Writers usually fall into one of two camps—outliners and writers who make the story up as they go along (seat of their pants.)
I’m decidedly a pantster. It’s how I wrote my first six books.
Then along came a new series and new editor (who is a lovely, charming, clever woman! Who likes outlines.) :)
So I’ve now written two books from outlines. And, since I’ve written both ways now, I thought I’d do my own personal wrap-up of how it went, just in case any of y’all are interested in trying another method.
This is just how it went down for me, as someone who has never outlined a story before. Others will have different experiences!
Pros of outlining
In some ways, I was able to make the mystery itself more complex and puzzling by using an outline. It enabled me to see the different sections of the book and how they connected.
The outline helped me develop the characters before writing the book. I already had a sense of who they were as I started out.
I could more easily spot potential problem areas of the book. I could see when I wrote myself into a plot hole. I could tell when I’d lost track of the theme.
I could easily explain the project I was working on to my agent and first readers before I even finished it.
The actual writing itself went super-quickly after I’d completed the outline and had it approved by the editor. There was very little mulling over.
I knew my editor would like the story that I turned in on June 30th. There were no surprises there—she’d already approved it.
My agent was able to just skim my book as she read it before we turned it in…because she knew we’d already wrangled out the plot ahead of time.
Cons
I wrote way too short as I followed my outline. I had to add about 20,000 words.
I’ve found that I can either write a very, very short outline or a very, very long one. Writing a mid-sized outline was impossible for me. My outline ended up being 21 pages long.
The outline took about as much time as it took for me to write the book.
Creatively, I felt very tied down with the outline and was less-likely to go off on any interesting tangents with subplots, etc…until I came up super-short, when I decided to indulge myself in the subplots. :) In reality, I could have deviated from my outline. But, working with a new editor, I hesitated doing it.
The outlining process tended to flatten my characters out. It took a while to fluff them back up and give them individuality and their own voice. Writing them in the strictures of an outline seemed to make them feel more like cutouts to me.
Summing up
Would I choose to outline a book, if I weren’t asked to do so? No, I sure wouldn’t. Were there some benefits to doing so? Absolutely.
But the process for the first book was so tortuous that I asked my editor if I could turn in more of a short, sketched out plan for the plot of the second book—including the murders, suspects, red herrings, clues, killer, hooks, and theme. She said that would be no problem, so I feel a lot better about the short outline that I’ll hand in before August 1. It covers all the big stuff, but I don’t feel as tied down as I did with the first one.
Do you outline or make up the story as you write? Have you ever tried another approach? How did it work out for you?
I consider myself a structured organic writer – know some things, discover most as I write – and whenever I’ve tried outlining, I have little desire to write the actual story. Been there, done that, why do it again?
That said, I think most working writers use outlines and it seems to work well for them. My brain, though, vastly prefers to just discover the story while composing.
I personally plot before I start writing. I tried doing it organically before but it simply doesn’t get me anywhere… However, I don’t plot scene by scene, I just have a major story line that I plan chapter by chapter!
I like that you used a map of The Netherlands to illustrate your post :p
I outline EVERYTHING including my life. But, I rarely follow my outlines totally I do like the structure.
My outlines are neither short nor long so I guess that leaves medium length.
ELizabeth – I know what you mean about writing in a way that’s different. It can feel a little awkward, that’s for sure. I happen to be an outliner and I think it’s because of the kind of writing I’ve done. I’m used to academic writing and that’s what one does – one outlines. In general I prefer it for all of the reasons you mention, but I will say, it does mean you sometimes have to go back and add more “meat” to a story, or a new character, or something.
I think it’s interesting how outlining is different for everyone. I outline even though I hate that part of the process. So why do I do it to myself, especially since I’m still unpubbed?
1). When I don’t outline projects I often don’t finish them. I haven’t figured out an ending or a good middle, I get stuck and give up. It’s just as simple as that.
2) or I finish my manuscript, but they’re too short. Opposite of your problem ;-)
3) I don’t waste time when I’m writing the rough draft saying “what will I write today?” If I’m really stuck, I skip ahead to another scene.
