{"id":4082,"date":"2012-04-20T09:32:13","date_gmt":"2012-04-20T14:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/?p=4082"},"modified":"2012-04-20T09:32:13","modified_gmt":"2012-04-20T14:32:13","slug":"why-i-dont-like-story-outlines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/2012\/04\/20\/why-i-dont-like-story-outlines\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Don’t Like Story Outlines"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"I’m one of those writers…the kind that doesn’t use an outline.<\/p>\n

I’ve tried using outlines. Oh, how I’ve tried using outlines! I’ve even been vaguely successful a few times.<\/p>\n

When I wrote independent comic books, I outlined. For series stuff I’ve worked on, I make notes that could be deemed outlines. Rough outlines, but outlines nonetheless.<\/p>\n

But for me, the best way to get a good story out is to just charge in and write it. It’s a method that works for some known writers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why I Don’t Like Story Outlines<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As I come to the close of the first draft of the latest project, I’m reminded of why I don’t like outlines: they take the fun out of writing for me.<\/p>\n

The current project, a young adult novel(la) called Old Man<\/em>, was originally started as a comic book project, and ended up a screenplay. Screenplays make damn-fine outlines. But there’s a problem with them: when I sit down to write, I know what’s going to happen.<\/p>\n

Working from an outline, there are no surprises. Writing then becomes a tedious act for me…so much so, that it’s hard to enjoy. It’s more like transcribing something than writing.<\/p>\n

Were it not for the handful of new scenes I’ve written along the way to keep myself interested, I’m not sure I could say I’ve enjoyed this project. I know the finished story will be good (as a screenplay, Old Man<\/em> was almost picked up by a major studio and optioned from a smaller production company). But working from a detailed outline, the act of turning it into a novel(la) hasn’t excited me.<\/p>\n

It’s Not the Destination, but the Journey<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I’ve heard plenty of people say that when traveling, it’s the journey that matters — not the destination. Obviously, it’s all those things (and more). But there’s something magical about the journey, in the “getting there.” It’s a sentiment that also applies to writing.<\/p>\n

For me, the best “outline” is a finished novel. I get there by having at least a vague beginning and end. Once I have that, I can jump in and start writing, even though I may not even have character names. I jump forward, writing scenes out of order, and then loop back to earlier scenes when I know what happens later in the book.<\/p>\n

It’s just the way my mind works.<\/p>\n

Somewhere along the way, it all comes together in a flood of excitement that keeps me wanting to write more than doing most things in my life! That excitement in infectious.<\/p>\n

When working from an outline, I sit down and think, “Okay, time to write what I already know.” There’s little excitement in the act; it’s like driving from point a to point b without even looking at the scenery along the way.<\/p>\n

What about You?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What about you? When you write, do you use an outline? If so, how detailed do you get — what’s your process?<\/p>\n

This entry isn’t to condemn the outline; what’s important is finishing stories no matter how we get there. Outlines work wonders for some. I always try<\/em> to outline, but it just doesn’t work that way for me.<\/p>\n

I’m interested in hearing about what works for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m one of those writers…the kind that doesn’t use an outline. I’ve tried using outlines. Oh, how I’ve tried using outlines! I’ve even been vaguely successful a few times. When I wrote independent comic books, I outlined. For series stuff I’ve worked on, I make notes that could be deemed outlines. Rough outlines, but outlines […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4082"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4082"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4085,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4082\/revisions\/4085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}