o. writing help

OUTLINING YOUR STORY

to help you to decide

whether outlining is

for you or not

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outlining may work for some people, but

it just doesn't for others. after reading this,

though, you'll hopefully have a clearer idea

of where you stand when it comes to this.

YOU'LL WRITE FASTER. if you know exactly where you need to take your story next, it makes writing easier, thus allowing you to write faster. writing faster works as great motivation, given that you'll feel more productive and want to keep going.

it's not as likely to get stuck with plot twists. given that your plot twists and what happens afterwards are already planned out, there's less of a chance of you being stuck wondering where you should take your story next.

YOU'RE LESS LIKELY TO GET WRITER'S BLOCK. while losing the motivation to write can happen to anyone while writing a story - whether they planned it out or not -, if you know where your story is going, it's less likely that you'll get writer's block. still, it's always good to keep track of the things that can motivate you.

IT AVOIDS INCONSISTENCIES. if you have an outline of your plot that you can go back to later, it makes it easier to avoid inconsistencies. the same thing happens if you decide to outline the basic aspects of your character's life and personality.

it increases the chance of having a good first draft. the less you have to edit after writing your first draft, the better (as long as the final product is exactly what you feel it needs to be). with an outline, you increase the chances of having a first draft that pleases you instead of one that feels like a burden to edit.

IT KEEPS YOU FROM BEING SPONTANEOUS. however... while, with an outline, it's expected that you have most of your story planned out, nothing is 100% set. there's no rule saying you can't go back and change your mind. as your story progresses and you feel the need to change something in order to keep your characters in character or for the sake of the plot, there's nothing keeping you from doing so. it's okay to go back and change your outline if you feel the need to do so.

IT MAY TURN OUT TO BE NOT AS GOOD AS YOU THOUGHT. however... sometimes, a certain idea sounds great when you outline a story, but as you write it down... it just doesn't seem as good. however, like i said above, if you have a completely different idea and the plan you originally had becomes useless, it's okay to let go of that outline or start an outline from scratch. again, outlining a story is supposed to help you, not be a burden. don't feel obliged to follow an outline if it's becoming too difficult. it's okay to give up on it and/or start a new one.

BRAINSTORMING. i think brainstorms are one of the most powerful things when it comes to planning out your novels. write down every single thing you can think of about your story. don't worry about whether it makes sense. just write down aspects of your story, whether they're going to be important, crucial or useless. just write things down. this will give you material to work later on.

CONNECT THE IDEAS. now, try to create some kind of connection between your ideas. connect the ones that are related, and make sure you also write down how they are related to each other. if there is any idea that doesn't seem to fit with any of the others, ask yourself if it is important in your story. if the answer is yes, ask yourself why, and how it will fit in your story.

DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTERS. your story is going to be strongly influenced by your characters' goals, motives and personalities, and therefore it's important that you know them well enough before starting to actually plan out your story.

TAKE A BREAK. stepping away from what you already have and forcing yourself to think about something else puts things in perspective. when you go back to thinking about it, you'll be able to have a more unbiased opinion about it. check if the ideas and their connections still make sense.

BREAK THE STORY INTO CHAPTERS. this allows you to have an organized plan, to which you can go back later if need be. deciding what happens on chapter one, chapter two and so on can help you making sure you have a well-structured story. you can also write down a list of the events that happen, in the right order, and then see how you can divide them by chapters.

EDIT YOUR OUTLINE. go back and read everything. does the beginning of your story ignite the conflict, or does it take too long for it to start being... a conflict? does every question get its answer? is your conflict resolved by the end of your book? if you answer no to any of these questions, it's time to go back and edit what needs to be edited!

DON'T BE AFRAID OF SKIPPING OR ADDING A STEP. this is not an exact science, and outlining works differently for all of us. you just have to find your style, to realize what works best for you. these tips might help you, but you shouldn't limit yourself to them.

KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU DON'T NEED TO WRITE ANYTHING IN TEXT FORM. diagrams also work for most people, though they can get confusing if you add too much information, or incomplete if you add too little information. you have to find what works best for you.

okay i think i'm finally

ready to come back on

here. i apologize i've

been so busy teehee

all is good now !!

i hope this helped.