology (it’s pretty much an anti-methodology).

    “I have better woven-in subplots and theme, if I use theme.”

    Every story has themes, it’s just that the writer doesn’t always know what they are when they start. Usually by the end of the first draft, you can look back and see them. However, if you are outlining first, you can see them earlier, and – as you said – you can weave them into the story before you even start writing. Think of it as: discovering the strong points from the beginning, and then reinforcing those throughout. I think that strong use of theme can take a Good Story and level it up to a Great Story.

    “I brainstorm and include subplots that can help characters grow and change…bonus points if the subplots tie into the main plot and help affect the outcome in surprising ways. ”

    And malus points if a subplot doesn’t affect the outcome of the story. This is your chance to cut it or change it before you waste 5-10k words that your editor will cut later because it adds no value to the story. (P.S. causing a character to grow or altering their viewpoint in some way that affects their decision-making later in the story counts as a valuable subplot).

    Thanks for sharing your experience with the crossover in your approach. I too used to pants my way through, but to be honest, I could never finish a novel that way (and you will know me by the trail of dead half-finished books). An outline is a map for those times when I get lost – because I will get lost – and my completed novels only exist thanks to the maps I packed for the journey.

    I recently talked about outlining in a NaNo-prep post, with some examples of plot structure to help inform an outline: http://jasonwlapier.com/2014/10/nanowrimo-prep-plot-that-sucka/

    • Jason–Very good point about theme. I do have a running theme in one of my series, and you’re right, I do have themes in each individual story. I’ll admit being very reticent to call my books heavy in theme…as a commercial writer I tone down literary elements to a certain degree so they don’t distract from the mystery. But I do love a well-incorporated and not-heavy-handed theme in my stories, when I can pull it off.

      The ‘trail of dead half-finished books’….ha! I may have a breadcrumb trail of my own…

  16. This is something of a burning issue for me… I’ve a trilogy I’m completing along with a number of other, non fiction writing commitments that are absolutely time critical and up to this stage, I’ve always been a pantser. So for the final book, I’ve written an outline longer than the first 6 chapters… I haven’t yet completed it, and it has thrown me several curved balls.
    I had to have several goes starting, as it initially read very flat – I generally used to plunge in, buzzing with excitement – but I persevered and realised it was because I was TELLING the story as per the outline, rather than letting it unfold organically. Once I realised (with the help of a supportive and critical writing group) what the problem was, I managed to fix it.
    And then, come Chapter 18, the story swerved off the plan and I felt a bit panicked. I decided to go with the flow – after all, the worst that could happen is that I’d need to backtrack to that point and as a pantser I’m entirely familiar with THAT dynamic. So far (up to Chapter 24) it was twitched back to being on track and I’m really enjoying myself at a stage when I’d normally be feeling my way and gritting my teeth.
    BUT I do take on board that the outline should be LOOSE – and I still need plenty of intense thinking time throughout the writing period, just to ensure those extra grace notes get added.
    Thank you – I’ve found this enormously helpful and it has bolstered my determination to continue to try writing an outline before diving into the novel, while still accepting there will be large aspects of worldbuilding/character development that will continue to occur along the way…

    • S.J.–I think at first there’s really a period where we’re just trying it out. There was, for me, an initial reticence to go off my outline. When I started editing the outline, I really cleared that hurdle.

      Another thing I’d do is, when I decided to go off-outline, I’d highlight the section on Word, note the outline, and just immediately start with the new story line, deleted character/added character, whatever. I’d fix the beginning part during the second draft…and continue with the alteration through the remainder of the first draft. It helped me maintain pace.

  17. Hey, Elizabeth. Thanks for the timely post!

    As a private English tutor, I have always told my students to first brainstorm with a bubble chart, then drop the chart into a formal outline. They do this reluctantly, and only after I make a solemn promise that it will shave hours off their time. Which it does. This works for the three, four, and five paragraph essays, as well as more involved research papers. I can not imagine my poor students floundering to put their ideas together, on top of other school responsibilites.

    That said, for some unknown reason, on my current novel, I ended up pantsing. And you know what? It sucks. At least for me. For a writer of ten novels who has NEVER EVER had writer’s block, I find that without an outline to at least guide me from point A to point K, I am wandering around a dark room without a flashlight trying to make my way to point Z. The book is still coming together, and my style hasn’t been compromised, but it is taking me an unusually long time to complete it. Two months overdue, by my estimate.

    My next book? No brainer. Plotting all the way!!! I do not think that plotting takes away from my creative energy whatsoever. If anything, it allows me to move forward quickly without stopping to lay down guide posts along the way. I am a fast writer, and anything that slows me down trips me in the process.

    For all you expert pansters out there, I envy you!
    ; )

    • Leslie–Isn’t it funny how we saw the sense in outlining, but couldn’t bring ourselves to do it!

