Craft Post: The Dreaded Outline
A few years ago a story idea struck me. It wasn’t much, just a few images and scenes, some main characters and a one-dimensional conflict. But I fell in love with it. I knew that if I let the idea percolate for a little while it would grow into something rich, romantic, and atmospheric.
So I let it sit. I let it haunt me as more plot points began to develop, as the setting became so clear in my mind that I started to fear that I could never align the words and write the story well enough to match what I saw and felt whenever I thought of it.
I had completely and utterly psyched myself out.
When, over 2 years later, my agent and I started to seriously talk about selling it on spec, I realized I still had only vague ideas for the story. My agent’s advice? One dreaded word: “OUTLINE.”
He told me to decide on a number of chapters I thought the book might have-let’s say 25 for starters-and briefly summarize what happens in each chapter, all the way to the final scenes.
I couldn’t think of anything more daunting. But I write by the seat of my pants! I don’t PLAN things out. They just happen! But because I know my agent is pretty much a genius, I decided to give it a shot. What did I have to lose? At the least I would sort out those vague plot points, right?
Two weeks later I had a ridiculously rough, 14-page monster. I sent it to my agent, who said that it was a great start, but if we’re going to sell it on spec, the outline needs to be as polished as a partial. “Some editors may just read the proposal package and not the actual partial pages,” he explained.
So, with his direction, I started to revise my outline. Here are a few things I learned:
-DETAILS are essential. Especially sensory details like touch, sight, sound, and smell. Working them into each chapter’s synopsis gives the scenes described some depth. Historical details-if you’re writing historical-can be scattered in subtly, too. Instead of just saying “the carriage” you could choose a carriage style; clothing, architecture, culture, etc.
-DIALOGUE should be included and used to move the scenes forward, break up long sections of text, and of course, bring the characters to life.
-The outline needs as much VOICE as the sample pages have. Since my story has multiple POVs, each character needed to display his/her voice whenever they were involved in a scene. Not just what they said, but what they were thinking, how they were acting, etc.
-The PAGE LENGTH of a chapter-by-chapter outline depends on the book, I suppose, but my agent said “Don’t be afraid to write up to 30 pages or more.” I finished with just under 40 pages. It took me two full months to revise from my 14-page rough draft.
-Chapter-by-chapter outlines force you to write the most COMPELLING aspect of each scene. It’s as much about PLOT development as it is about CHARACTER development. Being able to balance these two will help show prospective editors your skills.
-When I was finished, I realized that the outline was more than just a part of a proposal package-it was a TOOL for me to use, to help guide me through each chapter when I finally sit down to write the rest of the story.
It has been a challenging few months, but I feel I’ve learned so much. I will definitely use this method again-it’s nice to have a clear view of a project straight to the end scenes for once!
I hope this has been useful. If you normally outline, do you have any tip to share? Wish me luck as it goes out on submission!
So I let it sit. I let it haunt me as more plot points began to develop, as the setting became so clear in my mind that I started to fear that I could never align the words and write the story well enough to match what I saw and felt whenever I thought of it.
I had completely and utterly psyched myself out.
When, over 2 years later, my agent and I started to seriously talk about selling it on spec, I realized I still had only vague ideas for the story. My agent’s advice? One dreaded word: “OUTLINE.”
He told me to decide on a number of chapters I thought the book might have-let’s say 25 for starters-and briefly summarize what happens in each chapter, all the way to the final scenes.
I couldn’t think of anything more daunting. But I write by the seat of my pants! I don’t PLAN things out. They just happen! But because I know my agent is pretty much a genius, I decided to give it a shot. What did I have to lose? At the least I would sort out those vague plot points, right?
Two weeks later I had a ridiculously rough, 14-page monster. I sent it to my agent, who said that it was a great start, but if we’re going to sell it on spec, the outline needs to be as polished as a partial. “Some editors may just read the proposal package and not the actual partial pages,” he explained.
So, with his direction, I started to revise my outline. Here are a few things I learned:
-DETAILS are essential. Especially sensory details like touch, sight, sound, and smell. Working them into each chapter’s synopsis gives the scenes described some depth. Historical details-if you’re writing historical-can be scattered in subtly, too. Instead of just saying “the carriage” you could choose a carriage style; clothing, architecture, culture, etc.
-DIALOGUE should be included and used to move the scenes forward, break up long sections of text, and of course, bring the characters to life.
-The outline needs as much VOICE as the sample pages have. Since my story has multiple POVs, each character needed to display his/her voice whenever they were involved in a scene. Not just what they said, but what they were thinking, how they were acting, etc.
-The PAGE LENGTH of a chapter-by-chapter outline depends on the book, I suppose, but my agent said “Don’t be afraid to write up to 30 pages or more.” I finished with just under 40 pages. It took me two full months to revise from my 14-page rough draft.
-Chapter-by-chapter outlines force you to write the most COMPELLING aspect of each scene. It’s as much about PLOT development as it is about CHARACTER development. Being able to balance these two will help show prospective editors your skills.
-When I was finished, I realized that the outline was more than just a part of a proposal package-it was a TOOL for me to use, to help guide me through each chapter when I finally sit down to write the rest of the story.
It has been a challenging few months, but I feel I’ve learned so much. I will definitely use this method again-it’s nice to have a clear view of a project straight to the end scenes for once!
I hope this has been useful. If you normally outline, do you have any tip to share? Wish me luck as it goes out on submission!