Outline?

I wing it, baby. Oh, yeah.

I write a vague description of each chapter.

I tend to find an idea for a climax or plot, and then build an idea of the people I want to be involved in it. Then ASAP, I start writing it. I may meander through a bit without much idea of how I'll get where I want to go, and then I'll start coming up with twists, ironies, and such that may or may not be recorded in words, but I have a good memory... That's how mine works, basically.

It'd be nice to think that I'm the cool, rebel writer that sits down and writes whatever comes to mind, but it's hard for me to finish anything remotely good if I don't have an outline. Of course, with shorter stories I'll just wing it after getting an idea (like, a husband cheats on catatonic wife, or guy breaks up with girlfriend because he's got commitment issues), but with longer stories I definately need a scene list.

Now, the way I do that scene list is pretty simple. I write a short sentence, or idea for each part. Like, "John and Pat speak about his sleeping with his mother." Or, "Bank robbery. Ed narrates." Sometimes I'll put parts of dialogue, because I have a conversation thought out for a particular moment.

That's it.

I chose "some characters and a vague plot". I know how the story is going to go, and I know the main characters. Aside from that, I just make up stuff as I go along. I find that I can't stick to an outline, even for schoolwork. I just make an outline, and then never touch it again. Sometimes, I do follow it but that's only because I need a transition from one scene to another.

Almost complete improvisation. I tend to somehow get lost with an outline. It just makes me feel so restricted.

The characters generally come to me first and then the plot. I don't really know much about the people until I start writing; I tend to concentrate more on the relationships between them and bring out contrasts. The storyline can come from an image, a news article, even a title that spins around my head.

At the moment, I'm considering writing a play. For that, I'll start with a synopsis/treatment and then I'll actually write it up.

I usually start with an idea, and then after I'm a chapter or so in to the story I'll go back and outline what I've already done, and then the next few chapters. It helps me come up with ideas and see where the plot is going, and discover plot holes before they happen.

I almost never outline characters until after I have the idea, since I generally don't know what their personalities will be until after I can see how they act in different situations.

For my Nano I did start with a complete outline, but only because I was bored and it was the end of October. I redid the outline several times as I went along, since I didn't like one idea or decided to move it to a later point.

I think I'll chose 'vague outline.' That's what I normally do.

I generally find I have to know where I'm going when I begin, otherwise I get lost. If I don't have an ending mark, it's difficult for me to write scenes that effectively move the plot along. So a lot of times I'll outline the characters and the general gist of the plot. Said plot is not set in stone, however. Sometimes my characters decide they want to go somewhere else, and take me with them.

I outline a little bit differently then other people-- at least I've never seen anyone outline like I do.

I start out with a page titled OBJECTIVES and a write down everything I want to happen in no particular order. I put down characters I want to see, what those characters might act like/ look like. Specific scenes that pop into my head. All of the big parts of the story usually end up on the objective page.

Then I look at everything and think: "How does this fit together?" And I work it out like a puzzle, sometimes adding/ subtracting events and/or characters to fit. I work it all out to the point where I know all of the major events that happen and why they happen, and then I'm so into it I can't stop my self from writing just to see how everything unfolds.

This also helps me get real writing done because I can just scene hop to whatever I feel like writing.

I picked other, this is what I do-

I write out a profile for ALL of my characters. Example. In this current novel I'm writing, it's going to be a four part series. i already have all of my characters planned out (major and minor) and I also plan out future characters in my novel for the heck of it.

And for the plot, I just jot down some notes on what's about to happen.

I'm generally the type of person who just vaguely outlines, but then I found that I need some part of organization, or else the whole thing would fall apart. Generally I need a beginning and a definite ending, a place where the story has to end no matter what. Having a deadline within the timeline of the story really helps me get the pacing pretty right.

Of course, the only one that I've ever really outlined was my Nano 08, but that was mostly because the Woods came and took over my plot. But, it still gave a plot and even though I did outline it in the entirety, I've mostly just written it with just the knowledge of where I'm going with it.

I usually make the characters and a vague plot. But then as the plot progresses, more characters are needed and then they start making the plot. But most times I just wing it. So...I use three of those.