Outlines?

[gmw]

Originally Posted by frahse

There are many names used.

In my mind the one that comes to the fore is "sloppy writing."

Speaking of pejoratives.

[DavidRM]

I outline novels. I don't outline (most) short stories.

My outlines emerge out of pages and pages of notes where I brainstorm story ideas and character ideas and situations and anything else that comes to mind. The whole process usually takes 1-2 weeks. The final result doesn't look anything like what an English teacher would call an outline. It's more a series of chapter summaries, describing what happens.

I never completed a novel project I didn't fully outline. I think it's because Middles are my Kryptonite.

I've never written a novel to The End without also adapting/evolving the outline as I went along. No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.

I figure everyone will eventually find their own way to write. Or not. ;-)

-David

[Stephen B]

I don't outline. I find, once the story is underway, it develops a life of its own and even I don't know where its going. Of course you've got to be disciplined with this approach and not the story to become too long or too ridiculous.

What I do do is have a list of little elements that I want the story to include. It doesn't matter where, but they've got to be built in somewhere. I also can't start a new chapter until I've got the first line in my head. Everything flows from there. Does anyone else experience that?

S

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