Are Outlines Worth Making?

[RustedBeef]

With most stories that I write I usually create an outline for it on a chapter-by-chapter basis to act as a sort of guide for me when writing. The problem, however, is that while I start by following my outline the end result typically is very different from what I originally planned out. Sometimes I'll switch between 3rd and 1st person, who the main character is, or even the general plot. I'm not sure if I'm really getting what I should from my chapter outlines.

My question is if it's actually worth making these outlines when I stray so far from them.

 

[johneb87]

I've started doing outlines for all my recent chapters. The trick is to not stray too far from it. At the very least, since I keep all my outlines in a single text file, it helps with continuity between chapters.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

I personally think there is a trick to outlines. I think many people assume outlines are something like a very short summary of what is going to happen within the chapter or section - and I think that is a mistake.

To me the outline consists often only of one single key word - something that I must remember should show up in that segment somewhere because it is the thing that I want to be important about that part of the story. Or even just something which for personal reasons I want to have included in the story - and which may have little or nothing to do with moving the action along. Maybe something there just to give a feeling about something.

I'm sure a lot of writers have the same experience that I find, namely that characters are in some sense quite alive and fairly dynamic and 'do' things and 'say' things once a story starts that seems almost as if THEY decide what to do and say. And the actual final story just comes out of the interplay between these 'alive' things.

"I'm not sure I'm getting what I should..." Hmn. But what do you think you should be getting from an outline?

There are so many different TYPES of story. It isn't even sensible to assume that every single story has to have a beginning a middle and an end - but these things are the structure of most usual stories.

What are you assuming an outline is going to do for you? What do you want it to achieve?

These days I keep most of the outlines I use in my head and indeed the stories are rarely exactly along the original 'outlines' when they are finalised. What makes me satisfied about any finalisation has to do with my own editing, rather than having stuck to an outline. The outline is just a tool, not a rule.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Outlines oughta reveal critical places where things need to work. If you paint your PC into a corner use the outline to detail Plan A, or else youll end up writing JUST THEN BOSLEY REMEMBERED THAT BACK IN SCOUT CAMP WHEN HE WAS 12 HE LEARNED HOW TO FLY.

I came across this in a published story the other day. The PC wanted to know if the doctor he was spying on was in his hotel room or gone. He couldn't ask the maid straight out so what he did was really lame, the PC followed her around whistling a song with the same title as the doctors name. The maid, naturally wanted to know the name of the song, and when the PC revealed it she naturally told him all she knew about the doctor. A better ploy woulda been to feign illness and ask the maid if she knew of any doctors closeby, and if they were available. Outlines take care of wrinkles.

 

[lovecraft68]

Depends on the author. If you have a hard time keeping track of things or focusing then yes use one.

For me I can keep it straight in my head and find they can limit creativity. I let the story write itself rather than force it into a predetermined box.

 

[PennLady]

I think outlines can be useful for people but there is no hard and fast rule on whether you should have one. And outlines mean different things to different people. DMMW says an outline can be one key word, and he's right. I like to set out more of a synopsis that gives guides on what you want to do, and I'm right. Johnb says the trick is not to stray far from it; I disagree, but if it works for him, great. Other people will have other definitions that work for them. Everyone thinks differently and works differently so there's no reason why one type of outline should or would work for everyone.

LC says they can limit creativity but I think that's only if the author lets that happen. Setting out an outline doesn't mean you have to follow it. it's a means of putting some thoughts down and hopefully helping you organize them, and organizing can mean keeping some ideas, tossing others, and adding new ones.

 

[RuzieD]

I find outlining or "beat sheeting" very helpful. It helps me "tell" what is going to happen in the story. Then I "show" it the story. It keeps me grounded from things floating all over the place. Sometimes, that takes away the times when your characters surprise you though.

 

[MatthewVett]

I think outlines help a lot. I don't necessarily go wicked into detail or anything, but I like having an idea of the general path I'm going to take.