Even with all that, I do still end up throwing away and rewriting a lot when I’m done with my first draft, but it still all goes smoother than my pre-outlining days when all my novels were about a 100 pages long ;-)
I have written on my blog this week about trying to plot. My determination to plot the next novel is going to flounder I think. I am not a structured writer, I dive in when the ideas flow.
I’m still struggling with writing my first novel, and while I tried to write organically at first, trying to make an outline seems to help. Although you’re right, the characters are flat and will take some fluffing up before the end. I just don’t know! This is my first attempt at a book and I of course want it to be successful, but… *sigh*.
I do a bit of both. I write the story as it comes to me up to a certain point, usually once the plot starts getting unwieldy and I need to step back and plan things out a bit more. Then the outlining begins in earnest. I tend to write short too as I write from my outline.
I prefer to outline, although like you, my stories end up short that way. But I’m a planner and perfectionist in most areas of my life. I need to see the path and the characters before I can write.
I just sit down and write. I often don’t even know where a story is going when I first start writing. While I don’t use outlines, I guess I have to admire people with that sort of discipline. I kind of like the adventure of opening doors as I go along .
One of the cons you mentioned was “The outline took about as much time as it took for me to write the book.” I assume you mean the first draft. How about if you consider revisions?
The process of writing fiction and writing software are unbelievably similar. One of these days I’m going to blog about that…
Mapping to software development, your outline is your design document which keeps you on track and reduces “rework.” And, the earlier one catches problems the easier (and cheaper) it is to fix.
Another software tenet is “do the simplest thing that works” which I suspect is why you came up short in word count. In the future, knowing that you tend to come up short, you could add some “gold plating” to fluff it up. ;-)
But seriously, if the total time with outlining is less than it would be without then wouldn’t that be a win? Seems like you could crank out more books that way.
I’ve always written pantster style. It’s fun. I worry that an outline will take some of the joy of creating out of the process. BUT, I’ve considered using a small outline for my next story because I always end up with some plot hole issues. We’ll see :)
Tammy–I think you’re right! Most pro writers outline. I think I’m the odd-man out there.
Manon–I like to have an idea of where I’m going with my story, but that’s about it. In fact, I don’t know my killer until the very end of the book (well, except for when I outline!)
Yes, because I FELT like my brain was in the Netherlands the whole time I was outlining! Ha!
Jill–I think you definitely should continue outlining! We need to stick with what works (well, except for me! Because my contract for this series says that I will outline. Bleh.)
You’ve made an excellent case for outlining! I agree that the nicest part was when I knew exactly what I was writing each day. But, as an organic writer, I did much the same thing….I had a MINI outline, but only for the next day’s work. It was just a to-do list for what to write the following day.
Glynis–Apparently I’m not a structured writer, either! My agent was horrified to learn that I don’t use outlines. I think most professional writers do use them. I just have a rough time with them (although clearly I’ll have to continue using them for different editors.)
Betty–I think the outline makes for great planning. The flat characters, though, were definitely a pain. On the upside, I had an idea how I wanted the characters to propel the plot. The downside was definitely that they didn’t come to life for me until after the first draft.
Teresa–I’m going to lump you in with Alex and Mike Fleming, since you’re in the tech industry! I think I’m seeing a common thread with outliners…
Margot–With your background, I can’t see you NOT outlining!
Bluestocking–I’m curious why we’re writing so short with outlines. Hmm.
Alex–I think you and Mike have a lot in common–you’re thinking in a very orderly, professional way. (Must be the computer backgrounds.)
Mike–Honestly, I think most writers wouldn’t spend a month writing an outline…I think that was just me! Also, because I hated it so much, I think it made the process even longer (you know how it is when there’s a chore you’re not excited about.) I tend to write quickly, finishing a first draft in 4-5 weeks. But that darned outline…
I love the idea of “gold plated fluffing!” And you’re right, now that I know I write short with outlines, I’d maybe add more subplots into the outline. But maybe only on my *personal* outline–not the one I hand in to the editor. Because, really, who wants to read a 21+ page outline? I kind of felt sorry for her when I handed it in. But not *too* sorry, since she’d asked me to do it in the first place. :) Ha!
