CHOOSING YOUR TOOLS: An Outlining Primer

All artists have their tools. For a painter, it’s a paintbrush; for a photographer, it’s a camera. For a novelist, it’s an outline.

But not just anybody with a paintbrush or a camera is an artist. You must first learn how to use your artist’s tool properly in order to create something that will invite others — complete strangers, most often — to spend time with what you’ve created, to think about it long after they’ve left the art gallery or museum. Or even after they’ve closed the book. That’s the deepest hope of every serious artist — to create a lasting, thoughtful reflection on the human experience.

However, when some writers hear the word outline, they run screaming for the hills. These individuals believe that writing is about the process of discovery — that their characters reveal their personalities through the process of writing. And how, pray tell, can you know what a character will do before he has even done it?

My response: Yawn. Eye roll. Sigh. Oh, petunias. The line for excuse makers begins here: X. (Not that the excuse line actually leads anywhere. Plan on standing there for a while.)

As you may have guessed, I feel strongly about outlines. In the past, when I’ve taught college writing courses, I’ve had students initially resist outlining as though it were the most tedious task known to mankind. It was as though these students were poor Luke in the famous ditch-digging scene from Cool Hand Luke, where the haggard protagonist is ordered to dig “his dirt” out of Boss Keen’s ditch, then to remove “his dirt” out of the prison yard and fill in the hole he’d just made. Through the process of digging and refilling the ditch, digging and refilling the ditch, and digging and refilling the ditch, feeble Luke’s strengths and limitations are tested, as is his sanity. There was just no purpose to all that digging.

Outlining is nothing like this, of course.

Here are some common myths about outlining: outlines eliminate the need to think through the writing process once you begin writing. Outlines are restrictive. There is only one correct way to write a proper outline. outlines stunt creativity. Outlining is a painful process. Once you write an outline, you cannot stray from what you’ve written. Outlines are for individuals who can’t organize thoughts in their heads or who don’t know what they are doing. Outlines are used primarily by control freaks.

Why do some students hold such beliefs?

I remember back in grade school when Mrs. N__ taught my class the essentials of a proper outline. The lesson lasted an eternity: Use Roman numerals. Each heading and subheading must have at least two parts. Do not mix up the types and variety of outlines you use. You must use either complete sentences or sentence fragments — but only one and never both. You must use capital letters for main points, lowercase letters for subpoints, and numbers for sub-subpoints. Ack! Back then, Mrs. N__ taught us that there was only one proper way to write an outline, and it was just so. Day 2 into our outlining lesson, and the entire class had found the blessed release of sleep, heads resting heavily on our desks, exhausted by the rules and the sheer boredom of it all. Was it time for recess yet?

Luckily, we no longer sit at the mercy of our grade-school teachers. Mrs. N__’s ideas weren’t wrong — maybe it was just her approach. (I don’t blame Mrs. N___; in fact, I rather liked her.) Not everybody processes and utilizes information in the same manner, and so not all outlines will be equally effective for all individuals. A traditional outline might work for some, while a charted outline might work better for others. The trick is to find an outlining technique that jibes with your style and personality, with how you visualize your story line. Are you a more spatial learner? A visual one? Do you conceive of your novel’s characters and events in a chrono-logical fashion or in a nonlinear way? Are you a big-picture person or a detail-oriented thinker? These questions, and their answers, will help you determine which kind of outlining style will work best for you.

Once my college-writing students (reluctantly) found an outlining process that worked for them, these same individuals who griped and bellyached about being forced to compose an outline — oh, those outlines, scourge of all humanity! — sheepishly admitted that “well … maybe it did help a little bit after all.” And their grades showed it. No longer did their papers and narratives offer up rambling and unfocused ideas. No longer did they jump from thought to thought within the same paragraph or present their visions to a reader in an illogical or confusing fashion. Their characters become more complicated, their plotlines more developed, their stories more compelling.

The outlines worked.

