Rule #5-Making a Plan-The Outline Dilemma

I want you to think back to the last research paper you wrote. A major component of your final grade was probably your outline. Did it seem like busy work at the time? Was it tedious to construct? Did it guide your thoughts as you wrote?

Writers have different opinions about outlining. It was immensely useful to JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series. Just take a look at her visual outline for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Meg Cabot on the other hand says that, "The fun part--to me--is figuring out how I'm going to get there, and checking out the interesting sites I see along the way." One woman's preference is another's recipe for success, for as this article from Nybookeditors.Com attests, "When you head into a piece of writing without the planning, the job of the writer is to create. Your writing can exist in a mutable state for a very long time. The best writing happens when the writer is discovering what happens as he or she is creating."

But isn't Rowling's work creative? Planning her plotline seems to have benefited her in the end. Clearly, what works for one won't necessarily work for another. 

It seems to me that outlining longer works is almost necessary to keep the story on track. It may not be enjoyable, but it forces you to impose a kind of structure on the unbound creative energies begging for release. 

Necessity doesn't make it any easier for those who aren't accustomed to doing it. I'm speaking from personal experience on this one. 

A compromise might be the best approach if you're really not keen on the idea of planning before you write or type a single sentence. 

In a guest column for Writers' Digest, Brian Klems explains how to write a flexible outline by asking key questions of the story you're looking to write. A clearly defined premise, protagonist, antagonist, and conflict will keep your writing on track. It might also be handy to sketch out a few scene ideas, interview your characters, and explore your settings. After all, the best way to learn about anything is to ask the right questions. Klems' recommended "flexible" outline is a place to do just that. There's still plenty of room for creativity, but your story is less likely to get lost in itself if you take Klems' approach. It's well worth a try. 

If you do opt for the outline, know that the form it takes is entirely up to you. Be visual. Make bullet points. Arrange and rearrange interrelated elements on a bulletin board. Do what makes the most sense to you mind. Because, while this outline isn't graded, your audience will probably be able to tell if you don't put much effort into it.