The writing time went way down–maybe it took 3 weeks for a first draft? So maybe took 1-2 weeks off my usual process. It took me about 2 months to revise it (mostly because it was so short.) But it took me a month to write the outline! That could be because it was the first one I’d done. I think this is an “old dog, new tricks” scenario for me. Maybe if I hadn’t written so many books the other way? Now, if I had some *software* that could help with the process… :) Because I’m much more receptive to playing around with technology than I am writing an outline on Word.
I’ve done both.
I found I had a lot of the same issues you did when I did outline–the word count came out pretty short and I didn’t explore any subplots and tangents that I could have. I found that when I outlined I cut to things too quickly–I was always moving to the next plot point without deepening my scenes. It’s made editing a little more difficult since I’ve had to add a lot.
On the other hand, when I DIDN’T outline I had other issues, specifically not knowing where I was going at ALL until the end. In this case when I was editing I added in a lot of foreshadowing and added to the characters in the beginning of the WIP since I was still getting to know them myself.
I think between the two I actually like pantsing better–the discovery of it is exciting even if a little intimidating. There are definitely merits to both methods, though.
Yes, if only there was some software for that! ;-)
My 11 yr old caught me writing my original comment and a discussion ensued about the subject. FWIW, she’s in the panster camp and found that being called a “pantser” was funny, indeed!
Ava Jae–Sounds like we’ve had the same experience! The adding was all right–but it was time consuming. I wanted to make sure that everything I added either developed characters or propelled the plot or somehow tied into the plot (including subplots). It made for a drawn-out process.
It’s true that the revisions can take a lot longer when I’m not going off an outline. I wouldn’t think to add in literary elements many times until the 2nd or 3rd draft. With the outline, I put a lot more thought into the process.
Jill–Me too! Well put. I admire people who outline, too (and I don’t include myself in that camp!)
Jemi–I can promise that you’ll end up with no plot holes with an outline! They just jump right out at you.
Mike–I’m VERY MUCH anticipating the final version of Hiveword. That’s because I have a feeling I’m going to have to keep doing some variation of an outline for Penguin, because I have a hard time keeping my stories straight (and need a good, organized story bible for each one), and because I could use some help jump-starting my stories sometimes.
And…of *course* kids like the pantster approach! Outlines are like schoolwork! It takes all the fun out of it and somehow reminded me of unfortunate research paper outlines I’d had to do in high school with Roman numerals in them. I’m totally with your daughter. Which goes to show I have the mind of an 11 year old. :)
I’ve done both. I started as a pantser and honestly fell into plot holes so often I thought I was in the land of a thousand holes. Over the past couple of years I’ve been reading tons of material on story structure and transformed into a plotter. When writing from the outline, I use as a guide, not a must. This way my characters are free to do what they choose and sub-plots are free to roam, because I know that the outline is there to keep me on the trail. Just like a good hiking map the outline allows us to wander off the main trail safely and still find our way back.
This is great! And it makes me feel a lot better. I am a pantser as well, but this last time I used the Save the Cat beat sheet to do a very short/rough outline. I found that it really helped, but I also had a few characters and subplots show up that I wasn’t expecting. I don’t think I’d do more than that (unless asked) because I love letting my subconscious loose.
Ahhhh! This is so interesting and relevant for me right now. I’ve written three novels as a pantser (and am just starting to query for the first time). But I’ve spent so much time revising this last novel, that I’ve really wondered if I should outline the next one. I’ve worried about the things you and others talked about here (flat characters, that outlining might take away the story’s creative energy) but I also see a huge value in outlining (as you’ve also mentioned). I think I’m still finding my working style and guess I’ll just have to compare the two, as you’ve done. Thanks!
I’m not an outliner. I’m a pantster. It seems to be working for me so far and I don’t believe in changing something unless it’s not working. At least with trying it, now you can really stand up and say, no, it’s not for me, this is the way I write.
Jill wrote:
1). When I don’t outline projects I often don’t finish them. I haven’t figured out an ending or a good middle, I get stuck and give up. It’s just as simple as that.