Outlines are not just for beginning writers, though certainly fledgling novelists might benefit the most from them. Plenty of novelists, from all ranges in their careers, rely on the outline to help them generate a solid story. E.M. Forster, in his often-taught Aspects of the Novel, notes, “the basis of a novel is a story, and a story is a narrative of events arranged in time sequence.” (Though, to be clear, Forster makes a clear distinction between story and plot, and we’ll discuss this in a later section.) Outlines help us not only to generate stories, but to organize stories — to clarify (to the writer herself), before drafting the novel, when particular events happened within the context of the novel’s time frame. Though you’ll find plenty of examples of famous novelists who do not work closely with outlines — Stephen King, for one — you’ll also find a plethora of writers who find outlining to be indispensable.

In this chapter, we’ll examine the types and varieties of outlines you may find helpful in the writing process. I encourage you to experiment with each and to find the method that’s most compatible with your own writing habits, your work space, or your processes. But keep in mind that each method is going to lead to the same place: a well-organized and structured outline with a clear narrative arc. You’ll find no easy shortcuts. You’ll conceive of your novel before you write a single word of your novel, and in this manner, you’ll ensure you have your thoughts organized enough to complete your novel in ninety days.

You’ll undertake this process work before you begin, of course, just as a long-distance runner prepares for a marathon with a regular series of shorter runs before the big race. And if you skip a lesson here or there, or don’t spend the necessary time drafting and critiquing your outline, don’t be surprised when you find can’t finish your novel in ninety days. The secret to success, after all, is not your inspiration, remember, but your habits. In an interview, curmudgeonly humorist Andy Rooney once said, “My advice is not to wait to be struck by an idea. If you’re a writer, you sit down and damn well decide to have an idea. That’s the way to get an idea.” This idea strikes a similar chord with novelist Margaret Atwood’s thinking when she advises, “Put your left hand on the table. Put your right hand in the air. If you stay that way long enough, you’ll get a plot.” William Faulkner shares a similar sentiment: “I write only when I feel the inspiration. Fortunately, inspiration strikes at 10 o’clock everyday.” None of these writers waits around for inspiration to light a fire beneath them. Instead they rely upon routine, upon self-determination. You should, too.

We’ll be spending four weeks — yes, FOUR WEEKS! — developing our outlines, and while this may seem like an excessive amount of time to someone just itching to get started on her novel, remember: patience is key. Mr. Miyagi taught the Karate Kid martial arts by having him wax his car (wax on, wax off), paint a fence, and scrub a deck, among other mundane household tasks. Writing a novel in ninety days will take equal parts diligence and patience. You must put your faith in the process. The racing ahead will only lead to the falling behind. Ah, thank you, Mr. Miyagi. I see now.

But before we even begin, it’s important to remember this: Outlines change. People change. Characters change. Plots change. Even change changes.

I encourage you to think of an outline not as a paper map but as a personal tour guide taking you through an unknown terrain. “Can we go over there?” you might ask, pointing to a pristine spot off in the distance. When navigating by paper, you’ll not be able to do so, as the area you’ve pointed out has not been marked on the map. When navigating with a tour guide, however, you’ll get a different answer. “Yes, we can go there if you like, but the pathway is rather steep and narrow. You’ll have to climb that jagged rock over there, too, and cross a rapid stream. You might be uncomfortable. Do you still want to go?” the tour guide asks. Yes. Yes, of course you do.

Outlines are not meant to strictly enforce adherence to one rigid perception of our novel. That’s the myth. Instead think of your outline simply as a suggestion. Think of it, perhaps, as a recipe. Sure, you can follow a recipe for, say, a cheesecake exactly. Or you can add a bit of chocolate to the batter, and poof — chocolate cheesecake! Or, you can add some pecans, maple syrup, and rum, and you’ve got a different, delicious version of the same classic. Recipes guide us — but the creativity still belongs to the head chef.

As your novel progresses, you may find yourself editing your outline — and as your novel more fully develops, you might find yourself discarding your outline altogether. What’s important, however, is that you take the necessary time to think through characters and plotlines to make sure your initial ideas are sustainable. Police detectives are required, by their job description, to follow all leads, even dead ones. Fortunately, novelists bear no such responsibility. In fact, the more time we spend up front eliminating flat characters and dead plotlines, the less time we’ll waste during the writing process itself — and the more time you can dedicate to actually writing.

