Plotting and Outlining

When I go on a trip, I like to plan my journey. I look at a map and calculate which route to take. I do some research and figure out what highlights I want to see along the way. Planning a trip means I know where I’m going and what I’m going to see, but it’s not so rigid that I can’t take a side trip or trip if I discover something interesting along the way.


Writing an outline for the plot of a novel is a little like planning a trip. It helps you figure out what direction your novel is going to take and what your major plot points are going to be, but still allows room for creativity.

So what is outlining?

It’s writing out all the events of your plot from the beginning of your novel until the end. There are many ways to outline. You can do a quick set of notes on one page, write out scenes on index cards, scribble the highlights about each scene on Post-it notes that you can change and move around, or complete comprehensive scene-by-scene analysis that you keep in separate binders. There’s no wrong way to outline, just the right way for each individual writer.

Here are some reasons for writers to outline their novel before they start writing:

Using research to better effect:  An outline can be changed at any time, even during the writing process. If you discover some interesting research as you write or pre-write, you can make a note of in your outline and know that that interesting tidbit will not be lost. Robert Kernen, in “Building Better Plots”, says that outlining will “help you more smoothly and effectively incorporate new plot or thematic elements you discover during the writing process.”

Saving time: Randy Ingermanson claims that using his Snowflake method of outlining can reduce the time to write a first draft from 500 hours to 250 hours, including the 100 hours or so needed to complete the outline. He also points out that by working on an outline first, all the work of your synopsis is basically done, further reducing your writing time. Writer Joanna Penn says that when you have limited time each day to devote to your writing, you don’t want to spend half of it staring blankly at your computer because you have no idea where you’re going next.

Makes the writing process easier: Robert Kernan says that outlining will “free your mind and your intuition to work on the writing of your story, the characters, the dialogue, the language, etc., unconcerned about whether the structure is sound.” Rather than restricting the writer, Kernan claims that outlining will “liberate your writing by giving you a map, allowing you to focus on other elements of the writing and helping you avoid frustration.”

Will this idea fly?: The reason I plot my novels in advance is to figure out whether they’re going to work or not. What would you rather do: spend a few hours outlining and discover that the plot you thought so clever has too many holes in it to work, or spend 500 hours (translation: weeks, months) writing a first draft, get to the middle of it, and realize the story is totally unworkable? If you outline, you can plug holes in your plot, give your characters better goals and conflicts before you start writing your first draft. You can avoid deadends that take up so much time and cause writers so much frustration.

Whatever method of outlining you choose, it needs to hit all the highlights of a romance novel. It needs to present and resolve the goals and conflicts of the characters. It needs to show the rising action of the story and the developing romance between hero and heroine. Here is a template for plot structure that I came across some time ago.

Template – Plot Structure

Part I The Set Up

- Introduce characters (main and secondary)
- Introduce setting
- Introduce Goal and Motivation (external and internal conflict)
- Introduce first major obstacle
- Introduce romantic attraction
- Snappy opening – the “hook”

Part II  Plot Complications

- Characters’ efforts to overcome obstacle make situation worse. They realize at this point how big their problem is.
- Romantic attraction fully developed. (Perhaps the first love scene occurs here.)
- Characters mistakenly believe a solution is near.

Part III  Switch-a-roo and Misery

- Insurmountable obstacle shatters romantic trust. (The Black Moment).
- Something happens to one or both characters that causes them to see a solution which turns around the plot.
- This event triggers realization that they love one another more than they love their original goal.

Part IV  Resolution

- Characters take action based on the realization.
- One or both (usually the one who is being the biggest jerk, the one who is most wrong) make a sacrifice that proves their love.
- The scene that shows this sacrifice is the climax.
- Subplots are resolved and loose ends are tied up.
- External goal/conflict resolved. It does not have to be achieved in the way characters thought in the beginning.
- Internal conflict/goal resolved. Original internal conflict must be satisfied. Conflicts must be resolved in this order – external then internal.
- If necessary a short denoument scene to tie up loose ends.

Here are some links and books I’ve found particularly helpful with plotting and outlining:

Books:
Save the Cat! By Blake Snyder, published by Michael Wiese Procuctions, http://www.mwp.com/ ISBN-13: 978-1-932907-00-1. This book is actually about screenwriting but a lot of the information applies to novels. And it’s funny and entertaining.

Building Better Plots by Robert Kernen, Writer’s Digest Books, ISBN 0-89879-903-1. Everything you wanted to know about plotting but were afraid to ask. A really great guide.

Hooked: Write fiction that grabs readers at page one and never lets them go by Les Edgerton, Writer’s Digest Books, ISBN-13:978-1-58297-514-6. Although this book is focused mainly on openings to novels, it has a lot to say about plotting in general. I highly recommend this one!

