Outlining for the Pantsers

You're a pantser, and you happily admit it. Which means you HATE to feel like you're stuck in a box. You don't want to spend hours, days, who are we kidding…months…running in that hamster wheel in your head to plan your novel out in agonizing detail before the first sentence ever touches the page.

I get it.

I actually used to be just that way, until I tried to write my own novels. And when I began Developmentally Editing for my clients…I realized there was a real need in the world of pantsers for something that those who are less than OCD can use to reel their plots in.

Why is there such a need, you ask? Because without some sort of guideline, you're inclined to wander aimlessly, to drone on, to create a mountain of useless scenes, characters, and minor plots that take you down a road that brings you face to face with a dead end. And all that is doing is creating more work for you to edit... or for your editor to spew red ink on.

Granted, it feels great to get your writing onto the page sooner, but you're not going to complete your project any earlier. Truth is, you're probably dragging it out.

So, since most of my clients (okay, me too) hate the idea of outlining, I created a ridiculously simple method to produce a functional outline without causing permanent mental distress.

Chapters

First, you're going to want to figure out approximately how many chapters you'll have. If you write much, you might have an idea of your average chapter length. If you have an idea of how long the whole novel should be, then you're going to do something you swore you'd never do after high school…use math. Don't stress over this though. If you don't have an idea of your chapter length, go with an average of 2,000 words per chapter and make a guess. It's not science...it’s math. You can adjust later if you need to.

Beginning and End

The story is in your head, you know how it starts. You probably have a pretty good idea as to how it ends. Knowing the ending when you start allows you to plan ahead. You can construct a story that will be gratifying and complete. Not knowing the ending is likely to lead you to that dead end mentioned earlier…and leave you frustrated. If you don't feel you can commit to an ending, that's fine. This method allows for you to fill in what you need and get down the ideas you have.

You don't need to know every detail. Just concentrate on the overall plot and the significant characters.

Start by putting your beginning and end at the…well…beginning and end (Ch. 1 and Ch. 20 – or whatever).

Climax

Now, on to the climax. Pick a chapter near the end and add your climax. With any luck, this is a scene or chapter you’ve been playing in your head on loop since before you decided to write this story. It doesn't have to be right at the end, but it needs to be close.

If you have more than one scene that you feel is critical to your story, make a spot for it. Because next you're going to…

Fill in the Blanks

So you've got three (maybe four) chapters out of however many you decided on. Now it's time to fill in the blanks. Those scenes you've had bouncing around in your head, chunk those bad boys into your outline.

Of course, this is where you get to work. It's time to fill in those empty slots and start connecting the dots (chapters). Figure out what needs to transpire in order to tie one chapter to the next. In the process, you might see that your chain of events needs some adjusting, and that's fine. That's what outlining is all about – filling in the gaps. Your number of chapters may increase or decrease. No worries. As long as by the end…

…everything you want to take place in the story has been put somewhere in the outline.
…you have tied your plot together from beginning to end in a way that flows and makes sense.
…you're happy with how the story progresses.


Optional

This is your outline. You can be as detailed or bare bones as you like. Below each chapter, you can add in events, scenes, insights/findings, characterization changes, or whatever you want/need to remember when you write. It doesn't have to be lucid, coherent, or pretty. It's YOUR outline. It's just a guideline for you to use when writing your story. It can even transform along the way. But regardless, it will give you a simpler view of your plot and make it easier to adjust the story without having to search through a 60k+ word document to do so.

Have fun!

Lost in Translation - Plotting

Have you ever tried to explain something to someone and the harder you try to get your point across, the harder it is to make sense?  You start to confuse yourself and YOU know what you were trying to say to begin with!!!  Somewhere amid the twists and turns your translation from idea to explanation got lost.  That can happen pretty easily with writing, too.  Doesn’t matter if it’s a book, an essay, a research paper or a letter you are writing to someone (seriously...go back and read some of the letters you’ve written...it's not hard to get off track).  The point is, to keep your writing on track you need some guidelines.  A map of sorts. Or a roller coaster. Both apply.