      I know what you mean about the lack of writer’s block. Maybe that’s what made us over-confident enough to try to be pantsters? For me, the fact that traditional/cozy mysteries have a very set structure/pattern to them meant the general framework for each story was easy. But even then…I’d start messing up. Then correcting the plot holes would take *so* long.

  18. About to blow through the 50k for NaNoWriMo, but I’m not an ‘official’ member of the community.

    I make up stuff on the spot, as I do for everything I write, and agree that planing (which I purposefully do not do) might make it easier.

    Perhaps if I were a pro, I would gravitate to it, but can’t say for sure.

    That one downside you mention, flat writing, perhaps a loss of creativity, is something I find hard to avoid when I try to plan out stories. If I do much more than come up with an idea, if I jot down scenes, a plot, or even a rough outline, I either immediately deviate from it, or I lose interest in the actual writing.

    Probably, and likely, a big stumbling block to ever making it as a writer (aside, you know, the possibility I’m a talentless hack – although I sometimes see stuff from talentless hacks that doors get published . . . maybe they outline).

    Anyway, thanks for the article; along with other similar articles, perhaps the cumulative effect will someday have me gravitate toward less spirited, more disciplined, and perhaps professionally successful writing.

    • ejdalise–Congrats on finishing NaNo! I lurk there sometimes, myself. I’ve never joined, but I like getting motivation and inspiration there.

      I’ll admit I was really alarmed when my writing came out so flat and when I’d sometimes lose interest in the story while outlining. This was definitely fixable, though. Realizing that I could add in layers of texture in different ways during the second and subsequent drafts helped. The losing interest was a big tougher. I decided that brainstorming sessions (my favorite part) could continue throughout the writing and I would frequently switch out a new idea for the one I’d planned to write. This helped keep me hooked.

      And…there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of myself as a talentless hack! Maybe all writers do. From what I see on your site, you’re anything but. Keep it going!

      • Thank you, Elizabeth, for responding.

        Because I’m anal retentive, a couple of clarifications . . . I’m about 3K words from the 50K, so while I accept the congratulations, they are just a tad premature. I’ll probably blow through it in a day or so on my way to 60K, or there abouts.

        Also, I did not mean to mislead . . . I said the “possibility I am a talentless hack”, but that should not be taken of me thinking I am so; quite the opposite, I like what I write (that, I believe is one of the prerequisite for being a writer). Any doubt is not with regards to my talent, but the uncaring and cruel world recognizing it.

        Seriously, thanks for the kind words, and thanks for taking a look at my blog, especially since you didn’t have to.

  20. This is such an excellent article. So helpful! Thank you so much. I’ve recently discovered the benefits of outlining after considering myself a pantser for years. I have to admit that I’ve come to really prefer it because of the pro’s listed in this article. I so appreciate the steps you’ve shared in how to revise the outline and the novel during the writing process. This article just nails it, helping me with the questions I’ve run into since I started outlining. Thank you again!

  21. I don’t outline (hate, hate the word pantser — it sounds like something outliners came up with to try to label us). I don’t even know what’s going to happen in the next scene or the next big plot point — and that’s by intent. If I know those things, then I write to it and leave out things like character arcs, subplots, theme. I even had a story that I tried outlining to fix problems with it, and I wrecked it so badly that I ended up scrapping it. I started a redraft, and it went in such a different direction that I just followed it. Fastest time I’ve ever written a book — just about five months.

  22. Elizabeth,
    We’re kindred spirits. I clung proudly to being a panster till I changed the genre I was writing in and needed a better road map. My friends they helped me piece together where I thought the story was going into a story that worked.
    I took a marvelous class with Cherry Adair who changed the way I look at plotting with colored post it’s. Between her great advice and my friends, my book has a chance to be born.
    I agree that going with a outline makes the daily writing much easier. When I’m stuck I just refer to it and the words come. It still leaves room for great detours that can enrich the book.
    I plan to take this new route with all future books.

    • Page–I can imagine that changing genres would absolutely mean a change of approach. I know that I *could* write mysteries with no outline (albeit poorly sometimes!) But I couldn’t write an unfamiliar genre without imposing some structure on the process. The colored post-its sound like fun!

  23. Hi Elizabeth – as always a great post .. and I wondered about the creativity being submerged in the outlining and you addressed it – I guess as the outlining process becomes easier, then the creativity doesn’t get so lost … as with all things getting used to the ‘system’. Useful notes here .. including the word dump idea …

    Cheers Hilary

  24. I can’t imagine NOT outlining. All the pros are why I do outline. Although funny you mention the writing shorter. I’ve always written short works but never attributed it to outlining.

  25. I’m an ex-pantser who tried doing a little outlining on my WIP. I’ve found that I have write faster but, like you, will have to go back and fluff it up a bit. That’s okay though, since I enjoy editing too. My outline is pretty basic so my characters still have some freedom to tell me what they want to do. :) Thanks for sharing!

