My Messy Outlines

Do you outline before you write a draft?

I do—sort of. Writing topics come to me in little lines and words; everything is vague, but I write it down. The topics then transform into non-linear scenes. I keep those in my head. After a while though, I can see a relationship between the scenes, understanding and forming what leads and exits. These thinly connected scenes make up my outline.

I usually write out a summary of each scene scattered around the page(s) then have details underneath with no specific order. Afterwards, I draw arrows to know the order and mark important scenes. On or around the lines, I begin to note smaller scenes and transitions with dialogue and description. Most times, however, I write out my scenes instead of summarizing it with the actual words, crossing out what I don’t like, connecting those that work, and color-coding according to the time I wrote it. (For example: 7/2 = red ink; 7/3 = black ink; 7/4 = pencil. I like dating everything.) When I feel like I have, at least, the backbone of the story, I begin writing my first draft.

Sometimes, I write as it comes to me. Some writers write it like that; some don’t. That method may take a long time and the story may be bogged down with unnecessary information.

Outlines can be beneficial because it’s a blueprint. It’s a map that will be sure to lead you logically from beginning to end. You can catch plot and character mistakes more easily, and having an outline may speed up the writing process for your drafts. Three interesting ways to outline are:

• use colored index cards to map out their story and characters.
• Use Spreadsheets
• use Post-It notes

Do you outline? If so, what format/ how do you outline? How many methods have you tried? Why or why not outline? What are your thoughts on them?

As you think of your answers, I thought I’d share a few pictures of my writing outlines:

 

 This is an outline I did for an essay.  You can see the arrows connecting each section, and the alternating colors. Messy, I know.  But writing it in different angles and with spaces allowed me to add and remove lines and information. The outline began turning into an unorganized draft.

 

 

 

This essay outline has a mixture of arrows, colors, and “bullets.” The traditional form with bullets can be seen in the top margin in blue.  Underneath, I begin my usual way of jotting lines and connecting them.  Sometimes, I don’t even connect the scenes: I’ll either write it in a different color or leave space in between, indicating my “holes.” Such a method helps me get past writer’s block.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes, as you can see here in an outline for a short story, I don’t even connect the scenes: I’ll either write it in a different color or leave space in between, indicating my “holes,” and later fill in the space with a different color.  (In this outline, I used the same color.)  Such a method helps me get past writer’s block. On the left side, I sketched a small scene; this helps me out with imagery and writer’s block. You can also see a few side notes with arrows pointing to where they need to be inserted.

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This outline is not supposed to read sideways like this.  It should be vertical, but I didn’t understand how to upload the picture that way. I apologize.

For the first time, I used a triangle as an outline for essay.  As you can see, i based it on the Food/Nutrition Triangle.  My outline can be seen, in this sideways picture, on the bottom right.  The boxes indicate the order and importance with the bottom box signifying my topic’s foundation. The lines above the triangle is the written form with a few side notes. I had trouble with this outline though, so I may not use this style again.

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Another unfortunate sideway outline.

I used a more traditional method for this story, preferring to number important scenes in the middle of the page. On the bottom, I numbered the chapters and included a one-line summary. In the side margins, I have the character names under categories like importance and role.

Well, that’s it for my outlines. I’d like to hear about yours. =)

Unfortunately, I may not respond as fast and be able to post for a week because I’m going out of state with my family. Posting depends on whether or not I have internet access and the time. I will try though.