I’m bad at outlining. It’s true from beginning to end, first scene to last, major character to minor, world setting to room. I’m just flat out bad at outlining.
On shorter works, like say, this article, I can manage a decent collection of ideas: lure the reader with a hook (I’m bad at outlining), provide some humor (ba dum ching), lead into an explanation of the topic (outlining), provide the meat (some links to outlining resources), close out with a discussion of the middle section, and then end it all with another hook to bring the writer back. It’s a simple process I’ve done a billion times so I barely even bother to write it all down.
When it comes to novels though, I completely fall apart. I’ll jot down a few ideas for the intro and maybe a few key scenes that I want to get to, but I leave the plot loose and dive into the writing before I even know all the characters names. I jump into my new story excited and enthusiastic. I want to see where my intro takes me and figure out clever ways to get from there to next big scene.
It never quite works out that way though. I get lost between A and B. Characters get disjointed, continuity errors start to pop up in the seams, entire plot lines get tangled and lost. The solution, of course, is better outlining and so, below I’ve gone some links on different methods other writers have used to outline their stories.
I guess you know what I’ll be doing tonight! If anyone finds anymore good articles on outlining send em my way!
