Every author writes differently. It’s true, whether by process or Zen-mode, we all do and it’s not a learned process. It’s more of an acquired one which works best for that writer.
Some follow the good-ole ‘old School’ methods such as outlines, others, like me, well, we sit down and beat the keys as we chase the story until it’s told us all we need to know. I don’t outline nor have I ever outside learning about it in grammar school.
Let me tell you why, but before we get into this, understand that these are my reasons, so you do you for what works and allow this to be mere entertainment if you do not agree. If what I do write along the following blog entry is more your method, perhaps you may learn a thing or two, or at least this will give you some encouragement that your method(s) is/are not wrong. If you still wish to argue from that point, well, then that simply makes you an argumentative person, and I don’t have time for that.
Now, when I say I do not outline that does not mean I do not take notes or keep track of timelines or character details. For ‘works’ under 15K words one really doesn’t need to, but once you cross certain thresholds: number of characters, complexity of those characters and event details that may be relevant later on, well, jotting them down just makes perfect sense. What I am pertaining to is the full-on outline, breaking down what happens ‘here-when-where-what-in said chapter number ‘blank’-level of outlining. For me, that’s a no-no, and for you, you might want to reconsider the effort as well.
Why? Simple. You’ve already committed the brain to the details you’ve set forth, and the brain has a thing called a subconscious that will prevent you from deviating.
“But isn’t that the point, Mr. Frost?!”
Yes, if your story is to be boring. Let me explain before you get the tar and feathers, and so many pairs of undergarments in a tight little bunch.
Outlines are blinders sitting on both sides of the mind’s eyes. You see your beginning, down the road you see your halfway point, and you can surely see and know the ending leaving everything along the way as whimsy fodder to reach each point. There are no surprises for you, no extra pats on the back for filling a plot hole or coming up with something novel. Nothing, other than completion.
See? Boring.
What happens when at around 10K words and your mind suddenly goes, ‘Ooh! I have an idea! What if—?’
“NO! BAD BRAIN! SIT DOWN AND STFU BECAUSE THAT GOES AGAINST THE ALMIGHTY OUTLINE!”
<Insert dramatic music here>
See what I am saying? An outline aka Creative Blinders will, in more cases than not, prevent creativity along the way, because yes, creative flow of ideas will side-fuck an outline right out of existence. You cannot suddenly rewrite your outline at this point— well, let me correct myself on that notion.
On Twitter, when it was still a blue bird, there was a writer I had known for years who literally spent two years writing their outline—plus several times rewriting it—before they even put words to page. Whew, can you imagine that?! Anywho, that person started writing their story, Creativity suddenly said ‘Yo! Do this…’ and they nearly had a full-on freakout because if blew their outline to shit.
Also, if you really think about it, an outline makes whatever story you are writing a ghost-written project. Example:
- You (Idea Person) write out the whole idea to what is to happen, certain details included.
- You (Ghost-Writing-Monkey opposite to Idea Person), then writes what the boss wants. Not what the story wants.
Don’t be a ‘Ghost Writing Monkey’ You, no. Be the ‘Create, write, curse, delete, create, write; repeat’ You until the story is done.
“But that is arrogant for you to think that would work for everyone.”
Cool your jets, I never said it will / does work for everyone, I said ‘Me', 'My’ and ‘I’, and all I am stating is after writing as long as I have been, one should spend more time actually writing instead of writing out ideas about your writing. That’s like watching YouTube videos where someone else is playing the video game you own but not playing the video game you own. In the end, if you give the bird to an outline, you may find yourself doing more storytelling instead of telling yourself about your story.
OH! Big, important thing here: STOP TELLING THE WORLD WHAT YOU ARE WORKING ON!
Seriously, people. Reread the words in bold just above and stop. Stop sharing your drafts or as people like to call them 'WIP's. Funny thing, back in 2013 I had to look up what the fuck a WIP was and I thought everyone on Twitter were suddenly writing BDSM stories. Come to find out it meant their Work(s) In Progress; a term I had never heard before social media. Nope, not even my agent of many years used the term. I would get emails that read, “So, how’s the manuscript coming along?” or “Any progress on your latest story?” I suppose this is a generalized generational thing which, as a matter of fact, didn’t get defined in the Urban Dictionary until 2003, later popularized mainly in the gaming and modding communities, only then later adopted by the writing communities of social media in the 2010s, early teens.
Why do I say stop sharing? Simple: The world is full of thieves. Don’t believe me? Just look at the Deep Impact vs Armageddon fiasco and the subsequent lawsuit and you will understand, but let’s look at the NOW.
Artificial Intelligence. Yep, the hedonistic lazy way to book production which binds me up just thinking about it. Fee, fi, fo, fum, I hate AI created books! (I digress... a smidgeon)
This is how easy it would be for someone to steal your idea...
- You share your idea aka WIP * YAY! *
- I like your idea, and the “I” can even be a major publisher looking for the 'new hotness'
- I take idea and run it through AI + add a living ghost writer to smooth out the conjunctions (once I know their functions)
- I now have new book!
- Edit it
- Brand it
- Package it
- Slap a name and title on it
- Publish it
- MINE!
"MU-HAHAHAHAHA!"
Yep! All the above in a matter of days / weeks compared to your months / years of finger-fucking your keyboard and BLAM! It's done. When you finally release yours, you are the copycat author. Also, I might even be able to sue you. Go ahead. Prove that someone stole your idea.
So, stop sharing. Keep your ideas to yourself and do not participate with any post you see encouraging authors to share their WIPs. Take your works off of places like Wattpad, Inkitt, Tumblr, Reddit and the like UNLESS giving it away is your kink. Seriously, if you are trying to market your stories (self or traditional) keep them to yourself. If you are hoping to publish traditionally in the future, good luck with that if they are sitting on Wattpad. Almost no publisher will run your book if it's out there for free (see below for the exception).
If you don’t care what becomes of them and you wish the world to read your work for free, then by all means, give them away until the mourning doves coo, but cry not when someone takes your ideas and places their own name across the heading.
“But didn’t your old blog have some of your stories on it?!?!”
Why, yes, it did, but—! Those were previously PUBLISHED stories, full rights returned to me, copyrighted and they had done their runs in life. Although some ended up in Bedtime Stories: Michael Frost Presents, I had to kill said blog over three years prior so that the stories were ‘dead’. Publisher’s orders. Even though these short stories previously published in various regional magazines at one time, them sitting on my blog made them a liability, so in darkness they were banished, forced to sit unseen and unread as if they never existed at all.
Basically, until the world forgot about them.
Crap, the reasons behind this post has gotten away from me… perhaps I should have written an outline! (Hahahaha!)
So, to close, outline or not to outline, the choice is yours, but in my experience, if you truly want a full writing experience, free-flow your writing. Sure, you will more than likely have more hangups along the way and you may lose your direction, but the paving of new roads to the end sometimes makes the flavor of the story that much more delicious once served.
You have my heart,
Michael Frost
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