In today’s installment of our “how to write a book” mini-series, we’re diving into outlines!
And, yes, I know outlines aren’t the most fascinating topic, so I’ll keep it short. : )
Here’s what you should know: not every author uses an outline. In general, there are two camps in the writing community:
I’ve mentioned before that, in drafting the sequel to Ahead of Her Time, I’m trying to base my process on that of Elizabeth Peters.
She was a fanatical outliner. In research I did on her writing process, she almost universally had multiple outlines for each book (a short 1-3 page outline, and a longer 7-15 page outline).
Here’s what I’m doing differently, though. Rather than write a synopsis-style outline, as she did, I’m creating a chapter-by-chapter outline.
Since I (officially!) decided to dually-narrate this one, I just find that it’s easier to keep track of things if I outline by chapter, rather than writing a miniature version of the story!
What are your thoughts on outlines? For essays, I’m a firm believer in their necessity, but I’m not experienced enough with novel-writing to have strong opinions for books yet!