Think it’s a great idea to write a novel about a young man who realized he has the magical power to generate solar energy though the touch of his hand? That’d be pretty interesting. What about a character who is allergic to all foods except pickled bologna and parsnips? Wouldn’t that be a hoot? What about a woman who plays Mary in her small town’s live manger scene during the holidays, even though she’s Jewish? That’d be clever. But clever does not sustain a novel.

Testing your character and plot ideas — through the out-lining process — will allow you to examine whether or not your idea is rich, compelling, and sustainable — or simply a clever notion that’s better left for cocktail-hour conversation. “Hey, did you hear the one about …”

Following are just a handful of outlining techniques that may work for you during your ninety-day novel writing challenge. Read through the descriptions and decide which is best suited for you.

THE “STRUCTURE-PLUS” OUTLINE

The structure-plus outline is the most traditional method of outlining presented here. In other words, it’s the kind of outline that looks most similar to the outlining method you were likely taught in elementary school by Mrs. N___. These outlines contain detailed written descriptions of the individual scenes you’ll be writing, which will progress in a linear fashion throughout your novel.

The most common kind of structural outline can be roughly divided into three parts, or three “acts,” as they are often termed. We’ll discuss the structure of a novel at length in a later section, but, in brief, Act I introduces (characters and plot situations), Act II complicates (character wants something, but plot complications stand in her way), and Act III resolves (character gets what she wants or doesn’t get what she wants).

The “plus” in the structure-plus outline will ask you to name the setting of each scene, the characters involved, and the motivation or the purpose of the scene.

A structure-plus outline might look something like this:

I. SETTING: The back room at Spaghetti O’Plenty; 5:00 in the evening

CHARACTERS: Rhys, Trina, and Trina’s manager at the restaurant

PURPOSE: To complicate the plot and build tension between Rhys and Trina

a. Rhys gets his acceptance letter to a prestigious art school and, excited, goes to his girlfriend, Trina’s, work with the intention of telling her.

i. Trina goes on break and takes him to the back room.

ii. “I need to tell you something,” Trina says. “I’m pregnant.”

iii. Trina’s manager interrupts, “Trina, we need you on Table 7.”

b. Rhys is shocked and can feel his dream of being a painter slipping away.

i. “What are you going to do?” Rhys asks.

ii. “Me? What am I going to do? We’re in this together,” Trina says, upset.

iii. Trina’s manager comes in and sees her crying. “Leave her alone and get out of here,” he says. “Trina, I said Table 7.”

c. Rhys leaves the restaurant, crumpling up the letter and throwing it away on his way out.

The structure-plus outline is the most thorough of the out-line varieties listed here. Drafting a structure-plus outline will likely take you more time on the front end, before you write your novel, but working with an outline of this nature can potentially save a tremendous amount of valuable time on the back end, during the writing of your novel. Remember, the more thinking you do up front, especially thinking that involves the logistics of your novel, the more time you’ll free up later in the process for creating, developing, and writing.

At a glance:

Outline Pros: Very detailed — you can add as many layers of detail as you’d like.

Outline Cons: Not as easy to physically manipulate the information once you are writing.

THE SIGNPOST OUTLINE

Those of you who are resistant to the outlining process might find the signpost outline to be of better use. In this kind of outline, you’ll fill in “placeholders,” which briefly note the kind and type of scene you’ll need, the characters and the setting and a general idea of what happens — but not necessarily all the details of the scene. (For a more detailed description of scene types.) In this type of out-line, you’ll need to know only the basics, which will still leave plenty of room for you to develop the nuances of the scene while you are writing. Mark Twain used a kind of signpost outline when writing his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. That is, he had a general idea of where the novel would go and how the novel would be organized, but the specifics were left until the drafting stage.

For instance, you might know that in one scene your protagonist, Sully, confronts the man he believes to be stalking his wife, Berta. You might know this scene contains a lot of action, a chase, some dialogue toward the end, and the dramatic realization that the stalker is really the biological father of Berta — a man who abandoned her (and her mother) when she was young.

