The Chalk Around the Body: A Deeper Look at Outlining
Yesterday, I talked about outlining vs. free writing. Today, I want to take a little bit of a closer look at what an outline will look like. Also, I want to rant a little bit because people make me angry.
Now, of course you all can probably guess that no two author's outlines are going to look the same, and any body who tries to tell you that they've got THE one, THE only, THE perfect method of outlining a story is either A. an idiot, B. trying to sell you a book on outlining, or C. both.
But I'm going to get a little biased here and tell you what I DON'T think an outline is. I have done a lot of web research on this topic, and let me tell you, most of the advice out there is enough to make my head turn scarlet and those little cartoon puffs of steam come out of my ears. So here's my list of what an outline is NOT.
1. An outline is not a pitch. You hear me? NOT a pitch. When you're at the outlining stage, I don't want the words "agent," "publisher," "query letter," or "hook" anywhere in your cute little brain, mmmkay? That's like putting off your first piano lesson so you work on your application to Juilliard. Don't try to come up with tag lines or make a list of the deeper intellectual themes at play. In fact, throw out the idea of writing themes at all. Oh, they'll be there, believe me. But if you try to put in what you think should be there, rather than letting the themes evolve organically… then you'll be writing morality tales, not awesome fiction.
2. An outline is not a spreadsheet. Yes, I know my position is generally "whatever works," but I'm making an exception. I actually read an article by a guy who says the only way to outline is to make a spreadsheet for all of your characters, listing what scenes they'll be in, what they look like, what their motivations are, etc. That wasn't even so bad, but then he said that you also have to have a spreadsheet detailing every scene, its components, its tension, its purpose in the story, and if it doesn't involve a development of every part of the story line, cut it. When I read that, I did not feel inspired to go and write a great work of creative genius, I felt inspired to find his address and go spray paint "Fascist" on his garage door. NO SPREADSHEETS.
3. An outline is not a perfect summary of your story. It's impossible to know where your story might go. The only way to stick to a complete and detailed outline is to quell all your characters, fight every spontaneous urge, and ignore every new idea. That's not productive, in my mind.
Here's what a good outline looks like, to me.
It's a skeleton. It's a beginning. In your outline you might jot down the setting, the basic plot, the character list. A good thing to do is to figure out your ending and plot backwards, making sure that the ending will make sense and be thrilling and fulfilling. Don't try to put lipstick on the skeleton. Don't write every plot twist, every character's secrets, every possible outcome for everything they do. Instead, use your outline as a dumping ground for elements you think you want, and then be flexible about how you flesh that out. Remember, the purpose of the outline is to help you start writing.
I wish I could make it a little more formulaic, but I just don't believe in fascism.
Now, of course you all can probably guess that no two author's outlines are going to look the same, and any body who tries to tell you that they've got THE one, THE only, THE perfect method of outlining a story is either A. an idiot, B. trying to sell you a book on outlining, or C. both.
But I'm going to get a little biased here and tell you what I DON'T think an outline is. I have done a lot of web research on this topic, and let me tell you, most of the advice out there is enough to make my head turn scarlet and those little cartoon puffs of steam come out of my ears. So here's my list of what an outline is NOT.
1. An outline is not a pitch. You hear me? NOT a pitch. When you're at the outlining stage, I don't want the words "agent," "publisher," "query letter," or "hook" anywhere in your cute little brain, mmmkay? That's like putting off your first piano lesson so you work on your application to Juilliard. Don't try to come up with tag lines or make a list of the deeper intellectual themes at play. In fact, throw out the idea of writing themes at all. Oh, they'll be there, believe me. But if you try to put in what you think should be there, rather than letting the themes evolve organically… then you'll be writing morality tales, not awesome fiction.
2. An outline is not a spreadsheet. Yes, I know my position is generally "whatever works," but I'm making an exception. I actually read an article by a guy who says the only way to outline is to make a spreadsheet for all of your characters, listing what scenes they'll be in, what they look like, what their motivations are, etc. That wasn't even so bad, but then he said that you also have to have a spreadsheet detailing every scene, its components, its tension, its purpose in the story, and if it doesn't involve a development of every part of the story line, cut it. When I read that, I did not feel inspired to go and write a great work of creative genius, I felt inspired to find his address and go spray paint "Fascist" on his garage door. NO SPREADSHEETS.
3. An outline is not a perfect summary of your story. It's impossible to know where your story might go. The only way to stick to a complete and detailed outline is to quell all your characters, fight every spontaneous urge, and ignore every new idea. That's not productive, in my mind.
Here's what a good outline looks like, to me.
It's a skeleton. It's a beginning. In your outline you might jot down the setting, the basic plot, the character list. A good thing to do is to figure out your ending and plot backwards, making sure that the ending will make sense and be thrilling and fulfilling. Don't try to put lipstick on the skeleton. Don't write every plot twist, every character's secrets, every possible outcome for everything they do. Instead, use your outline as a dumping ground for elements you think you want, and then be flexible about how you flesh that out. Remember, the purpose of the outline is to help you start writing.
I wish I could make it a little more formulaic, but I just don't believe in fascism.
Love the analogy of the outline being a skeleton.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I thought it was appropriate.
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