I don’t outline. That is, I can’t sit down and bullet point all the aspects of my story. Instead, what I do I call a short draft.
A short draft is kind of like a summary I write before I write the story. It hits all the main plot points and it’s all tell/no show. It’s a way to organize my story in my head. Things may not go the way I plan, but it still helps to have some sort of map.
I wrote a short draft for the story in the point of view of my main character. Now it’s time to do the same for this evil wizard.
I have a what. I need a why. Why would this wizard go to all this trouble to work such a spell? It has to be for love.
Then all the pieces fell into place. Take a lost love. Combine it with the characters and situations I already had. Mix until it makes sense. Let the ingredients bake together. And a climax that makes sense emerges.
Whew! For a while there, I thought I was going to have to give up.
How do you “map out” your story (if you’re a plotter)? Do you outline? Or do you do something similar to what I do?
15 comments:
I always start with an idea or a character. Sometimes both. I flesh out the main concept, using index cards. Then I fill in the gaps,sometimes before I write, most of the time while I write. Maybe most of my writing comes during the "editing" stage. But that's not really editing. It's still writing:)
I recently jumped on the outline bandwagon tho I still start with an idea and a character. Then I just start mapping out the book, basically writing a chapter by chapter outline. I also use K. M Weiland's Crafting Unforgettable Characters which asks great questions that help with the entire process. It doesn't mean that I won't veer from the outline, but it helps make the journey less chaotic and quicker.
I used to do it all without any outline. I'm trying to outline more. With my WIP I wrote down ideas for certain scenes I wanted to see move the story forward, then I created scenes/chapters to tie all the big events together. Then I organized them on paper squares, chapter by chapter, so I know how it's going to go.
I'm outlining right now. I'm up to four pages for my next book. I'll probably work on the outline for another month before I even start. I guess the important thing is to find out what works. With me, I have to outline, or I waste too much time pursuing dead ends of a story.
I do a general outline with those bullet points and then I panster it from one to the next.
I've heard of the index card thing, but I've never tried it. I wonder if it'd work for me.
And I prefer the editing stage, myself.
Sounds a lot like what I do. I'll have to check out that book.
The index card thing. I really should try that.
Yeah, me too. I tried once to write without a plan in place, and the story went nowhere.
First time visitor here. Hello! I do not outline. I scribble and write like a tornado to get whatever is in my head on to the paper (always paper first). Then I cut, paste, rearrange, fill in, embellish and keep adding. Then of course more editing, but I'm more of a one sentence at a time and then throw it all together kind of girl. So looking forward to seeing more from this blog.
A2Z Mommy and What’s In Between
That sounds like a really cool idea you had to write a short draft about your evil wizard. I'm glad it helped with the story.
I don't usually outline before writing, but for my last book I actually did in order to keep the dates straight. I ended up diverting from it anyway, but it still worked out well.
If a prop becomes necessary, a rock or jewelry for instance, I need to know why. There must be a reason behind every arc in my stories.
There must be a 'why'.
Everyone's system is different. I like yours. It sounds very creative.
I start out with plans, but I find the story diverging often. What is that saying...no battle plan ever survives first contact with the enemy. Something like that.
Yes. True.
Post a Comment