I'm Coming Out(line)

By Alison

So I'm more or less done with the painful, pit-of-hell experience that was writing my most recent book.  And I'm spent. I'm a hollow shell. As the title of this blog might suggest, I've got nothing left in me but terrible puns that should not even be spoken aloud, let alone immortalized as blog titles, but like I said. I've got nothing.

Trouble is,  now I need to come up with a proposal for my next book. And, since my publisher probably won't accept a list of wince-inducing puns and/or an in-depth critical analysis of the American Idol contestants... I can barely even say it... I've got to be creative. Again.

Fortunately, I have a secret weapon. I outline. I know a lot of writers frown on outlines. But I find, with my deadlines, I couldn't live without them. Even if I veer away from the outline completely (and I usually do) I find it to be a like a raft -- you can swim away from it for a while, but once you get a cramp and start sinking, you can find your way back to it and hang on for a while. I used to do very sketchy outlines, but as my books get more complex, so do the blueprints. My outline for TRASHED was 36 pages, single spaced. (Of course, I wound up throwing it away and coming up with a whole new one midway through writing the book,  but still...)

Another reason why I like outlines is they utilize a different part of my brain than the one I write creatively with. In an outline, I don't need to worry so much about making the language nice, describing settings and characters in an evocative way. I can use cliches, I can repeat words... none of that matters. It's just the very mathematical process of getting from point a to point z. And once I get there, it's like a mini-accomplishment. With the plotting behind me, I can jump in, be creative and bring those scenes to life... until, of course, I hit my first stumbling block and realize the outline isn't quite going to work the way it is, but that's a whole different issue.

Interestingly, authors seem to be very divided on the subject of outlining. Some feel it hampers creativity and prefer to use the first draft as the springboard. That makes sense, provided you can crank out a first draft quickly and with confidence. Others (hi, Lori!) are more recent converts -- outlines becomming a necessity as their deadlines get tighter and tighter. As for me, all I can say is, I didn't outline HIDE YOUR EYES until I got to the last third of the book. It took me ten years to get to the last third of the book.

How about you? Are you an outliner?

Comments

[J. Carson Black]

Well, if you're with NAL, you HAVE to produce an outline. So that pretty much makes it a moot point.

I like to start a book with a general, broad outline - like knowing who the killer is and what the conflict is and a few things along the way. I really don't want to see too far down the road, and I put off some of it for a long time. So I start writing. I outline the next several scenes as I go along, which I got from Elizabeth George's WRITE AWAY. And then, if I have to produce the outline, I start really getting into it and it becomes quite detailed. (20 pages single-spaced).

So I guess you can say I don't outline and I do outline. ;)

[Christa Miller]

I'm an outliner, but not because of deadlines. I am by nature a big-picture person. The more bogged down I get in details, the more confused I get! So having an outline lets me keep the book in perspective.

I don't outline short stories, though. Those, I have found, are actually hurt by outlines. It's a good compromise between the two schools of thought - for me, anyway.

[Carol Davis Luce]

An outliner, definitely!

[Lori G. Armstrong]

Ooh, you're outing me too? How's that work?

Like Jake, I'm a half-outliner. I know whodunit, why, and the 8 10 major plot points. How I get there? Who knows. Usually I can't write a decent synopsis until the book is done either.

This last book I wrote in record time (a romance) was completely outlined - seven pages worth. And WOW, it's made such a huge difference, that I'm officially becoming an outliner.

[Karen]

I usually don't like to outline, but I had to do a short proposal for this fourth book, and I have to admit that it's helped as I'm writing. Granted, things are happening that I didn't expect while writing the proposal, but I at least know where I'm going and sort of how I'm going to get there.

[David Terrenoire]

I outline. I start with the tentpoles and work out from there. I also write long synopses of each major character's motivation, a full explanation of whatever the crime or scheme is, and although I usually don't write this down, I can tell you birthdays, education, church-attendance and taste in music.

But everything is liable to change.

[Tricia]

I'm an outliner too, Karen. Thanks for coming out as one. I have outlined my way out of a pothole, and as soon as I do, my articles or book manuscripts (I write kid's books) are accepted without a whimper. It must be my brain (and yours and others).

It also calms me down. I'm excited to outline, knowing that all the details of my next idea are safely on paper and I can still tweak it, but at least it's out of my brain.

Great post and good vibes on your next project. Can't wait to read Trashed!

[spyscribbler]

My "outline" fits on a 3 1/2 by 5 inch page. It's definitely barebones! I keep another page of things I need to tie up or address before the end of the book. (They usually surprise me during the writing, and I don't want to forget them.)

Or sometimes I write half, then outline the rest. Sometimes I just name the chapters, and that's my outline. :-)