Helpful links:
http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2007/09/novel-outlining-101.html
I like the way author Lynn Viehl  explains how she builds her outlines, starting with a simple statement for each scene and adding on.

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php
Randy Ingermanson explains his Snowflake method of plotting/outlining.

http://www.sff.net/people/alicia/artout.htm
Alicia Rasley tells us how to outline a novel in 30 minutes.

http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/870156-Blank-Novel-Outline
Blank novel outline from Writer’s Digest.

http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/01/25/outlining-novel/
Author Joanna Penn discusses the merits of outlining.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? If you plot, how do you outline? Do you think outlining and pre-writing saves time in the long run?

Plotting With Friends

This past Sunday I got together with friends on MSN for a live plotting party. Despite a myriad of problems with MSN and Internet connections, we managed to hash out some issues with a new story I’m putting together. I find it very helpful to have input from trusted writing friends when putting together a plot. They can pick out any glaring plot holes, point out questions of character motivation that I haven’t addressed (or even thought of), or shine a light on any weaknesses they see in the conflict. I find that having others look at the plotting at this stage, before I actually start the writing, saves a ton of time later in revisions.

This is the second time I’ve used this method. Back in January of 2010 I assembled the same group for an instant messaging session to discuss my then work-in-progress “Flawless”. Of course at that point, the story didn’t have a name. Actually it didn’t have much of a plot yet either. But with the enthusiastic help of my friends I was able to put together a plot, and eventually the story that became my World War Two romantic suspense set in occupied France came to life.

I highly recommend the plotting party. Not only do I find it extremely useful, it’s a lot of fun. There’s nothing I like more than brainstorming with other creative people.

But some rules need to be observed. Here’s my thoughts on what makes a plot party, or any plotting group work:

1.       Choose your group wisely. Use trusted writing friends you feel in sync with and whose work you admire. You want different points of view but if the ideas and opinions are counter to what you want to write, your plotting session will end in frustration.

2.     2.   Do some legwork ahead of time. Sketch out a rough synopsis, lay down the most important elements of the plot, do some preliminary research, if necessary. For instance in “Flawless”, because I was writing with the goal of being added to The Wild Rose Press’s Jewels of the Night series, the most important elements were that the story be a romantic suspense that somehow revolves around a blue diamond. I envisioned a story set in World War Two in which a reformed jewel thief is recruited to help the French Resistance steal back a blue diamond from the Nazis. I came up with a very rough plot and a “curse” that was attached to the diamond. Since we were meeting online, and I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time typing out all this information on the day of the party, I emailed whatever information I had ahead of time. Your friends are there to help you smooth out the edges of your plot and add depth. It’s not fair to ask them to write the whole thing for you.

3.       The person whose story is being discussed should lead the discussion. Christine Rimmer, whose blog post about her plotting group inspired me to form one of my own, says if the discussion goes in a direction you’re not comfortable with, speak up and lead it back to where you want to go. For instance if one member of the group argues for your story to take on a paranormal bent with vampires and slayers and you’re really not into that, speak up. It’s your story. You must take the lead and the rest of the group must respect that.

4.       Save the session! I always save a copy of our instant messaging session to my hard drive so I can refer to it later. There are so many ideas flying back and forth that it’s impossible to write everything down. And I can’t trust my brain to remember everything (or anything, for that matter). Christine Rimmer says that in her plot group, which gets together twice a year in Vegas, they use two tape recorders to record each plotting session, just in case there’s a technical failure.  The writer then gets to take her taped sessions home with her at the end of the weekend.  

I will definitely do this again. We talked on Sunday about how great it would be to be able to get together in person like Christine Rimmer’s group does. I really hope we manage it, but with the four of us living in three different time zones it’s going to be difficult. In the meantime, instant messaging remains an inexpensive if sometimes frustrating alternative.

Have you ever participated in a plotting group, either live-and-in-person or through your computer?  Would you participate if you had the chance or do you prefer to go it alone? 

Next week I’ll be out of town on a bit of a retreat, working on the new story I’ve just plotted out. So I’m taking a break from the blog. I’ll see you at the end of the month!

Discovering Your Story

I just read an excellent article in the September 2010 edition of “Romance Writers Report” that got me thinking about how I “discover” my story. In her article “The Importance of Discovery”, Lani Diane Rich, talks about the process of finding the story you want to tell. By this she means learning about your characters and what they need to learn to get to their happy ending.  It means knowing your story and your characters so well you know what they will do in any given situation. It means finding out what the story’s about.  She says “Any time an idea comes to you about your story, you are discovering that story.”

