Outlining: Where are we going, again?

Hello all! So, tomorrow the NaNoWriMo site will reset and participants will be able to create their novels, officially. While waiting on the forums to be wiped, I decided I'd do a post on why you might should consider outlining your book.

But you're always complaining about outlining. You make it sound like a terrible idea!

That I do, dear reader. That I do.

Yes, on the list of things I complain about, "writing an outline" is probably at just about the same rank as "how much of a disservice the Les Miserables musical does to Cosette Fauchlevant's character".

Writing an outline is a pain. It's time consuming and irritating and overall I just hate it a lot. However, it's much better than the other option.

The Other Option

Allow me to tell you a short story.

Once upon a time, I start writing a book. I had (what I thought was) a complete plot, some (decently) strong characters, and a lot of inspiration.

So, I began to write.

I didn't write very consistently, but I averaged out to maybe 500 words a day at least three days a week. It was going (I thought) fairly well.

Then I realized something.

I was completely lost.

None of my plot points were lining up, none of my characters were where they needed to be, my pacing was shoddy at best, and that's only some of the problems.

When I heard about NaNoWriMo starting in November, I quickly wrapped up my efforts and ended up with a 30,000 word disaster of a story that I can't even go back and edit. 

It was a disaster.

However, it wasn't a total loss. That story taught me much about the process that goes into writing, outlining being an important step. It makes sure your book has at least some semblance of flow and consistency.

My goal in this post is to make a case for why all of you (yes, all of you) should at least consider the merits of using an outline to guide your novel writing this November, or whenever you actually write your book.

Here goes.

The Nature and Purpose of The Novel Outline

I'm a seventeen year old, which means I've been driving for a while. However, before I learned to drive, I payed absolutely no attention to where we were going in the car. Combining my complete cluelessness with my less-than-perfect sense of a direction means I get lost rather a lot.

However, I have an aid. My daddy gifted to me his old TomTomXL Global Positioning System. Most people now just use their iPhones, or they have a GPS built into the dashboard of their vehicle.

Everyone's familiar with a GPS. You plug in your destination and it will map a route for you to get there. If you make a wrong turn, it'll recalculate a new route. It is a truly lifesaving piece of technology that I imagine I would function very poorly without.

Hello darkness,
my old friend...

Your novel outline is basically the GPS for your book. Of course, you have to do the work yourself. You can't just plug in your beginning and the end and let the outline write itself, but hey, every illustration has its weakness.

Let's go back in time a bit, to the time of atlases. Ah, yes, the big yellow Rand McNally 2004 road trip atlas that mom and daddy would fuss over endlessly on those blessed family vacations. An outline is a lot like that. You choose your route and then you follow it.

An outline gives you the chance to get a bird's eye view of your plot, side plots, and character arcs. It gives you an overall look at what's going on in your book, without getting you bogged down in the details that so often consume us when we're first drafting. You get a nice little travel plan that you can change anytime, which really comes in handy during the editing stage. Is there a scene you don't like? Go change it in the outline. Then, when you're redrafting, you just rewrite it according to how your updated outline dictates.

Outlines keep your story interesting by giving you more direct control of the pacing of your book. Outlines keep you organized in writing, especially in the madness that is Nation Novel Writing Month. When you're out of inspiration and there's no caffeinated drinks to be had, it's much easier to be able to look at your outline and say, "Okay, here's what needs to happen in this scene," than to have to come up with something on the spot.

Overall, by outlining, you give yourself a better chance at actually finish your novel, and a better finished project. I know it's not for everyone, but I encourage you to at least give it a try.

Look for an upcoming post on the novel outline strategy I'm trying for this year's NaNo, and other posts as November the first draws ever nearer. Thanks for reading!

-Madison

Have you done an outline before? Does it work for you, or not?