When do you use an outline? I use outlines in nonfiction. Nonfiction writing is conducive to the rigors of outlining. There are fiction writers, however, who use outlines.
Every writer I’ve interviewed or talked to seems to have a different process. Some more rigorous than others. In this video I talk about my use of an outline in nonfiction and my inability to use an outline in fiction.
I don’t use an outline. I just sit down every day and see what happens. I often surprise myself! I do have a broad idea of where I want my story to go, but I am open to detours or even complete changes of destination. When I started Executive Severance I had no idea of who committed the crime, how they committed it or even why. That all came out over the course of the writing.
Hi Robert. You sound as if you tend to write like I do. Many other writers I’ve interviewed use more structure. I’m trying to add more to my writing world, but the characters often take over. When I wrote The Clock Strikes Midnight, I didn’t have an idea of what happened until the end. But in the mystery series I wrote, I knew the killer–not much more. I find it amazing that you had no idea of who committed the crime or how or why. In some ways that’s great because the story unfolds for you as it does for the readers.
Thanks for stopping by.
I can’t use an outline because my story and characters change and evolve all the time. I do however – and very strangely – always have the very last image or scene of the novel in my head right from the beginning.
Hi Marie, Thanks for stopping by and sharing your writing process with us. I think it’s very cool that you have the last image or scene in your head from the beginning. In fact, I heard John Irving interviewed and he said he writes the ending before he begins a book. Pretty amazing!
Good video, Joan. I used outlines when I wrote business papers for my job, but I don’t do it now for fiction. I do occasionally write points I want to cover next, but often don’t follow them.
Thanks for stopping by, Paul, and adding your two-cents. Indeed, it looks as if many fiction writers choose not to depend on outlines. They seem to sometimes use plot synopses and keep track of main points. It’s very interesting the way it works.
I really don’t outline at all. Generally, I have an overall idea of the plot, but that’s it. Sometimes I have a very clear sense of what the climactic scene will be, but I’m very much a pantser as far as getting there from page 1!
Hi JJ. Thanks for your input. I just heard the word pantser. Although I’ve tried to incorporate an outline with fiction, I’m much more of a pantser, too. With nonfiction, I do write to a strict outline–very strict. It’s amazing the difference. But, of course, the writing of fiction and nonfiction are very different. Probably I’m using a different part of my brain.
Testing this time. I douse an outline but I don’t call it that. I sit down and tell myself a story sort of like the stories children read. There’s little more than taking the characters from the beginning of the idea to the end. Little dialogue, little setting, just what I believe will happen next. There’s a lot of room for development though sometimes the telling gets out of hand. One of my tell me a story ended up becoming a four book series.
Yippee! Your comment posted. Thanks for not only stopping by but giving us a second chance to get your comment posted. Great to hear how you create your works.