Finding the Will to Outline. From a Writer who Dislikes Outlining

I’ve come to terms with an unbearable truth this year: if I outline my story before writing it, then I’m far more likely to complete a first draft.

My problem is that I find it an absolute TASK to outline. It’s not the most fun thing to do and it takes an arduous amount of time to get the juices flowing, so it looks like I have a cohesive story on the page.

I realise that when I outline my plot, I’m investing in all the possible things that could go right or wrong to my protagonist, how to build an arc effectively AND commit to finishing what I started.

So why outline? The benefit of outlining is that you are setting down the foundations and structure of your plot. Does it have a beginning, middle and end? No? Then outline. Not sure what inciting incidents will develop your characters? Outline. Stuck in the early stages of an idea and not sure how to develop it? Outlining can help you work through it.

Here are a few tips and tricks that work for me:

Think High Level

The biggest issue some writers have at the start of their idea is that their story and characters are too big, too epic, the details are minute, the plot akin to a Tolkien epic. To make the process of sketching out your first draft less intimidating is to peel back the layers. Break it down into 3 or 4 key stages. A really basic outline could be:

girl meets boy - girl and boy fall in love - girl and boy break up - girl and boy get back together then live happily ever after.

So very simple and used over and over again from Shakespeare to romantic comedies.

Incorporate a Minimum of 3 Incidents

These incidents don’t have to be huge life-changing moments for your characters, but they do need to create some kind of growth.

Conflict = Growth.

Nothing says “i”ve thought this through” like creating significant obstacles for your characters to overcome. They will either change or they won’t, and that will influence how they respond to other challenges throughout the plot.

Wiki-ify Your Story

As mentioned in point 1, it’s easy to become lost in the small stuff when drafting an outline. So now I draft out my plot in the style of a wikipedia article. It gets you “in the zone” of what your story is about, key themes, conflicts and plot points in a way that feels interesting yet slightly detached.

Get Unconventional with Design

If a word doc of a step-by-step outline bores you then may I suggest post-its on the wall? This strategy is popular with screenwriters and playwrights for obvious reasons. You can see where the story works or where it falls flat then move ‘beats’ aka ‘units of narrative’ around to experiment with what works best.

Save Previous Drafts

As you would save a draft of your story in real time, your outline will grow and change as you develop your idea. It is very useful to reflect on your process and identify patterns that you can use in the future.

I hope these tidbits are helpful. While outlining doesn’t work for everyone, it is worth trying if you run into writer’s block or have trouble maintaining momentum with your writing habits.

Very few novels are written without any planning so go with what works for you, and if that’s outlining - good luck!