Publishing Series: #3 More on Outlining

You have your idea.

No matter how well you think you know your story, some type of outlining is a must. I know -- Stephen King swears he does not use an outline, but face it. We're not Stephen King. If the hero's journey won't work for you, look for another style of outline. There are tons of them out there.

A writer friend of mine, Martin Wilsey, uses the following one. I like it and referred to it -- although I don't think I used it faithfully -- in my first two novels.

1. Fill in the blanks:  When [INCITING INCIDENT OCCURS], a [SPECIFIC PROTAGONIST] must [OBJECTIVE], or else [STAKES].

2. Write a paragraph describing each part:
   a. The Setup
   b. Rising Action
   c. The Resolution

3. Now break down the 3 parts by bulleting points under each of the acts below.

The Setup: (Start with your paragraph from above)

    Act 1 - The Setup

    Act 2 - Something Bad Happens

    Act 3 - The Protagonist/Antagonist Identified

The Rising Action: (Start with your paragraph from above)

    Act 4 - The Push - The Door to Act 5 (It's a one-way door, no turning back)

    Act 5 - Go for the wrong goal

    Act 6 - Reversal - It is the low point, reveals the Achilles heel of the nemesis

Resolution: (Start with your paragraph from above)

    Act 7 - Go for New Goal - The clock is ticking - protagonist has a new plan.

     Act 8 - Wrap it Up, New goal is achieved.
     Act 9 - The denouement. Closure. The End.

I personally love Act 4 and 5 -- the no turning back and going for the wrong goal. It adds much needed tension to a story line.

Just remember, whatever outline model you choose, there is no reason to follow it faithfully. If you closely examine any of the Harry Potter stories, it is clear J.K. Rowling used the Hero's Journey outline, but there are events that are rearranged or missing. That's okay. As long as it works in the end!

Next Up: The First Draft

Publishing Series: #2 Developing the Story Idea

Ideas come from everywhere, and chances are, if you are thinking of publishing a story, you already have an idea. My ideas always seem to start with a character, but the setting also plays a big role in the initial stages of my writing. A character idea will come to me, and that character always comes placed in a specific setting.

Developing that idea -- now that is the real work!

Perhaps the entire story magically appears in some writers' minds, but not mine. An initial problem or obstacle, which is somehow dependent on the setting, usually has attached itself to the character. And an ending idea might loom somewhere in the distance, but getting from point A to point Z, takes some planning.

Enter the outline. Different writers have different outlining strategies. And different genres might also call for different outlining techniques. The fantasy book I am writing currently, Periphery, is formulated around Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. That plan works for a mythic fantasy, but I never would have been able to use it for my first two novels.

Some writers' outlines include every last detail. Those authors tell me they stick to their outlines come hell or high water. My outlines tend to be looser and more flexible. I tend to think of them as living documents. I might plan to a certain point, then draft, then outline some more, then write some more. Sometimes my stories want to tell themselves to a certain point, and then outlining becomes necessary. Having some form of a working outline, however, allows a writer to pick up their story at any point and write. And that, my friends, is the ultimate cure for writer's block!

Next Up: Another Outlining Strategy