When you’re writing fiction and you have a general idea on how things are going to play out, is outlining things beforehand a good idea? Years ago, I seem recall reading something to the effect that using outlines should be avoided in creative writing because it results in rigid, lifeless, and fill-in-the-blank prose.
An outline helps to get the structure worked out, and a reminder so you don’t forget anything. You don’t have to rigidly adhere to it as you write the final draft, but I can’t see anything inherently wrong with an outline at all. I expect a high percentage of writers work that way.
I’m hoping to tackle some long fiction soon and for me, I can tell it’s not going to work if I don’t plan out the events (and themes and such) ahead of time. I can come up with characters but I’m not always sure what to do with them. I’m not worried I’ll end up with “fill in the blank prose.” Being general is always a bad thing, though.
Stephen King says something like ‘if you find yourself writing something you didn’t plan to write, you haven’t done your homework.’ I think that’s a bit too rigid but not totally wrong.
I don’t outline. I’ve tried to do it, and it just doesn’t work for me. That may be one of the reasons why I’ve never been able to finish a novel, but a 10,000 word story is no problem. I have done outlines before, but then have trouble writing to fit them.
Given the fact that King notoriously does not write with an outline, and compares the process to one of excavation (that is, he’s discovering the story, not creating it), I’m not sure he means one must be rigidly bound to an outline.
Some people write with outlines, and are rigidly bound to them. Other people never do an outline and just fly by the seat of their pants. Whatever works for you is the right answer. If you try to write an outline and find yourself straying or feeling stifled, then try to write without one. If you started without one and you have no idea what’s happening and your stumped and everything’s a big mess, try an outline.
I can and often do outline specific scenes, but if I try to outline an entire story I get bored and never finish it. The way I look at it the act of writing should be an exploration, not marking off a checklist.
I think the thing that inspires a lot of bashing of outlines is most people have a little voice that tells them their outline must be followed. It does lead to rigidity if you plan every little detail, or if you refuse to amend it. If you use an outline remember it’s an outline, stuff can be rearranged, discarded, and added at a whim if you get an awesome idea or can see by the character development in chapter 2 that chapter 7 won’t work the way you planned it. Some people are good without outlines at all, but it only works if you know your mind works that way or you’re writing existentialist stream-of-consciousness fiction. Of course, you’ll only know you work well that way if you try it.
In addition, some types of stories lend themselves to outlines better, but I’m not sure how to split the story types.
Edit: I should add that there are many different ways to outline depending on your story. You could just outline “good guy wins here, bad guy wins here, good guys win here again” etc with no regard for what’s actually happening, do that but outline a few scenes right before you write them, or outline every chapter. That’s really dependent on how much you want your story to progress in a certain direction.