If My Goal is to Write a Novel, Why Should I Bother with an Outline?
To Outline or Not to Outline, that is the question.
The answer has divided writers into two camps with passionate views expressed on either side. Some writers feel that outlining is a mechanical and analytical process that kills the creative flow of the novel.
On the other side, some writers believe that writing an outline is an essential part of the process as it provides a solid foundation for the entire process. For them, writing an outline, while tedious, is as essential as brushing one’s teeth daily, eating healthy, getting regular checkups, and making their bed.
For them, it is about doing things “properly” as a necessary step in avoiding future difficulties.
Regardless, the debate certainly goes much deeper than creative techniques. The question of outlining uncovers diverse philosophies and ideologies about planning and living in the moment.
Why Outline
All journeys begin with the destination in mind. Even those adventurous trips I have taken that I intentionally left open-ended to allow for spontaneous experiences… I still begin with a certain city already decided upon.
Pantsers argue it is better to let a scene unfold and connect with their (muse, creative spirit, intuition, cosmic enlightenment…etc.)
They enjoy being just as surprised as the reader.
I used to write like that.
I have a collection of passages and chapters that were deleted from other works. In a folder labeled, “Ideas to use later” are over 200,000 words of dead-end plot points, characters that no longer fit the storyline, dialogue that no longer was relevant, descriptions of scenes that characters will not visit, and dramatic confrontations between characters who are no longer rivals.
There are about three novels worth of writing that are no longer useful. I pray I can repurpose the material in future works. But the tragic truth is there is a lot of wasted time and creative effort that could have been prevented with an outline.
I am now a staunch advocate of being more organized.
What I discovered is that outlining in no way diminishes the creative flow. I still need to create mood, reveal character through behavior and dialogue, build dramatic tension, adjust pacing and tempo, foreshadow key events, establish themes, and use symbolism.
The outline did not eliminate the need for creativity. It just made writing those creative elements faster and more logical.
Outlines also provide the following essential elements that can help lift your novel to best-seller status.
1. IT HELPS YOU KEEP THE TIMELINES STRAIGHT.
Have you ever had a comparable situation? You write a character having their morning coffee and they notice something on the evening news. Or you have one character who the reader saw go through about a month of activity, meet up with a character who had only gone through two weeks of activity?
Did you have one character who thought it was Monday, have a conversation with a character who believed it was Wednesday?
Just writing out a simple timeline can put all these scenes in proper order. Outlines take the guesswork out of the character's passage of time.
2. OUTLINES PUSH THE PLOT.
Plot is more than a series of events. This happened, and then this happened, and so on.
By using an outline, you can drive the story by making sure there is tension in each scene. You can make sure there is a driving event or interaction that propels the story into the next scene. Otherwise, you end up with characters who got together for no reason. Characters act just because you need them to. When there is no conflict or tension, even if it is highly charged, dialogue loses its liveliness.
You end up with characters heading off to a place that eventually proves to be dead-end. You have an endless assortment of plot holes and loose ends that require weeks or even months of rewriting to make sense.
also helps maintain tension from scene to scene.
Many of the drifts I read as an editor become tedious and dull because nothing is holding a reader’s attention. It is just a scene where the writer needs to explain something or get the character out of a corner.
Plot is about tension. No outline… no plot.
3. AN OUTLINE CAN HELP YOU CREATE A STRONGER CHARACTER ARC.
You want your characters to change, grow, dig deeper into their soul, and find their strength. If you desire character development and transformation...
To make a character more real and relatable, it is crucial to create a well-rounded individual.
You need to organize this level of character development. Without an outline, there is no realistic way to keep track of all the character arcs.
Without an outline, you end up with characters who remain lifeless and one-dimensional. You end up with characters who have no real usefulness in the story. Without an outline, you end up with characters who serve no purpose in the story. And interactions that are not fully realized.
Characters must do more than just get involved in situations. They need to be involved in the right situation that best reveals their strengths and weaknesses. They must develop new ways of interacting and dealing with their problems.
In stories without an outline, the writer usually relies on some sort of epiphany or cliché dramatic moment where they decide to change. “As God as my witness, I will never go hungry again.”
With an outline, you can slowly and methodically develop your character into one that is more realistic and meaningful.
3. OUTLINES HELP YOU SEE THE OVERALL STRUCTURE.
Pantsers like to live in the moment and see the scene as it unfolds. However, they overlook the fact that this experience is intended for the reader.
Writers also need an overhead view to manage important things like themes, motifs, symbolism, foreshadowing, key information, planting seeds, and timing.
Once that narrative structure is solid, then a writer can enjoy creating a scene and watching it unfold. They have a duty to offer their readers more than just an entertaining scene that has no significance in the larger context.
4. FINALLY, AN OUTLINE SAVES TIME. A LOT OF TIME.
The best way to show that is with two stats.
The average time to write a novel with an outline. 3.5 months.
The average time to write a novel without an outline: 17 months.
And those months of writing with an outline are much more fun. It is easier to understand clearly where you are headed when you have an outline. You can develop full characters, satisfying conclusions, and page-turning narrative.
As opposed to writing as a pantser and dealing with writer's block, procrastination, distractions, and feelings of self-doubt.
Just like writing goals and making To-do lists help one be more successful in life… an outline guarantees the same level of achievement.
Make your bed, brush your teeth, visit your doctor, say please and thank you….
And write the dang outline.
Eric Myers
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