Do you outline? If so, what is your method?
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- odduck17
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Do you outline? If so, what is your method?
So: do you outline? If so why & how?
- KS Crooks
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1) What is the goal. Am I creating a new world, new scenario. What about the situation I’m writing about needs to be explained.
2) Describing characters appearances, showing their personalities, the relationships they have with each other, what do they do for a living, etc. Comparable to a how a real person gets introduced to a different family or the first few times.
3) Where are the characters mentally, emotionally and physically (their location) at the beginning of the story. Where do you want them to be in all of these areas at the end of the story? How will they make it to where you want them to go and how long should it take?
4) What are the obstacles you want the characters to have, whether they be physical, mental or emotional.
5) Using a map. When I create a new fantasy world, I need to know where places are located. For this I make my own map of that world. If my story is set in the real world then I would use a real map. If a character lives in Paris France and is travelling by horse or car to Madrid Spain then the map tells you what to write in terms of the route they take, places they may visit or location to have encounters. A map helps the story write itself.
I set these up in one or two tables. I then state what I want to happen in the first 4 or 5 chapters to start. As needed I add what I want the following chapters to involve. I see writing a story like going on a road trip. I need to know where I'm (or my characters) are starting, where they will end up and some things they will do during the trip. I like to know the major events of my story, but the times between or what happens while the characters go from one location to another are written in the moment. Writing this way for me prevents writer's block. There is still the occasion where I don't know what to write for a section of the story, but I have the option to leave it and write the next section and go back after because I know where the story is going. I never have weeks of not knowing what to write. I often have the opposite feeling, like I'm holding my characters back because I don't write fast enough or set aside enough time for my story. The point is to figure out what works for you and keep the writing fun.
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- flogan14
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- Leigh M Lane
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How I do it: I start with the major plot points I want to write, the scenes already starting to build in my head, and a basic idea of how I want the conclusion to unfold. From there, I imagine the characters and their goals, and then I consider the obstacles that might stand in their way. I make a list of obstacles and their possible solutions. I explore the antagonist(s) and their goals, adding a new list. This will create new plot points.
Turn each plot point into a writing prompt. For plot points that have a lot going on, I'll write a mini-outline to cover the next chapter or two before continuing.
I think about structure while I'm plotting out the story. What story arc do I want to follow? Dystopian? Hero's journey? Romance? The plot points need to come together to fit some kind of structure. There is a difference between following structure and writing cookie-cutter. Aristotle's dramatic structure is a good place to start, as it is basic and open to a lot of creative play. You'll find organizing your plot points by structure will also help you flesh out a solid, cohesive work, pointing you in the right direction when you might otherwise find yourself lost.
Recently, I took a workshop that had students put plot points on index cards, and I used the technique when I wrote my most recent novel (actually completed the first draft just a few days ago). I like using the cards because you can put them all out in front of you, move them around, and really order your plot points effectively. It's definitely how I'm going to continue forward when preparing for my next novel.
- emthomas1
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- DATo
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― Steven Wright
- emthomas1
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- Rebeccaej
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For another scene, I started by sketching out what each character's motivations were.
Doing things like that has really helped me write more complex characters, by forcing me to think past what the plot requires, and into how real people would behave in those situations.
For a short story that I had very well organized in my head before I started writing, I wrote a more traditional outline that showed how each section grew out of the previous one. That mostly just helped me write faster, because I didn't have to stop and think, "ok, what happens next?" after each section.
- Leigh M Lane
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I typically don't outline my short stories either. I'd say my cutoff is, depending on the story, anywhere between 10,000-20,000 words; anything larger than that needs an outline or the structure just won't be there.DATo wrote:I do not use an outline. I primarily write short stories thus there are limited plots, actions and characters which make it easier to write without the aid of an outline. In my case I start with a basic idea and just let the events evolve. I generally have little problem with the creative side of the project because I seem to have a talent for inventiveness on the fly. I'm not saying my stuff is any good, just that the ideas come to me easily out of thin air as I am writing with no prior planning, thus no need for an outline. If I ever get it into my head to try my hand at a novel this method may, of necessity, have to be changed.
- Serena_Charlotte
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Is the reality of the world different from how we perceive and experience it in our minds? Does physical reality exist apart from the human mind?
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- Timothy Trimble
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- - I write up a brief couple paragraphs describing the story.
- I create a set of notes for Places, People, Things, Situations - where I place background information as I create the outline.
- For each chapter, I write a paragraph for each scene in the chapter. Usually 3 to 4 scenes per chapter.
- By the time I get to the last chapter, I've added enough content to the background notes to support the entire story.
- Then I start writing.
- Sean Wheeler
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- DarthMom25
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The way that works for me is very similar to what KS Crooks commented, actually. I usually do a full character interview, though, because I really need to be able to get inside my characters' heads.