A month-long novel-planning challenge with prizes galore. |
I have a good idea of my story in my head. Then I start looking at different outline styles and try to work my story in with that. If I hit too many hiccups or find too many places that the next thing it wants just isn't something I want, then I move on to the next outline format. I keep at it until I find a close match between the story in my head and the outline on the screen. Sometimes I'll find something in an outline style that I didn't include in my story. I will add that if I have a good idea about what to do with it...or even if I don't, but think it will really help the story once I find something to put in there. lol But that doesn't mean I automatically use that outline format. So many are quite similar, so I keep looking around until I find one that fits pretty well -- well enough I feel like it's a good framework, like for me, maybe a 90% fit or more. It may have additional elements I'll later add to my story or ones I'll just ignore. lol It doesn't always fit 100%, but it sometimes does. But I rarely add or throw out more than 1 item in an outline. If I feel it needs too much modification, I probably need to find another outline format. It can be a bit time consuming to find the right one, but once you do, at least for me, it really helps things fall into place. Even if I don't have all the elements yet, if I have a frame that tells me to add something I agree with, it helps ensure I won't forget that new idea. There are a LOT of different outlines, so find one that fits your story, either now or how you envision it when done. |