Writers: Will Outlining Your Story Save Time?

Map of the imaginary town of Pine Hill
in my upcoming book, Secret in the Mist.
Illustration by artist Danika Corrall

By Linda Wilson  @LinWilsonauthor

Are you a pantser or an outliner? Pantsers, as many writers gleefully describe, don’t outline their story beforehand. They write as their stories come to them. I’ve done both and have found that both writing styles work, depending on the story. Some stories show up on the page fully written, perhaps after becoming fully formed in the mind before any writing begins. Stories like that are terrifically satisfying.

For the stories that don’t come out quite as clean, an outline, bulleted ideas, or a diagram, might be necessary. Case in point is the book I’m currently preparing for publication, Secret in the Mist, the second book in the Abi Wunder Mystery trilogy.  The book began with a detailed outline. During writing, I immediately veered away from my plan, and that’s where I think the problems began. Unfortunately, I lost track of the whole picture. For a 20,000-word chapter book that should have taken about a year to write, my pantsering wound up taking 3+ years, and counting (the book isn’t quite done yet, but very, very close!) The Mist story is nothing like it was when I first began. In retrospect, I think most of my problem was that I didn’t think the story elements through from the get-go. I just kept writing without checking the overall story structure, and including scenes that didn’t move the story forward, which I later had to slash and burn.

Now that I’m in the final stages of readying the book for publication, I would like to pass on some ideas to avoid the pitfalls I fell into. Hopefully, these will save you time and effort and get your book(s) out into the world in a reasonable time frame.

Pantser or Outliner, Decisions to Make Before Beginning to Write

Story problem: Examples: Something goes missing, as in the first Encyclopedia Brown story, Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, “The Case of the Civil War Sword,” by Donald J. Sobol, where the sword is stolen; a secret that needs to be revealed as in Little Mouse’s Big Secret, by Eric Battut, when Little Mouse finds a delicious-looking apple and doesn’t want to share it. 

Write your pitch: In as few words as possible, write what your story is about.  Even if you have to tweak your pitch line later, writing it now could help keep you on track. Here are a few examples from the files of Chris Eboch, full-time writer and editor, https://chriseboch.com:

Before: Maddie Winters has never been in a long-term relationship.

After: Maddie Winters doesn’t do commitment.

Before: She was wrongfully convicted. The cops want her back in jail. But this stone-cold victim has her sights set on payback.

After: Framed for murder. Hunted by the law. Ready to take her revenge.

Lists to Make Before Beginning to Write

• Characters: Make a list of your major and minor characters, describe them, their role in your story, and give each of the main characters a story arc—a beginning, middle, and end, and how they’ve grown. Please note: At a book presentation early on, I asked the children in an elementary class for comments. What did they like about the story? Dislike? One fourth-grade boy advised that I should always include animals in my children’s stories. I took his advice and include animals, described in loving and fun terms, for my readers to enjoy. Please note: Cutting pictures of how you envision your characters out of magazines and hanging them up while you write is a good step in understanding who your characters are.
• Try starting with the ending: Beginning my next story with the ending will be a first for me. I’m challenged. Plot out the ending and work your outline, bulleted points, and/or diagram from there.
• Make a scene list: Creating a scene list on 3x5 cards is handy because if a scene doesn’t move the story forward, discard the card(s). After you’ve thought of all the scenes, lay the cards in front of you and see if you can organize the story. Writing should hopefully be made easier.
• Make a diagram of the plot:  I use large poster-size paper for this and begin by drawing a large arc. Plot points can be added, showing the rise of tension and suspense, and stopped with satisfying ending. I like to make my endings illustrate or circle back to the beginning. 
• Establish the setting: Whether you choose a familiar setting, such as at school, in the neighborhood, and/or at home, or a setting in an exotic location, include details that will create intrigue. Find a map or draw a map so you can fully navigate throughout your setting.
• Capture the details: Keep the details accurate and consistent throughout your story. 
• Plan for follow-through: Keep track of your main character’s activities, dialogue, and thoughts so that by the end of your story, s/he has grown. I like to show growth for my other main characters as well.
• Capture the time frame: Plot out the number of days in which the story takes place and the time of day for the characters’ activities.

In addition, keep track of everyday things, such as: 

• The weather: Describe the weather accurately, which includes the season, the stages  of the sun and moon, the temperature, and how the characters react. Remember to include animals, birds, and insects.
• Meals: I think kids like to read about what the characters are eating, but more important, your characters have to eat, so some mention needs to be made.
• Follow through: Items like a locket, a key, flashlights or cell lights, and other details need to have follow-through. Make sure you’ve covered what happens with these details. One of my characters opened the door of an old, haunted farmhouse and put the key in her pocket. What happened to the key after that?

Next month: What I Learned Writing a Kid’s Mystery Story                                                

 

A creative writing instructor once told
my class that being a successful
writer does not depend so much on talent
as it does on determination. That one word of
wisdom has kept me writing all these years.

Linda's two new releases are Botas Altas, the Spanish version of Tall Boots, translated by Graciela Moreno and Adriana Botero, and Cuna en la Naturaleza, the Spanish version of Cradle in the Wild, translated by Adriana Botero. Visit Linda at https://bit.ly/3AOM98L.