I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard authors address the question of whether to outline a novel or to let it develop “organically” or by inspiration. It makes sense: Our popular narratives of authors often show them being hit with inspiration, rushing to a desk, and furiously scribbling or typing to keep up with the magic. That makes for an exciting story, but it’s not how most authors write.
Everything I’ve ever read or heard from authors suggests that most of them have to push through a certain amount of labor or slog to get to anything like inspiration. It’s a job for them.
Take, for instance, a recent webinar, “How to Outline Your Novel,” paneled by Caroline Leavitt (Cruel, Beautiful World) and Gina Sorell (The Wise Women). They reconfirmed what I’ve come to think is the primary value of hearing from writers about their process: to hear that everyone’s a little different and there are no hard and fast rules.
If you weren’t there, never fear: I’ve got a nice little summary for you below.
Planning vs. “Pantsing”
It’s said that some authors are planners and some are pantsers, that is, they write by the seat of their pants. Most writers begin as pantsers, say our authors. But the more successful you become, or when you begin to get contracts with deadlines, you usually have to learn some degree of planning.
As anyone working with form poetry or writing genre fiction knows, however, planning doesn’t have to be opposed to creativity. Sorell, in fact, insisted that “It’s all fluid. It’s not true that I lose my creativity or lose the feeling of discovery.”
That’s good news, of course, because the creativity and discovery are the fun parts, what the movie moment of inspiration is trying to capture.
In addition, Sorrel says planning helps give her something concrete to work on each day. No more blank pages mocking your creativity; the outline tells you what you need to write.
Deciding where to begin
Leavitt begins with a question: “What’s haunting me?” In other words, “What about trying to live my life is making me uneasy these days?”
I assume there may be many answers to this question, but Leavitt latches onto one that she really wants to find an answer to. Writing forces her to explore the question and arrive at something like an answer—in the way novels give answers, at least.
Sorell begins with a character. She explores a character’s personality and world, often freewriting several pages until she begins to see some stakes emerging. “I come to theme early on?” she says, asking, “What is this about?” and “Why this book now?”
To my mind, that sounds similar to Leavitt’s haunting question, just another angle of approach. Neither, however, begins with a “high concept” like an asteroid hurtling toward Earth or, say, scientists cloning dinosaurs. Those kinds of stories will be more plot driven.
The story arc
Both authors described thinking about arcs. Sorell spoke in terms of character arcs. Many of her novels have multiple points of view, and she plots out each major character’s story arc so she can figure out how to line them up or intersperse them.
Leavitt talked about the moral arc of her characters, which is simply the thematic corollary to Sorell’s event-centered process. Leavitt calls her typical moral arc the “Rolling Stones arc,” meaning her character doesn’t always get what he wants, he gets what he needs.
Length and detail when you outline a novel
Both authors agreed the length and detail was going to be driven by the author’s needs or, to a lesser extent, an agent or editor. Some authors, they said, like to make a list of four beats or eight beats and go from there. Others plan out a three-act structure in greater detail.
For her most recent book, Sorell’s editor pushed her to become more and more detailed until she had an outline of some 22 pages comprised of over 80 beats.
Exercises to focus yourself
Sometimes “planning” is really another word for “exploring.” It’s any kind of writing you’re doing that’s not strictly speaking part of the manuscript. Sorell and Leavitt spoke of little exercises or tasks they give themselves that help them either in the planning stage or when they get stuck.
Wants and Needs
Leavitt adapted this from John Truby’s Anatomy of Story.
- What does the character want desperately lest something terrible happen?
- What misconception keeps the character from getting what she wants?
- What is her plan—and how does it fail?
- How does she lose everything or bottom out?
- What does she need to do to recover or pull herself up?
- Does she succeed or not? What is the new state of affairs by the story’s end?
Elevator Pitch
Sorell, who like many of us does some copywriting, likes to craft an elevator pitch for her story so she can reduce it to its essential characters and conflict. This isn’t necessarily the same as the pitch you’d use in a proposal since it’s not about selling the story so much as finding its beating heart. Can you describe your story in under 20 words in a way that sounds interesting? (Check here and here for examples.)
Ask a Stupid Question
This is a version of the elevator pitch that has more of a “Keep It Simple, Stupid” flavor. Sorell writes the most basic question on a piece of paper: “What is this book about?” Then she starts a new line and writes the answer: “This book is about…” Then she puts it somewhere she can see it while she writes.
Ask Your Characters To Tell You What’s Up
Leavitt described using many writing exercises to explore her characters, including writing from their point of view and asking them questions like, “What are you so upset about?” and then letting them write a letter in response. None of this writing will necessarily show up in the final book, but it helps her get inside her characters or break through blocks. The application would be to find the right question to ask and then find a way to write the response.
Key Takeaway on How to Outline a Novel
Sorell did briefly run through the three-act structure, but you can find more detailed versions all over the place. Maybe that’s weird given the topic, but as with many webinars, the stated topic didn’t necessarily match what happened. So, we’re left with finding our own takeaways. Here are three:
- You don’t have to outline your novel — Especially if you’re still learning the craft, you may not want to stop to outline things.
- You should outline your novel — Experienced writers understand that an outline helps them stay focused and meet deadlines.
- There is no rule about novel outlines — “Outline” in this context can mean many things. You may have a short list of events, a detailed three-act arc, or a 20-page beat-by-beat treatment. What’s important is that you find something that helps you with your story.
- There is no big secret — I know, I wish there was, too. At the end of the day, however, most writers say they learn the most by (a) reading lots of books and (b) doing lots of writing. As I used to tell my students, “The answer to every writing problem is to write.”
Other Sets of Eyes
As a developmental editor, it was gratifying to hear Leavitt say she always (always!) hires a developmental editor at the planning stage, even if she’s only got an outline of her novel.
Often, you hire the developmental editor after you’ve got a draft. The more experienced you are with writing, however, the more easily you can bring in an editor early on to help plan your way, and then you can bring the editor back in after you have a draft to make any finer adjustments.
Writing a novel is rewarding but challenging. The movies notwithstanding, there’s nothing to say you need to go it alone. If you’d like to talk through your novel, whatever stage you’re at, contact me today.
Photo by Aaron Santelices on Unsplash