Ms. Rich argues that the writer needs to take the time to discover her book before she sits down to write it. Discovery will happen, one way or the other, either on the writer’s terms or on discovery’s terms. If finding out about your book happens on your own terms, you spend a few weeks thinking about your book, and doing various exercises to help you learn what you want to write. Maybe you’ll do some pre-writing; two or three chapters that never make it into the novel, but contain crucial information for you as the writer. Ms. Rich says, “On its terms, discovery will find you smack in the middle of the second act, sit its fat butt down on your manuscript, overwhelm you with writer’s block until you pay the toll, which is, quite simply, time and attention.”

I think I know exactly what she is talking about it. Here’s a tale of two novels (or novellas, at least) from my own experience.

Scenario number One: In the fall of 2009, my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, put out a call for a series of romantic suspense novellas featuring a blue diamond. I was intrigued by the concept, but I had no clue what to write about. I did a little research about blue diamonds, but sometime before Christmas decided I just wouldn’t be able to come up with anything before the deadline on March 31, 2010.

But my brain must have continued to unconsciously think about it. Sometime over the Christmas holidays I had an idea about setting the story in occupied France in the middle of World War Two. My husband and I talked over some scenarios based on the history of the time. From those conversations I came up with a rough outline of what I thought the story would be about.

Then I went to three friends and set up an instant messaging meeting with them. I had sent them my rough synopsis earlier, so they knew what the story was more or less about, but they really helped me to flesh out the characters and the plot. My friends Janet Corcoran and Karyn Good even helped me to come up with the name of the novella: “Flawless”. By the time I actually started to write the story, I felt I knew everything I needed to know. I wrote the majority of the story during the Saskatchewan Romance Writers annual “Book in A Week” in January 2010 and finished editing it in time to make the deadline of March 31. I am currently under contract for this story with The Wild Rose Press, and it will be released January 5, 2011.

Scenario Number Two: An idea comes to me: it’s about an angel who visits an elderly man with the promise that she will take him back in time so that he can have a second chance at love. I madly began writing this story without doing much research or discovery to figure out what the story is really about. The result: the story is about a third to a half finished, and I’m not sure where it will go, or if what I’ve written so far is any good. I haven’t looked at the story in nearly a year.

Ms. Rich says it doesn’t matter if you’re a plotter or a pantser when it comes to discovery; it still has to happen. “Discovery is where you find the pieces [for your plot]; fitting them all together comes later. If you’re a plotter, it’ll come before you write. If you’re a pantser, it’ll come during. But, to have the pieces ready and gathered before you start writing—that’s the trick. That’s discovery.”

Ms. Rich gives us five ways to help us make discovery happen:

1.       Read at least one book a week. I have to admit that since I really took my writing seriously a few years ago, my reading has gone way down. Part of the problem is lack of time. Any free time I have, I want to spend writing. I’m also concerned with letting the work of other writers seep into my own work. Ms. Rich says sometimes the pieces of the puzzle to your own work can be hidden or pointed to in the works of others. There is nothing wrong with being inspired by the works of others; it is a time-honoured tradition. Just don’t copy or loosely paraphrase, which is plagiarism.

2.       Create a soundtrack. Many writers like to listen to music as they write, although I find I need silence. Ms. Rich recommends creating a soundtrack of ten to thirty songs that relate to particular characters, scenes, or themes of your book. Play them over and over again, while you’re exercising, driving, doing the dishes. That way your mind stays on your book. Keep a notebook handy to jot down ideas as they come to you.

3.       Do a collage. Ms. Rich insists the collage doesn’t have to be great art; it just has to make you think of your book. Find pictures of TV or movie stars who will stand in as your characters, or houses and locations that could be your setting. You don’t even have to use poster board and glue. For “Flawless” I went to the Internet and found a picture of French chateau and photographs of Resistance fighters and others wearing World War Two era clothing that made me think of my story. I kept them in a file on my computer, but you may want to print them out and keep them in front of you.

4.       Engage in creative hobbies.  I can’t knit, crochet or do cross-stitch, but I think I know what Ms. Rich is on to here. Some of my best ideas come to me in the shower or when driving. The part of our brains that creates is free to play while the other part is engaged with another task.

5.       Watch movies and television that inspire you. Wow, you mean I can now call my TV habit research? All kidding aside, movies and TV can get you into the storytelling zone. Ms. Rich recommends watching comedy if you’re writing a romantic comedy, and a suspense if you’re writing romantic suspense.

One final word. Don’t take discovery lightly. Take the time to learn about your story. If you don’t know your story well enough you can wander down paths that take you no where. Avoid the frustration. Take the time to play.

What sort of “discovery” do you do for your books?