As a writer of longform nonfiction articles for many years, I was blessed with a de facto outline because I'd reported/researched 90 percent of a story before I wrote it. I find I have no such luxury as a novelist. I simply can't outline without writing, because without writing, I don't know who the characters are and how they might behave. However, as I get deeper into a novel and throwing more and more balls into the air, I start making lists--you can call them outlines--of those balls and how I might bring them down. I'm 45K words into a book now and am about to start figuring the rest out that way.
I like the “balls in the air” metaphor because writing without an outline can feel like a fight against gravity but that doesn’t mean we’re completely without strategy—we’re the ones who tossed those balls up, after all, aren’t we?
Do I have to choose? I am an "emerging plotter," how does that sound? Writing by the seat of my pants is what keeps me excited about new ideas, but it also causes me to crash and burn.
I like that--emerging plotter! Ideas for me emerge by pantsing but I find writing thrillers this way, I often write myself into corners and then have to "reverse outline" (see what's there) to get out of them--hence the desire to become more like a plotter!
As a writer of longform nonfiction articles for many years, I was blessed with a de facto outline because I'd reported/researched 90 percent of a story before I wrote it. I find I have no such luxury as a novelist. I simply can't outline without writing, because without writing, I don't know who the characters are and how they might behave. However, as I get deeper into a novel and throwing more and more balls into the air, I start making lists--you can call them outlines--of those balls and how I might bring them down. I'm 45K words into a book now and am about to start figuring the rest out that way.
I like the “balls in the air” metaphor because writing without an outline can feel like a fight against gravity but that doesn’t mean we’re completely without strategy—we’re the ones who tossed those balls up, after all, aren’t we?
Right. And what goes up …
Exactly
Do I have to choose? I am an "emerging plotter," how does that sound? Writing by the seat of my pants is what keeps me excited about new ideas, but it also causes me to crash and burn.
Is there a third option?
I like that--emerging plotter! Ideas for me emerge by pantsing but I find writing thrillers this way, I often write myself into corners and then have to "reverse outline" (see what's there) to get out of them--hence the desire to become more like a plotter!