Here is an example of a signpost outline:

SCENE 6: Action scene

SETTING: Sully’s backyard and the woods surrounding his property

CHARACTERS: Sully, the Stalker

PLOT: Sully sees the Stalker again, peeking in through the kitchen window to get a glimpse of Berta. Sully grabs his pistol and confronts the man, who runs through the woods. Sully chases him. The man stumbles, and Sully finally catches up. He points the gun at the Stalker and forces him to talk. Dialogue ensues. Man reveals he’s Berta’s father.

SCENE 7: Contemplative/interior scene

SETTING: The bed-and-breakfast where Berta works as a housekeeper

CHARACTERS: Berta; some guests of the inn; Berta’s boss, Larrin

PLOT: Berta goes about her daily task of cleaning the guest rooms, changing linens, scrubbing floors. She contemplates whether she wants to accept her father into her life. She feels loyal to her dead mother, who was betrayed by this man. But he also has money — he’s a retired CIA agent — and he could finally help provide for Berta and her family. She could quit the job at the inn. As she cleans in this scene and reflects on her dilemma, several guests and even her boss confront her with ridiculous demands, like refilling the Q-tips in Room 22.

SCENE 8: Dialogue scene

SETTING: The rolling park along the river

CHARACTERS: Berta and her father

PLOT: Berta and her father meet for the first time to talk. Berta’s father reveals that he left the family because his job was too dangerous (he was, after all, a CIA operative), and he didn’t want it to affect those he loved most. Berta is moved by her father’s attention, yet she still distrusts him. Aren’t CIA agents trained to lie?

The signpost outline is a good choice for you if you’re more of a big-picture thinker. This kind of outline gives you a good amount of freedom up front, but it also does not work through all the logistical details of your novel, which means more time connecting the dots during the drafting process.

At a glance:

Outline pros: A good choice for those who scorn the out-lining process; allows for a bit more creative discovery during the writing process.

Outline cons: Not as thorough; scenes not as clearly mapped as in some of the other outlining techniques, resulting in potential dead ends.

THE NOTE-CARD TECHNIQUE

Do you remember using flashcards when you were learning something simple back in elementary school, something like the multiplication table or vocabulary words? These cards were an excellent learning tool for many reasons. First, they were portable, so you could take them with you anywhere: to school, to your grandma’s house, on the long drive to the beach, to the bathroom. Additionally, you could mix the cards up a bit, shuffle them so you weren’t just memorizing the answers in the order of the cards. The inventor of the note card has helped kids through the ages pass math and vocabulary quizzes.

Note cards can be used to outline your novel, too, and offer these similar advantages. When using the note card technique, each individual card is one scene of your novel. You’ll name the setting, the characters involved, and the major plot details. You can also list the purpose/goal of the scene.

SETTING: Cruise ship’s entertainment deck, Friday night

CHARACTERS: Chet, Dash, Mary Ann, and a Barry Manilow impersonator

• Chet and Dash fight over Mary Ann after she leaves

• Dash breaks a beer bottle on the bar, attempts to stab Chet

• Barry Manilow impersonator, in the middle of his act, sees the fight and comes over to stop it

• Dash accidentally stabs Barry Manilow look-alike.

GOAL: To develop a major plot point that will lead to Mary Ann’s crucial decision later in the novel.

The advantage of the note-card technique is that you can easily swap cards around to find the best order for the scenes in your novel. Additionally, it visually breaks the novel into mini compartments, which makes it easy to see how your novel is progressing, how to transition from scene to scene, and what scenes might be missing.

And the best part is they’re portable! You can take a stack of note cards to a coffee shop without having to lug your expensive laptop. Just be sure not to spill your latte on them.

At a glance:

Outline pros: Portable; good for those who visually conceptualize novels; easy to change the organization of your novel.

Outline cons: Can be bulky to deal with several scenes at once; no electronic backup, so don’t lose them.

