As I’ve said in other posts, I outline my novels before drafting them. But what do I really mean by “outline”?
You might think it’s a quick little set of bullet points.
And you’d be wrong. Oh, so wrong.
When I outline a novel, I work up the entire plot and key subplots. I identify and do a character sketch for the main characters and key minor characters. I fill in the gaps until I have a full story, start to finish. I make sure things happen in the right sequence. I make sure the proportion of beginning/middle/climax/end is balanced. I make sure the characters get an appropriate proportion of chapters from their POV. It has to make sense, major questions need to be resolved.
When I’m done, I have a list of each chapter, what happens in each chapter and why (motive/how it advances the plot), whose POV it will be in, and a rough timeline so things make sense and I can insert timeline references/clues along the way so the reader understands when it’s “next day” versus months later.
So it’s really more than a mere outline, it’s a chapter-by-chapter account of what’s going to happen. It is a lot of work. I have to hold the entire story in my head as I do it. That’s why I thought I’d try “pantsing” without an outline when I started Ravenna’s Road. Thought I’d save myself some work. But I ended up writing the first few chapters, really liking their tone/execution/mood, but…I got lost in where-do-I-go-from-here land. And ended up doing the outline anyway, and reworking things to get the novel written.
It’s a ton of work, but it pays dividends. Big ones. At least for me. By the time I complete it, I’ve done the heavy lifting, figured out the flow, what happens when and why and by whom. I can then take the drafting chapter by chapter and focus on bringing to life what I already determined would happen in each chapter. So it becomes a ready-make writing prompt for each chapter, where I don’t need to hold the whole story in my head, and can focus on the writing, chapter by chapter.
Not only that, if I need to delete/add/resequence the story to get it right, it’s a hell of a lot easier to do that with an Excel spreadsheet of chapter descriptions than it is with a partly written manuscript! Cut/paste/done, rather than having to rework a partial draft.
Of course, sometimes things take a different direction or I find I did forget something or whatever. That’s what the First Edit round is for. Once I get all the way to the end, I again hold the whole story in my head to do the First Edit. Catch inconsistencies that crept in, remaining gaps, where something isn’t clear or isn’t serving the story after all. First Edit is a big lift, too.
Second Edit incorporates the big fixes identified in First Edit. Third Edit makes sure the new bits are smooth and lets the writing and style breathe some more. Fourth Edit is mostly line editing for grammar, punctuation, repeated words, and final polish.
Of course, there are more editing rounds if something major isn’t working or needs significant expansion. That happened in Scorched Earth. I rewrote/expanded a considerable amount on that one. It needed it. I began writing it during a really distracted period (my publisher was shutting down) and it showed in the initial manuscript. I’m happy with it now, though!
Anyway, just wanted to put this out there. I’m in the “outlining” stage of my next novel right now. It’s getting there. Needs some more expansion in the last third or so, make sure the two subplots breathe sufficiently–and connect in a dramatic, but believeable, way in the end. I’m starting to itch to begin Chapter 1, but I know better than to do that before I finish working out the final kinks and doing justice to the “outline” phase.
Thanks for reading!
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In the not-too-distant future, climate change wreaks havoc on agriculture, the economy, public health, and the very fabric of society. Everything is in short supply: food, water, money—and hope.
Convicted of a murder she did not commit, Ravenna opts for a work-based diversion program in place of prison time. She becomes a first responder in Chicago’s toughest and most desperate section. She faces violence, suicides, and danger on every shift.
One day, Ravenna learns the immense personal sacrifice that led to her conviction was in vain. The discovery drives her to take a risky leap. Determined to make a new life for herself one way or the other, she meticulously plans her escape to Mexico, then sets out on the road.
But she encounters far worse obstacles and dangers than she imagined—and there’s no turning back. Her plan in tatters, she has to find a way to reach a safe place to start over.
Will the road be Ravenna’s salvation—or her undoing?
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