  26. Great tips! I’ve been trying a variety of plotting & outlining strategies with recent stories too. Getting better at it, but it’s tough! Then I stumbled into NaNo with absolutely no plan and I’m loving the story so far :)

  27. Great to see you here, Elizabeth! And about outlining? Welcome to the outlining side. We have cookies ;-). In all seriousness, I’ve always been an outliner who admired ‘pantser’ creativity. As you say, if you’re not careful, outlining too much can limit you. But at the same time, I’ve found it to be a great way to make the most of limited writing time. I’m glad you’re finding that it works for you.

  29. What a great idea about writing the outline for the next as you finish a story–I make a couple notes, but I think more would be better. I don’t do full outlines because I really fear my daytime ‘analyst voice’ (which is dry and boring) will try to tell a story that is too organized, but my timeline becomes an outline over time. I should stop fearing it.

  30. Elizabeth, your experience parallels mine! I also write mysteries and my editor required I write an outline. As a pantser I did plot points as I went but I never thought out the whole thing in advance. Oh, I might have an idea of where I wanted to end but the middle was a big blank for the most part.

    Outlining was so painful at first! But now I’m hooked, too. I have fairly short deadlines and want to deliver a clean first draft and the outline really keeps me on track. I think the process is helping me create better plots, too. Thanks for a great post.

  31. Hi Elizabeth,

    A very timely post. I have moved more toward outlining with each project. This latest I used a modified version of Alezandra Sokolof’s recommendation of outlining with sticky-notes. As I don’t work with paper, I found an apple app called iBrainstorm, that allows me to spread out, organize, move, delete, or change the notes but I can see them all organized in front of me. It has been helpful and interesting. I think this is similar to the index cards on Scrivener (Looking forward to an iPad version). I had a goal of 25k this month and I’m on track for 45k.

    I have also found that I much prefer writing the first draft, to editting. If I can tighten up my writing with outlining…less work I don’t enjoy as much.

    Thanks for the great ideas.

  33. Surely it shouldn’t be an either/or question. I like both methods but sometimes it’s horses for courses. If you have a mostly linear plot with a straightforward timeline then simply getting up each morning and asking yourself “What the hell happens next?’ is likely to work. If you have multiple threads which weave together in some mysterious way, then a bit of outlining is likely to be essential.
    I’ve written lengthy outlines and then had the characters take over, sometimes waking me in the middle of the night. There’s no way I am going to tell my characters to shut up because the outline is already written.

    • Rod–A very good point. There are circumstances where no outlining might work very well for me, for instance…writing a familiar genre with no deadline. Different projects might demand different approaches.

  34. I always pantsted through my books until the current one. I was having serious problems motivating myself, then one night the beginnings of an outline flooded through my mind and it has REALLY helped me this time along. I feel like I’m in a creek sometimes with a manuscript and the outline gives me rocks to step on safely to the other side. Of course, as you said, I use it as a guideline, if a great subplot or new direction occur, I work it in.

  35. I especially like that you acknowledge the hit on your creativity, then offer ways to off-set that loss with new creative gains!

    I’ve finally accepted I write “short” also. In my review-rewrites, I’ve now also found I add, a lot sometimes :-) And that’s become one of my fav parts of editing.

    Best wishes for you, very nice article (smiles).

  36. I doubt anyone will read this, I’m on the bottom of this thread, but I’ve read more than 50 books on writing and the best one I’ve seen on this topic is Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. It supports everything you said and a whole lot more.

    • I’m a big fan of Larry’s work, Rachel. You might also enjoy Shawn Coyne’s Story Grid. The book isn’t out yet, but his blog (storygrid.com) will cover 80% of what’s in the upcoming book. It’s another take on story structure, one I’m enjoying just as much as Larry’s work.

  37. Hi Elizabeth. I really liked your article.

    I started writing my first crime novel four years, got a few chapters done, then had some more life experiences and did some more writers workshops, all which contributed to the plot and themes of my story. I started out writing 25 pages of notes on plot, characters, was slightly helpful, then decided to write a few random chapters to develop my writing style. Writing the novel wasn’t an immediate plan, just “something I’d finish one day…”

    Finally, with so much plot, sub-plot twists, back story, life getting in the way of writing, etc, earlier this year I sat down and in a week, wrote an eleven page plot outline. This also led me into a two page outline for the sequel.

    I suppose being an ex-cop predisposes me to outlining…

    I like it. I can write any chapter in the book depending on what research I have stumbled across to support the story, I know what is going to happen and I know who the characters are, what motivates them and how their past has affected them.

    Most importantly, big life events and projects mean I can put the writing away when I have to then go back and start where I left off – or two or ten chapters previously.

    Now all I have to do is write on a regular basis and finish the book, so I have a mantra reminding me that whatever happens or doesn’t happen between now and October…

    Nanu nanu (NaNoWriMo) :-)

 

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