 

[CWatson]

With most stories that I write I usually create an outline for it on a chapter-by-chapter basis to act as a sort of guide for me when writing. The problem, however, is that while I start by following my outline the end result typically is very different from what I originally planned out. Sometimes I'll switch between 3rd and 1st person, who the main character is, or even the general plot. I'm not sure if I'm really getting what I should from my chapter outlines.

My question is if it's actually worth making these outlines when I stray so far from them.

What's the problem?

I personally do use outlines, because my stories typically involve a lot of different plotlines. In the novel I'm working on for publication, I have: a male lead who's trying to find a job; the female lead trying to finagle her way out of an arranged marriage that would be very beneficial to her father's career (and hers); the romance between the the two leads; the difficulties they face from the fact that they come from towns on the opposite sides of the border and the two towns are in a cold war; and--oh yeah--the fact that they've been magically branded by destiny and have to collapse the cinnabar mines that are the sole reason for their towns' existence, killing hundreds and causing privation to thousands more. Not to mention becoming wanted criminals. And that's just my two main characters!--there are quite a few more, each with their own agendas and personalities, though they are quite specifically supporting characters and don't narrate. With this much to juggle, I tend to outline in some detail, and the outline becomes practically a first draft--once it's done, all the hard decision-making is accomplished, and all that's left is just putting words to page.

So, with all this in mind, what's the problem with deviating from your outline? I can't, but you can, and I envy you; it not only means you have more freedom, but it means you're catching problems and finding better ways to tell the story. You're improving between drafts. How is that bad?

 

[sr71plt]

Whatever works for you. I only outline nonfiction. I write notes for the rest, more extensive notes for longer works. And for longer works, I'll sometimes do the short phrase "outline" for the first six or seven chapters to get me going--and even there, the chapters cover this tend to be more numerous than I outlined. I never do it to keep myself on some sort of restrictive track, however. My mind is both organized and inventive, thank goodness. If it weren't, I would have stuck with competitive tennis.

 

[laptopwriter]

I guess I'm in the middle

I'll usually make a half-assed outline as soon as I get an idea for a new story; mainly just to get a plot line, but as soon as I have an idea of where I want to go with the story I ditch the outline and do the rest by the seat of my pants.

I do still make notes occasionally while I'm writing and carry a small voice recorder around with me just in case I have a brilliant idea...which rarely happens to me.

 

[PennLady]

I'll usually make a half-assed outline as soon as I get an idea for a new story; mainly just to get a plot line, but as soon as I have an idea of where I want to go with the story I ditch the outline and do the rest by the seat of my pants.

I do still make notes occasionally while I'm writing and carry a small voice recorder around with me just in case I have a brilliant idea...which rarely happens to me.

I'm like this in reverse. I'll go so far in a story, then make an outline so I can see where I *was*, which helps me keep on track for where I'm *going*. Hopefully it also prevents inconsistencies. But I by no means see the outline as something I must do. It's more a device to capture thoughts and ideas I had, whether or not they work out for that story.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I just write off the top of my head. But then, I don't take my writing very seriously.

 

[sr71plt]

I'm like this in reverse. I'll go so far in a story, then make an outline so I can see where I *was*, which helps me keep on track for where I'm *going*. Hopefully it also prevents inconsistencies. But I by no means see the outline as something I must do. It's more a device to capture thoughts and ideas I had, whether or not they work out for that story.

I found I had to do this for pen name series. As I've added books, I've had to go back and make more extensive notes on who/what/where/when. I acknowledge it would have been easier to do that at least after putting the first one to bed.

 

[SamScribble]

When I'm writing non-fiction, I tend to make extensive notes and then organise the notes into an outline that I'll pretty much stick to.

With fiction, it's different.

I usually start out with just an idea and an opening sentence. In a recent story (http://www.literotica.com/s/showing-pink), I didn't even know that one of the characters existed until he turned up for lunch. If I knew where the story was going before I started, I probably wouldn't start. For me, the fun in writing fiction is seeing where the story leads.

