Outline Writing

Why Try Outline Writing?

When you set out to write anything of significant length, it's best to organize your thoughts beforehand. Outline writing is one way to do that. Here are some of the benefits to writing outlines:

• Outline writing can give your idea for a novel direction. By making an outline, you'll see if your idea can be worked into a full-length novel. If not, you might want to consider a short story instead.
• Outline writing can help keep you on track. If, when you finally get a moment to sit down and write, you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or lost, an outline can help. It will tell you what you need to write on any given day to make it from point A to point B in your book. Think of it as a to-do list rather than something that boxes you in.
• It will save you time and money. If you stick to the outline, you will be less likely to write a chapter or a scene later that doesn't mesh well with something you wrote in the beginning. You'll also save money when it comes to hiring an editor later.
• It gives you an overview. When you're done with the outline, you'll be able to create a synopsis or see problems with your story that you should fix before attempting to find an agent or publish it.

What to Include in Your Outline

You don't have to include all of the following in your outline writing if you'd prefer to discover them later as events occur and you feel inspired to add or take out scenes. However, it is good to work with at least some of these key points:

• The names of one to three main characters, plus their names, details about their personalities, and their purpose in the book
• Setting and why you chose it
• A list of conflicts for your main character or characters to overcome with notes on how he or she will do so
• Your plot, with a basic description of the scenes in the order you think they should occur

To start outline writing from the ground up, try writing a book overview in outline form first. This will include a list of what happens in each chapter, but these will be very brief descriptions of one or two sentences at most. Then, go in for the next layer, an outline for each chapter, which discusses in just a bit more depth what happens, when, or how.

If you're handwriting your outline, make sure to leave lots of space in the margins and around the sections. You might think of something extra to add in later and you wouldn't want to forget when the time comes. Typing it out may not feel natural when it comes to brainstorming, but if you do choose to type out your outline, it will be easy to make adjustments later.

A character outline component can be written either in addition to or instead of a traditional outline. This lists out the traits your character has in order to really bring him or her to life. Using this outline will make it easier to predict how your character should react in any situation.

When you start your outline writing exercise, don't feel entrapped by the way outlines were supposed to go in middle school and high school when you had term papers due with a teacher who demanded a copy of an outline before or along with the paper. This one is yours—and it's meant to be creative. The bottom line is to include what works for you and keeps you on track. Forget the rules such as, "If there's an A, there must be a B." Just do what works for your story.

Why Outline Later?

The benefits of writing an outline before writing the book are obvious. What is not so obvious is the purpose of writing the outline after the book. This is a money-saving tactic. You'll allow your editor to see where the book is going while they read it. That makes their job easier to do. In turn, that takes less time and could potentially cost you less.

Additional Information

If you still need help, try this Novel Notebook designed by novelist Lynn Viehl.