I want to number all the shiny pieces my subconscious creativity has given me. My goal in writing any outline is to, first, pour out all of my “dreams” about a given story. >Click here to read the complete transcript of my outline for my dieselpunk adventure Storming.
His vision had gone completely dark, so maybe there was no light in the window. He would have been unable to see it in any case. He crossed without looking for the bridge. He splashed into the knee-high stream before its gentle splashing even registered in his ears. This time, there was no running indeed, he could scarcely walk. On hands and knees, he dragged himself forward, barely gaining his feet. The stars in the sky spun and spun, in every direction, up and down, in front and behind. Before he hit the soft soil, his stomach erupted. Even as he ran, his teeth rattled cruelly.įor the first time since he was a lad running this field at night, he caught his toe and fell on his face. The night air cut through the sweat on his face. Up and over first one stile, across the road, then the other stile.
But he chalks it up to his illness.Īnd here’s approximately the same snippet from the corresponding scene in the first draft: I think that the powers should manifest just a little bit: his hands moving quicker than he’s used to, so he has trouble with the door latch. He’s nauseated, vomiting, and horribly dizzy, heart beating out of control, short of breath. So I guess my question is, how do you utilize your outline when writing that first draft? How often are you referencing your outline as you write? The How and Why of Outlining a Novel
Outline rough draft example how to#
I see tons of advice on how to create an outline, but very little on the practicality of actually using it. It’s like I have one eye on each, and it equals a slog of an experience! I have so much in my outline that I want to be sure to include, that I find I can only get a few sentences in before I’m pulled back to referencing the outline. I have an extensive outline that I’m quite pleased with, and I’m about 40,000+ words into my first draft, but here’s the thing: I’m struggling with the actual writing and I can’t seem to get into the flow because I keep going back and forth between the draft and the outline. I’ve read several of your writing books, as well as too many blog posts to count, and I don’t think I’ve seen this addressed. Recently, I received an email from Matt Powers, which made me realize that, out of all the dozens of posts I’ve written about outlining, I’ve never actually talked about how to use your outline when writing the first draft. But then, whether you prefer to outline with minimalism, maximalism, or hindsight (aka, in revisions), a surprisingly easy stumbling block can be that of figuring out how to use your outline in the first draft.
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