Pebblepup's Writing Den

There are three types of writers. There are those who sit down and write, somehow producing great stories. These are the Pastern. There are some who plan every detail of the story before they write anything down. These are the plotters. Then there are people like me, who write a list of things that must happen in the story and wing it from point to point. We are the plantsers.

Pantsers don’t seem to use any type of outline. I maintain they do. They don’t write it down. They have the plot clear in their minds and write it down as it comes to them. Plotters have elaborate outlines and use them to write what they need to write. As a plantser, I make a broad outline with an idea of what needs to happen in a particular order and then I fill in the blanks.

Outlines are guides. Nothing more. How detailed they are is up to the individual writer. Pantsers say if they make an outline, it feels as though they have already written the story. For them, the fun is in the journey, not the arrival. Plotters need their outlines to tell them what to write next. Plantsers like me use our broad outline as signposts that say, “this way to the next story problem”.

Outlines are tools. You can choose to use them or not. I wrote this blog without an outline. I wrote like a pantser. I can do that sometimes and other times, I write like that and get a jumbled mess. I need my signposts.

Outlines can help you when you get stuck. Usually, when I find myself floundering in a story, I look at my broad outline. I often realize I’ve gone completely off course. I have no idea how to get from where I have wandered to to where I need to be. The outline can help there.

They can also provide you with ideas for various scenes. I try to write little sentences that tell me what needs to happen in a particular scene. Then I write the scene. I once tried to write an entire novel by writing a one or two sentence synopsis and state who is in each scene. It didn’t work that well because I went skipping off down various paths. The action I noted down in the synopsis for the scene was completely different from what I ended up with.

The point is, you may not think you need or would use an outline. But if you have no idea where your story is going, you could waste a lot of time and energy floundering in the wrong place. Try to use mini outlines when you are stuck. What would get you back on track? Then write it that way.

An outline is like a map. How detailed it is can be a help or a hindrance to you. If you start with an idea of where you want to end up, you’ll get there with less trouble and stress. Whether you write your outline down, or keep it in your head, it’s there when you need it.