This is me. I’m a panster, whose feeling frustrated right now. I’ll stick my hand up and admit it. I’m at 55k, and seem to have lost the plot!
I really don’t want to give up on the story – do you think its possible to outline now?
Maria
Lisa–I do like having a rough idea where I want to go with a story (and I’ve heard great things about beat sheets.)
Kelly–I think it’s definitely worth it to try something else. You never know until you try! And I know that, in some ways, outlining worked well for me. I was able to revise the parts that didn’t work (the poor characterization, etc.)
Rebecca–I *could* say that. :) I sort of *did* say that, to the editor. At least we ended up with a solution that worked better for both of us. I’m always a little nervous of looking like a neurotic writer!
Gene–I think that’s a great way of looking at it. Have a roadmap. Then you can explore other areas, knowing that you’ve always got your map to get you back on track, if you need it. :)
Maria–I think there are plenty of different things you could try. Don’t give up yet!
You could outline the story from the start to where you are now. This summation might remind you where you need to go.
You could outline the story, fully, from start to finish (filling in the parts you’ve already written.)
You could put down your book for a couple of weeks, then pick it back up and reread it. Brainstorm 10 different ways your story could end up. Brainstorm 20, if you can.
If you *know* your ending, start at the ending and work your way backward to where you are now. (I’ve done this, on others’ recommendations, and it’s worked remarkably well.)
You could do a set of mini-outlines each day, just outlining the scene you want to write for *that day*. That’s also very effective for squeezing writing into busy days. You’d just sketch out what the characters need to do, where the scene is set, and what the scene is going to accomplish.
Hope this helps!
Firstly, many thanks for taking the time to reply. You’ve given me lots to think about.
The one that jumps off the page at me is outlining from start to now, which will as you say, remind me of the whole thing so far.
I’ll also brainstorm some endings, and see how I go.
Very much appreciate the advice.
Maria
I don’t write out my outlines, but I definitely have my characters and main plots’ big points determined in my head before I get started writing. I’m definitely not a fly-by-your-pants sort. I would stare at the blank page helplessly for hours, write a few hundred words, stare blankly for hours, and so on.
Hey Elizabeth…I just did a post on this Friday :) When I first started my WIP, I most definitely wrote by the seat of my pants. I have NEVER been an outliner. I even hated it in high school. But…when I finished the first draft of my WIP I realized the plot was lacking. It just wasn’t what I wanted it to be, so I went back and plotted the story in the right direction. Now, I’m in rewrites and I totally get what you’re saying about length. I’ve had to be careful about not cutting it short. All in all, I just think it’s personal preference. I would love to stay a pantser forever because, hey…I’m a writer…I like the feeling of creative freedom. Unfortunately, I am also a bit of a perfectionist and I need structure. By nature I’m a pantser, but by necessity I’ve become a plotter. :)
I’ve always hated outlines, until I tried the 3×5 card method (you write each scene beat on a card, and you can shuffle/omit/add t your heart’s content). Now I do that on the computer with Scrivener. I know many pro writers who are pantsers, though.
I don’t do a formal outline, but I do sketch things out. I usually start with what I’ve dubbed the HWYS moment, which is the key turning point. Then I rough out main points along the way to build the story to that point. But in terms of scenes, etc., I generally only work a couple of chapters ahead, and it’s mostly naming the POV character and a line per scene about what’s happening. Like driving at night with headlights – I only see as far as the light. As long as I have the HWYS moment from the beginning, I can let the characters take their own path on the way there. For me, it pulls in the benefits of each approach.
The one exception is if I have a formal mystery. Then I have to be more structured because otherwise I leave plot holes. It’s why even though I prefer reading mysteries, I don’t write them.
Tried being a pantser and my characters simply would not behave. I may be an over planner now. I first right a short synopsis, create a time line (for what happens when including dates and locations), make character sheets for all major and some minor characters, and I do chapter and scene summaries for the next three or so chapters I need to write. It’s work but I think it helps me keep on target and make the book true to what I had originally intended.