Share Your Outlining Tips!

[Luxuria]

So, I have been bitten by the Outlining Bug lately and thought we should have a thread to share tips on how to do it.

Here are my tips for you:
1. Write out a list of scenes out of order on a page. Just anything you want in the story or think might be good to put in there.
2. Take all the scenes and arrange them in a logical order in another document.
3. Then, begin writing a detailed outline for the plot, which I feel is different from plotting character/lore/world building'. In this outline, write it in order, like you're writing a really long explanation of the story.
4. Split this into scenes once you are happy with the outline.
5. Start writing if you fancy.

 

[Naomasa298]

3. Then, begin writing a detailed outline for the plot, which I feel is different from plotting character/lore/world building'. In this outline, write it in order, like you're writing a really long explanation of the story.

I disagree with this. Now, this is a philosophical stance, but these things are not separate aspects, because they all form part of the story. You can't have a complete story without all of them.

My tip is - start with the beginning and the end. Then work out how you are going to get from A to B.

 

[Luxuria]

I disagree with this. Now, this is a philosophical stance, but these things are not separate aspects, because they all form part of the story. You can't have a complete story without all of them.

My tip is - start with the beginning and the end. Then work out how you are going to get from A to B.

I agree with you on this. I do think it's better to write it all as a collective thing. But sometimes I tend to wander in my outline and forget to introduce lore/worldbuilding, etc.

 

[Qvortable]

I use Anki (the flashcard software) to quiz me on my plot points and mcguffin and all their implications (along with their link to my theme) only to have my sotp ass scrape most of them and generate stuffs during drafting, but at least I have spare parachute.

 

[Stuart Dren]

The sooner the themes are identified, the sooner it's easier to tell if a component is relevant or not (or if it can be changed to be relevant).

I wanted to be the kind of person who uses the snowflake method, but I'm just not that hardcore. However, attempting it isn't so bad. My last outline was about 5k words before I started writing. I think it's better than going off mere bullet points.

It's handy to have a sort of "design doc" that features your initial intentions when it comes to mood, inspiration, big and small. Basically a vomit sales pitch just for you, something to return to in order to evaluate how things are going, or how they have changed.

 

[Mogador]

My only outlining advice is cautionary.

I liked the sound of it and introduced more and more outlining as I went on, right up to the point it was killing my stories on the vine. I lost interest and stopped writing fiction. It wasn't the only reason but nor was it a trivial reason.

Its not for everyone; even if you enjoy the process and think the theory looks neat it can still kill a story if that's just not the kind of writer you are.

 

[Homer Potvin]

My only outlining advice is cautionary.

I liked the sound of it and introduced more and more outlining as I went on, right up to the point it was killing my stories on the vine. I lost interest and stopped writing fiction. It wasn't the only reason but nor was it a trivial reason.

Its not for everyone; even if you enjoy the process and think the theory looks neat it can still kill a story if that's just not the kind of writer you are.

I do broad stroke sketches rather than a detailed outline. I found there was too much of a gap between the theoretical and the execution to get too deep into detail. That's just me, though. There are plenty of people who can outline every beat and have no problem realizing it later.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

I use an alphanumeric outline, which I suppose has become a lost art form. A while back, I was asked to outline an article proposal, so I did. The editor was so stunned by the format that she called me to see what kind of person still used Roman numerals.

That being said, over the course of writing a novel, I modify or completely rewrite the outline a couple dozen times as the story progresses and morphs.