 

[MSTarot]

Story outlines...no.

I use character outlines when I have a story that will go over 10,000 words. Sometimes they are just a page of story notes (hair color, eye color, who they resemble, what kind of car they drive.e ct...) I have at times though gone a bit further that that and wrote out a full story, say about 1000 words about the character in question.

The lead character in 'Lord of Devil's night' had one of those.

http://www.literotica.com/s/lord-of-devils-night

I will pull from those notes as I write but as to the story I generally keep that outline in my back brain and adjust it as I write.

I know from the start I want the character to do 'this' at point B. How I get him to there from point A, and what he says to others on that journey, is where my creativity comes in. Hopefully anyway.

 

[autoplot]

If outlines work for you, make outlines.
If they don't, then don't.

Experiment and find out which gets you the best results. There's no one rule that applies universally to every writer.

 

[HeyAll]

I don't use outlines because my plot points are fairly simple.

And I just keep them as plot points when I write, but sometimes I'll think of specific points or dialogue and I'll be sure to use that.

One problem with making a detailed outline is that it doesn't always flow right. Sometimes I'll think of a theme/point I want to write, then after I finish writing the scene, I'll realize that I forgot to put what I wanted to put. But when I look back, the thing I forgot to add wasn't necessary.

Basically, it's good to have a path but the writing should be somewhat free-form. At least that's what works for me.

 

[glynndah]

Most of my stories are quite short and outlines don't seem necessary or very practical. That being said, there's a story floating through my dreams that I've written an outline/notes for because it's far more complicated than most of my other ones. As to whether or not it does me any good, well, that's a horse of a different color. Periwinkle, I think.

 

[Bramblethorn]

With most stories that I write I usually create an outline for it on a chapter-by-chapter basis to act as a sort of guide for me when writing. The problem, however, is that while I start by following my outline the end result typically is very different from what I originally planned out. Sometimes I'll switch between 3rd and 1st person, who the main character is, or even the general plot. I'm not sure if I'm really getting what I should from my chapter outlines.

My question is if it's actually worth making these outlines when I stray so far from them.

I find my chances of finishing a story are greatly improved when I start with an outline, even if I end up deviating considerably from that outline.

 

[sr71plt]

I find my chances of finishing a story are greatly improved when I start with an outline, even if I end up deviating considerably from that outline.

If I just put it on my "to do" list, with a working title and maybe a phrase, I'm usually good to go on pickup it up and getting it written. (My "to do" list includes writing/review/edit/cleanup/and then either book in an anthology or see published. When published, it comes off the list. I keep a separate list of what stories have been submitted where.)

 

[lovecraft68]

I have a notebook where I write two lines that resemble how a story would appear on lit

the first is my title and I cannot write without having the title first.

the second is the gist and it reads like a tag line here

for instance, next up in my "bunny list" is

"The Perfect Pet"

"Sharon and Tom take in a stray"

That's it. The plot is more involved, but that's all I need on paper for a placeholder and once I read it, my mind clicks on it and I recall what I want to do.

 

[laptopwriter]

It's interesting to hear how others work

I know lovecraft's work and regard it very highly. I have a friend who works with me as a sounding board and with whom I bounce around ideas; he is very good at coming up with titles and has named several of my stories as well as my book.

What struck me was lovecraft's comment about not starting a story without a title; I don't usually come up with one until I've completed at least half the story.

There's probably as many different methods of writing as there are writers.

 

[sr71plt]

I have at least a working title before I'll start writing. I might mull the story for a while before having a title, though, and the title almost never is my inspiration point for a story.

 

[lovecraft68]

I have at least a working title before I'll start writing. I might mull the story for a while before having a title, though, and the title almost never is my inspiration point for a story.

So let me ask you, does having the title help "enforce" the story in your mind? Because I feel that is what it does for me.

The title does not come first, the image (I go by visuals in my mind more than ideas) does. But I find the title seems to lock in the images for me.