Some of us hate outlining. I learned to do it after literally wasting an entire novel because I didn’t know where I was going with it, but until I finished my latest outline I was still vaguely uncomfortable with the process of laying out my story before I actually started writing.

There is an interim measure though.

Instead of an outline, write a 2 – 5 page short story. It doesn’t have to be of any quality, just imagine you had to compress your entire book down to 5 pages (at the most) and go nuts.

I need to stress that this short story really doesn’t need to be good. Throw in plot points and pure descriptions. Describe your epic multi chapter final battle sequence as ‘a little scrap’ and your love scenes as ‘got it on’. The important thing is that you know where you’re going if you get stuck.

The main objection most people have to outlining is that they feel restricted by them, that somehow the outline interferes with the creative process. If you feel like this then you certainly don’t have to use an outline, or the short story method. However if you’re like me, and never finish anything, having a plan really does help.

Tags: advice