Pros and Cons of Outlining Your Novel
By D. Jean Quarles
Generally writers work between two constructs when working on their
novels - to outline or not. Outliners tend to put down on paper the
entire novel, plotting out all the details, where and when and who the
characters are that will come in at appropriate times. Non-outliners
tend to go on their way taking each day as it comes and putting in
characters as they 'appear' in their minds. The first thing to
understand is neither way is 'right', but instead outlining is more of a
preference. The biggest thing to recognize is that at some point you
will need to plot, but plotting can happen before you begin to write,
during the writing project, or even after you think you've got it all
down.
So now, the pros and cons:
Pros of outlining:
1. You have an idea of what you will be writing at each sitting.
2. Outlining helps create balance in your narrative - you will be less likely to go off on a tangent that will later be scraped.
3. Characters are developed before work begins so they are more consistent throughout the narrative.
4. Fewer plot holes that will need to be found and fixed in the final draft.
Cons of outlining:
1. Commitment to your outline can mean that when opportunity arrives to divert you may be less likely to do so.
2. For some, outlining and then writing means writing short - fewer
words or concise thoughts do not necessarily make for a good read.
3. Scenes can sometimes seem flat.
Pros of non-outlining:
To read the full article, please go to:
|
