Outlining a
story is a great way to keep myself from going off on wild tangents and causing
everything to get side railed. So typically, when I write, I’ll work out the
bare bones, which is the beginning, middle, and end, and maybe a few tidbits in
between. With my most recent novel, I’ve run into an interesting little
barrier.
Here’s what
happened. Instead of only outlining the bare bones, I ended up outlining the
whole story. I didn’t mean too. I just got over excited (yeah, it won’t be the
last time you hear a guy say those words). After putting that together,
starting to write the first chapter was extremely difficult for me. I kept
seeing where I was going instead of where I was.
This caused
major issues for me. I would start to write, and then scrap it. Try again, and
tossed that also. It kept going on and on like that to the point like I felt as
if I was in purgatory for writers. It was hell.
It wasn’t
easy seeing outlining almost everything as a mistake. Mainly cause of the fact
that I felt like planning everything in case of being able to make the story a
series would benefit the story later. What it really did was make me feel like
a time traveler who could see someone’s entire lifespan but unable to enter a
specific point. In other words, my vision was blurred.
Once I came
to my senses, I stripped everything away from the entire story and work solely
with the bare bones of the story. For me, it was the right move because
everything is flowing much better.
So, tell
me, what do you guys do when you see way too much of the story and can’t seem
to get the beginning written.
Auzy
I have never had much success outlining a story in great detail. I can do it. It just doesn't make a very interesting story -- something that becomes apparent as soon as I start writing it.
ReplyDeleteI make out better with a beginning, a few events in the middle, and a planned ending. Then I start writing and I listen to the characters.
I have to be willing to rearrange those events in the middle, and maybe even adapt my ending.
So far this has worked for me, and I certainly hope I can pull it off again, because I need to plan the third book in a series this month.
When I can't manage the beginning, I start in the middle - sounds bonkers, but those first sentences can feel like pulling teeth. While a middle scene, if I can get that under my belt I feel I've got the show on the road. Even if it need scrapping later on, I find it's the trigger I need to go back to that first chapter and try again.
ReplyDeleteI know some people's comfort zone is working out all the deets from the get go. Not me. I'm a bare bones/major beats outliner. I'm all about the discoveries along the way through the story.
ReplyDelete