The Outline: Friend or Prohibitive Foe?

Let's talk about outlines for a moment. I used to be outline phobic. I had the misconception that outlines locked me into plans I couldn't necessarily follow through on. Now, I use outlines in a whole 'nother way.

Whatever a writer uses to get them through the story is a useful writing technique. Notice how I'm talking about ending the story. Most stories start promising, hit some mud in the middle, and die an ignoble death in the tar pits of fiction. (Some resurface as fossils. Others become word petroleum. Yes, it is true.) We have to persevere and wade through the swampy middle to get to the end. Remember, revision is our friend. We can clean and sharpen.

So (rolls up sleeves) the writer has a first draft. The writer has asked questions, received feedback, and now it's time to revise.

These days, the first thing I'm likely to do is OUTLINE my story. I go through it, chapter by chapter, scene by scene, and look at the action. There are many ways to do this, some low, some high tech.

1. Recipe cards. After you've written the main actions on the card, you can divide them up, shuffle them around, and throw some cards away. You can even notice gaps where you need connections.

2. The spreadsheet. Some people like scenes all in one document.

3. Scrivener (not a paid endorsement). Scrivener is for Macs (similar software is out there for pc). With Scrivener, you can shuffle hi-tech postcards, or you can do what I do, which is pop whole scenes in and out of chapters. I also keep a file for scenes I trim, just in case I decide to throw them back into the story, or reference them later.

I use the outline mainly for plotting. My stories center on character and action. Sometimes I'll do an outline for a character story arc and write that straight through. If I do several of these, I have a master story outline of several character story arcs. I do have to build interactions among these, and you guessed it, I figure out the best places to do that among the outline.

I am, in the case of the first draft, what they call in the trade, a pantser. As I revise, I am definitely more of a planner, and all the way through, I am intuitive about what feels and sounds right for my characters.

Should we talk about how to get to know your characters? Probably. That's another topic.

I'd also love to hear how you organize your plot and novel structure as you revise.

Catherine

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.

Clarion Write-a-Thon

Let's talk for a moment. Frankly.

What does a workshop mean to a writer? What does it mean to a writer that they can work uninterrupted on their craft? What does it mean to a writer to gain insights from professionals in the field to help them on their way to a writing career? What does it mean to a writer to be in a classroom setting that believes in genre fiction, and takes it SERIOUSLY?

To this writer, it meant a lot. I was very lucky that my college (Kirkwood Community College, gem of the Midwest) paid for my trip to Viable Paradise so that I could meet wonderful people, receive invaluable instruction, and feel that I was taken seriously as an author. Now, it's time for payback.

UCSD Clarion is sponsoring their first annual Write-a-thon this year. The timing is right. I will be finished with teaching on July 1st, so there's only about a week of overlap. The money goes to scholarships for writers who can't afford Clarion else wise. I'm participating.

Other people I know are participating too. I don't care if you sponsor me or them. The point is that you sponsor someone, that you give an emerging writer who might not be able to afford this experience a chance to study and gain support for their work.

If you're interested in sponsoring Catherine Schaff-Stump, just click on my name. If you're interested in sponsoring other writers, this link will get you there.

Notice that not only is Clarion UCSD having a workshop, but so are Clarion West and Clarion South. Your choices are abundant!

What is my writerly goal? To finish the troll novel rewrite 3, to get that baby out to agents and publishers. I was going to do this anyway. Now I'm doing it for a good cause.

Thanks for your help. In the future, the book shelf you line may be your own.

Catherine

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.