THE SPREADSHEET APPROACH

The spreadsheet approach is a bit like an electronic version of the note-card technique. Outlines of this variety are written in a spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Excel, and allow you to categorize your thoughts, number your scenes, and include whichever kind of information will be helpful to you during the writing process. This is an excellent method because it allows you to insert additional columns, as necessary, which might be particularly useful in week four as you are asked to assess the strength and purpose of each of your individual scenes. It also allows you to easily reorder the columns in only a few clicks, so the information is organized in the way you prefer.

SCENE NUMBER	17
SETTING	Gettysburg Battlefield
CHARACTERS	Buck and Amy
SUMMARY	After hours driving, Buck and Amy arrive to their destination only to be confronted by a major thun-derstorm. They park their car by the side of the road and wait. That's when they see it: the newborn baby abandoned beneath the Eternal Light monument. Buck runs out in the storm to get the baby, and Amy swaddles it in her hooded sweatshirt.
SCENE GOAL/RELATION TO PLOT	Buck and Amy have been trying endlessly to conceive a child, and this is the opportunity they have been waiting for.

The spreadsheet approach will only be useful to you, of course, if you have a decent awareness of how spread-sheets work. If you decide to take this route, yet aren’t familiar with the tricks and techniques of a particular program, I suggest you take a brief tutorial, many of which can be found online with a simple Internet search. Learning a program such as Excel is really quite simple, and the ability to quickly sort, organize, or copy/paste information is extremely helpful when drafting your work.

At a glance:

Outline pros: Allows you to manipulate the data as you see fit; helpful when mapping out your novel during the revision process; allows you to easily rearrange and reorganize your novel.

Outline cons: Spreadsheets can be bulky to work with; you’ll need to be reasonably familiar with a spreadsheet program for this method to be useful.

THE FLOWCHART

The flowchart is the most tactile of the outlining approaches, and you’ll need to have ample space, like an open wall, a bulletin board, or a large white-board to adequately employ such a method. A flow-chart allows you to more visually envision the progress of your novel in a much less linear way than the other outlining approaches. For instance, you could tack up a note card with the details from one scene (remember, none of these methods will allow for you to get away from developing your individual scenes) and then, using a system of arrows, you can show the fallout from that particular scene for all the characters involved. A flowchart can be confusing for those who are linear thinkers, and such a method can feel a bit antiquated for those of you more accustomed to using your computer to organize your data for you. However, a flowchart allows for a good deal of flexibility when approaching your novel, and it’s great for detail-obsessed individuals. Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat is known to cut photographs of Haiti out of National Geographic and tack it to the board next to her desk to help her with setting and description in her scenes. You can include as much visual information as you want: newspaper clippings, photographs, descriptions, and so on. For instance, if your novel is set near Gettys-burg, you’ll be able to include photographs that depict the scenery, such as pictures of cannons, memorials, and the battlefield itself.

Example:

The use of a flowchart is not for everyone, of course — and its uses and potential can vary widely, depending on how visual or tactile a thinker you are. I like it because you can easily add and remove note cards, include sticky notes, and show how different characters move (literally and figuratively) in different directions throughout the novel. However, you’d look a bit strange if you tried to wheel a portable bulletin board into a coffee shop with you, so this kind of outline works best in the privacy of your own home.

At a glance:

Outline pros: Excellent for nonlinear or visual thinkers; allows for a good deal of creativity, even within the outline process; looks impressive to others who might be curious about your progress.

Outline cons: Bulky, nonlinear — sometimes confusing, and a bit archaic.

The above methods are, of course, only suggestions. As you begin experimenting with some or all of them, you may find yourself combining two or more of the methods, e.g. note cards + flowchart, or you may tweak one particular strategy to fit your needs. Remember, this isn’t Mrs. N__’s class, and there is no one, correct way to create a working outline. Fantasy writer Marion Zimmer Bradley once noted, “To me, everything in a novel comes down to people making choices. You must figure out in advance what those choices are going to be.” Outlining helps you determine what the best choices will be in your novel, so that when it comes time to write your novel, you can simply focus on generating the words, bringing your characters to life, and creating a setting and plot so clearly, so intricately painted that your readers will feel like they are living in the novelistic world you’ve created for them. The writing is, after all, the fun part. Don’t you think?