I had a post earlier this month about how outlining isn’t sexy. Unfortunately, as I’ve learned over and over and over again, outlining/planning is vital to creating a good story. Without a plan going forward, a book will spin out of control and look more like a patch of kudzu rather than a manicured garden. Beyond that, the more ambitious the book, the more chaotic it will be without a plan.
A simple story requires a simple plan. Even then, you might be able to muddle
through. However, with multiple settings,
character arcs, and plot points – as I’m trying to do in my newest novel – you
lose threads and characters by just flying by the seat of your pants. Perhaps there are writers out there who can
blend everything together seamlessly without outlining, but I haven’t yet met
that person.
So as tedious as it can be, make time to plan and
outline. And an outline and a plan can
be different. A plan, to me, is a broad
overview that encompasses the whole story, but an outline is a more detailed
path that can’t be laid out too far in advance or the story will evolve right
past it. It’s the difference between
knowing that Rocky will lose to Apollo Creed at the end of Rocky but not
figuring out his training plan or how he and Adrian end up together. There are lots of ways to get from A to B,
and those details matter.
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