Talked about it before, but let's go more in depth. Outlining is an incredibly useful tool in the writer's arsenal that can save a major amount of trouble when you're sixty-thousand words deep into the belly of your plot. How do you outline? It's quite simply.
You know how when you write, it's more letting the words flow than thinking? At least for anyone like me? Well, outlining is the opposite. You aren't really describing anythings, you're just bullet-pointing the important bits. Like your main character moving to a new country, meeting an important side character, etc.
Some people like to outline on the computer, I prefer paper--it feels more hands-on. A sample would like something like this:
Prologue:
1. Talkan travels to ________
2. ______ runs into ________
3. Talkan __________
4. They discuss the signs that have been happening
5. They leave for ________
Yes, that is actually my prologue, just heavily censored to prevent spoilers. Point is, outlining will help you craft a master plot. Give it a try.
Nice outlining tip! And great blog!
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you through the A-Z!
I've never tried outlining, but then again, I'm not much of a plotter.
ReplyDeleteBut plotting is just soooo much fun! Granted, it's a nightmare when you come up with an intricate twist and realize how many chapters it will take to implement, but still...
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