Hi there, friends, today I want to talk to you all about a pain point for all of us writers: to outline or not? Be structured and know what happens in each scene with every character. Trust your instincts and improvise. Let your muse guide you through all 300-plus pages. Friends, I have done both, and I prefer outlines.
I have written stories where I chose not to outline, and they lose steam for me somewhere between pages 30 and 50. I have lost the vision of the character, the premise, and the plot. Inconsistencies start cropping up between the characters and the storyline. I introduce Mary on page 2. She’s five feet three, has short blonde hair, and is quiet. By page 50, she’s grown to five feet nine. Now, her hair is frizzy and strawberry blonde. She also pops gum with such force that it can make you jump. A different Mary than the one who started at the beginning of the book. These reasons likely contributed to my writer’s block. I felt stressed and frazzled, and in the end, I gave up.
Having an outline offers structure and gives you peace of mind. It is a simple road map for your characters and your story. To make your novel shine, begin with a strong outline. Also, keep detailed notes, timelines, and character sketches. A solid plot is key, too. This preparation gives you a clear path to finish your work. Trust me, your readers will love it, too, because a well-prepared story is also a well-received story.
My Process
I’ve begun using a simple brainstorming template for my stories. I do this even before adding details in Novel Crafter. This gets my mind thinking of the beginning of the tale, the ins and outs, and who my good and bad guys are. The more information I get at first, the better. I can then use it for the character outlines and the main outline.
During brainstorming, I will ask: What real-world fear is the story drawing on? Is it isolation? Death? Possession? Losing control? Being forgotten? Or is it something else? It can be one or all, or a combination. The idea is to get it on paper and get the idea fleshed out. From here, I want to think about what the flame is that sets everything on fire. What is the inciting incident? What gets the ball rolling? I also want to get a general idea of who my protagonist and villain, or entity, are. What information I have from these, I will take and put into the character sketches.
Once I gather solid brainstorming details, I’ll add this info. Then, I’ll elaborate using my character sketches and Novel Crafter. Novel Crafter lets me make detailed notes from my character sketches. I can also attach pictures to their profiles. Pictures help me, especially when I’m developing my characters. They let me ask important questions to understand them better. I can observe them to think about how they might respond. This gives me insight into their motivations, fears, quirks, and other key traits. I use the Save the Cat method for Novel Crafter. It gives clear guidance and helps me structure my story well.
Other Methods
Through the years, I have also used other methods to develop my stories and characters. The three I am about to mention are my top three that I like the most and find to be quite productive.
One Note
OneNote is great! Most of us have it because it comes with Microsoft Office. I love how you can create different sections and tabs. It’s a great way to keep your notes organized! Every job I’ve had, including my current one, uses OneNote. Designers made it for ease of use. I keep track of my writing in one place. This includes my Substack, Vault of the Supernatural, and my freelance clients. Each tab contains notes and research for my posts. I find this a great way to stay organized and focused. It provides significant help and is an efficient method for completing your work.
Notion
Notion I started using Notion a few weeks ago, and I like this one too for its organizational features. I have different sections for each project I am working on. With each section, you can add pages for different things. I have a Content Calendar on my Vault of the Supernatural Notion page. It lists the posts I plan to write each week. I also have a separate page for future post ideas that pop into my head. As I complete posts, I can mark them as complete in the calendar, which is neat as well as motivational. It also lets me know that I have finished that project and can move on to the next. With so many things I juggle, I find this method works best for me.
Campfire
Campfire—I haven’t used Campfire in a while, but it has great organizational features. You can break your story into segments. This way, everything stays aligned, and you know you’re on track. If you find you are missing something, go back to that section and add what you need, and you will be good. Campfire offers great plotting options.
You can pick from these options:
- 3-Act Structure
- 7 Point Structure
- 27 Chapter Method
- Hero’s Journey
- Heroine’s Journey
- and more.
There is a neat little timeline module so you can put what happens at what time and on what date. For those detail-oriented writers, I recommend checking out Campfire as a valuable resource. I will provide the links for all these tools so you can check them out if you are interested.
Pros and Cons
As with any method, there are pros and cons, as we all know. Outlining offers more advantages than relying on spontaneity. To be fair, I have provided both.
Pros
- Keep your writing organized.
- It will cut down on endless editing.
- Ensures the story follows structure, and if things do get off track, your outline will help you get back on track.
- Ensure consistency.
Cons
- It can take time, especially for longer work.
- It can be too rigid for some.
- Not good for someone who likes to freehand and wing it.
- It can sometimes cause you to overthink a plot, scene, or character.
Writing Tools
As promised, here are the links for those different writing tools I use. Check them out; tell me what you think.
https://www.campfirewriting.com/story-planner
Final Thoughts
As you can see, for the moral of the story for my friends, I prefer to outline, but I will not knock anyone who wants to wing it. However, I would like to present a challenge to you, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants folks. Try outlining one chapter and see how it works for you. Tell me in the comments below; I would love to hear from you about this.
Your Thoughts
So, tell me, friends, what are your favorite methods for writing? Are you an outliner or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type? Do you have any methods you use for outlining? I would love to hear from you all. Thanks for reading. Happy writing, friends.
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