Young Writers Society

Sometimes, I get questions from intrepid writers who are curious about how I write, or think. Or something! It's pretty cool, actually. In any case, they ask questions and, to prove how sucky of a writer I am, I give long, long, rambling replies. XD

Okay. So here's one. Maybe you'll find it of use to you?

I hope you don't mind me asking, but how long did it take you to make up your outline for FREAK? I promised myself I'd get a lot of writing done this summer, then right after school was out I decided I should make up an outline. And now I haven't done any actual writing, only outlining! But maybe it's taking me so long because I've been procrastinating. XD

Hehe!

The short answer? I haven't finished it yet. XD

The long answer?

I've been working on FREAK for... er... a crazy amount of years. Coming up on five, to be exact. When I started, my work frankly sucked and it was just... well... bad. I decided I didn't need outlines, so I didn't outline. But when I started getting serious about it, I tried writing an outline.

FREAK is split up into three parts, and each part is very different from each other.

For the first part, I basically tried to figure out what I liked and what I didn't like and I made an outline for the first couple of chapters... and quickly got stuck. So I decided to write some of the chapters, just to get unstuck, and then I found myself doing the outline AFTERWARDS.

Quite strange, if you think about it.

So yes. I wrote and whatever didn't fit the original outline got revised in the new outline and so on.

For the second part, I did come up with an outline straight off. In addition to the outline, I wrote most of the chapter by hand, using THIS method. And so I would basically have several outlines. I didn't always listen to the outlines... outlines are always fluid.

For the third part, I used a storyboard thing. So basically, I took a board, put sticky notes all over the board and wrote in scenes that I wanted to have in there and scenes that HAD to be there. And now it's in my room, waiting for me to finish part two. That's only a temporary outline though... soon I'll type up specific events that happen for the computer, print it out, and then continue to revise the outline.

So yeah. Confusing.

This is what my outline looks like:

Chapter 1
- The freak is bathed.
- Mirror scene.
- After the freak is talked to, the freak is thrown out.

Chapter 2
- The freak goes out and is picked by Sadie’s father.
- The freak and Sadie’s father don’t talk much.
- The freak comes to house.

And it continues on!

This is very helpful, Snoink. Thanks for posting this.

I...um...don't outline. Whatsoever.

When somebody writes, characters are created and set on a journey (the plot), conflict in tow blah blah blah -- These characters are playing out the story. It is perfectly fine to just not outline, and simply review your story, make sure that it's not mindlessly pushing on. As long as you have a basic point in mind, then it's absolutely fine to just let the characters write their own story (a little intervention from you, typically).

Then again, I've never finished a story in my life. So don't take my advice =]

Woot! That was the PM from me. XD

Um, yeah. So this was/is very helpful. I've tried storyboard outlining and regular outlining, and now I've outlined the first sixteen chapters; definitely enough to be getting on with for now. So thanks, Snoink.

I will just start writing!

I rarely outline myself. I always feel bound to that stupid thing because the outline will remain subconsciously, and thus I become distracted and lose my flow.

I only do it if I'm in dire need, like Chapter 5 in Bound for Glory.