Now, now....all of you who are directionally challenged...take a deep breath and calm down.  This isn’t one of those OnStar maps that take you into the darkest alleys of downtown on the wrong side of the tracks when you were aiming for grassy meadows in the country somewhere.  This one you have control of.  And I do realize we are all different and our minds will need different types of maps to process things our own way.  Keep reading...there’s something for everyone (or at least something you can modify for yourself).

Regardless of its appearance....I’m going to call this map a Plot Map.  J  Plots can be a difficult thing when you're trying to write a story.  You start out with this great idea in your head but can’t seem to manage to give it a shape so that it is not only emotionally compelling but also holds itself together to the finish.  I’m going to try to make this as simple as possible...you can complicate it all you want to suit your taste when you start using it. 

Let’s think about your book the way Shakespeare would have.  Those who know me well know I adore Shakespeare. He was a genius, so he had to be on to something with this idea.  

ACTS.  No, I’m not referring to the book in the Bible (though I do recommend reading it), I’m talking about how to break your story into sections so it’s easier to fill in what’s going on.  If you break it into three Acts you’ve simplified right there.

Act I – 25% of your story

Act II – 50%

Act III – 25%

(Side note:  I did get the idea for the three Act format from reading somewhere, but I seriously suck at citing and it was something someone said to copy and use. I honestly would love to give credit where it’s due, but this is widely available and used on the internet, so cut me some slack.)

Ok, I’m going to add in a little to make it move along.  Feel free to copy and use the outline below.  Here goes:

Act I (25%)

Setup (Happens immediately. We meet the protagonist(s) and we get a glimpse of who they are and what they’re about.)

Plot Point 1  (Where the fun begins...the events that set the protagonist on his/her path.)

New situation  (Self explanatory...protagonist is presented with something new to deal with.)

Plot point 2  (Everything changes...first major event that sends the status quo spiraling into oblivion.)

Climax for Act I  (This climactic event makes it impossible for the protagonist to turn away from this new situation and go back to the life they led a mere 25% ago.)

ACT II (50%)

Seeming progress (the protagonist is at a point of making a plan to get out of the mess they’ve found themselves in.  The Antagonist is planning their own ways to achieve their goals.  More allies likely are introduced for both sides.)

Plot Point 3  (Point of no return.  The protagonist learns the full extent of what he/she is facing.)

Midpoint Climax  (An unexpected twist of events that should really be close to the midpoint of the book...and just when the protagonist seemed to be making some progress.  It’s about to get complicated.  Think Murphy’s Law....what CAN go wrong SHOULD go wrong.)

Complications and higher stakes  (The protagonist is tested.  Faces harder obstacles, harsher consequences if he/she fails.)

Plot Point 4  (Major setback for the protagonist.)

Act II Climax  (Increase the stakes and decrease the hero’s abilities...even set a deadline that has to be met.)

ACT III (25%)

Final Push (Crisis. Things can’t continue as they are.)

Plot Point 5 Climax (The final showdown between the protagonist and the antagonist.)

Aftermath/Wrap Up: (Ties up loose ends and foreshadows the future...because you KNOW you want to write another book)

Keep in mind...this could easily be changed to a FOUR Act scenario.  Just split Act II in half and use four 25% Acts if you feel you have more Plot Points and more climactic events to add.  It’s whatever works for you.

You can use any method you want to map this out: notecards, a story board, napkins from McDonald’s, that little triangle-mountain looking chart thingy they taught us in 8^th grade English...whatever works for you.  

I personally use MS Word and this outline.  It’s easier to add thoughts & details into Word than trying to rewrite the whole thing in my writer’s notebook.  That’s just where I jot down the ideas as they come to me.  But...like I said...everyone’s mind works in various, mysterious ways.

If anyone has any thoughts or tips for plot or character outlining they’d like to share that could help someone...let’s hear them!!!  Contact me or comment and we can get them posted so that other writers can benefit from your ideas as well.

Happy plotting everyone!!!  Try not to get lost. Or throw up.