{"id":23590,"date":"2020-11-02T03:00:38","date_gmt":"2020-11-02T11:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=23590"},"modified":"2020-11-02T16:36:47","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T00:36:47","slug":"outlining-your-novel-by-kay-keppler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/02\/outlining-your-novel-by-kay-keppler\/","title":{"rendered":"Outlining Your Novel by Kay Keppler"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Outlining<\/a>Let\u2019s welcome back monthly columnist, editor, and novelist, Kay Keppler<\/a>, as she shares with us \u201cOutlining Your Novel.” Enjoy! <\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Your Outline: A<\/strong><\/p>\n

Writers often get stuck in the middle of their work when they don\u2019t know where their story should be going. <\/span>Raymond Carver<\/span><\/a>\u00a0once said that when he got stuck in his writing, he had a man enter the room with a gun. Alas, the sagging middle can\u2019t always be revived with a gun. If only it were so easy!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Outlining Your Novel: To Outline, or Not\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

I don\u2019t know if Carver ever wrote with an outline, but many writers don\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some writers resist outlining because the technique doesn\u2019t work for them<\/strong>\u2014they can\u2019t see ahead, or they find that an outline is too limiting, or the outlining process steals their creativity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other writers can\u2019t write a book without the roadmap that tells them in what direction to head.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, sooner or later, every writer needs to develop the big picture<\/strong>, the foundation on which you build the details of plot, character, and setting so that you can see that everything will work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t think of the process as that indented, Roman-numeral outline agony you did in school. Think of it as brainstorming.<\/span><\/p>\n

Outlining Your Novel: To Start, Go Wild<\/b><\/h2>\n

Begin by writing down everything you can think of that might go into your story, even the crazy stuff you\u2019re pretty sure won\u2019t make it into the final draft.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Include your characters, themes, scenes<\/strong>, and all the what-if scenarios. Leave nothing out. Don\u2019t hold back, and don\u2019t put it in order.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe write it in longhand, which is probably different from how you write your books.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The idea is to let go.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t stress that you don\u2019t have enough items<\/strong>, or you have too many, or you don\u2019t see a plot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Write it in paragraphs, if you want, or lists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Have fun with it. Go nuts. It\u2019s discovery.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re done, set it aside.<\/span><\/p>\n

See What You\u2019ve Got\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

When enough time has gone by so that the fever of a new idea has cooled and you can be more objective about it, read your discovery page again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n