Have a plot outline, now what?

[Aorrowan]

Hi all,

I am new to these forums and I'm looking forward to being able to share info with a such a variety of new sources!

I am typically a spur of the moment, plan nothing type of writer. I tend to just start writing, and develop the plot as it comes to me. Well, it hasn't been working for me too well until now! I've probably got 6 different beginnings to completely different stories that have run out of steam after I got the opening scenes off my chest. So I decided to take a new approach, the dreaded yet highly organized "plot outline".

To my surprise, it worked! I have a general outline of the plot for my book, and a good idea about all the major scenes i want to include. But now, i'm at a loss...what do i do next?

I'm having difficulty actually doing the writing now that i don't have to come up with plot ideas. Anyone else try writing a story by starting with a plot outline? What did you do next?

Thanks!

[Writers Blocked]

Welcome to the boards, you're sure of some excellent advice on here.

Until then, I'm like you with my writing, but it really does help to have your outline beforehand. Just always remember that it's not set in stone, so don't let it intimidate you before you've even started, or let you think that you don't have any plot points left to work out.

As for making a start, I usually do so either by starting at the beginning, or by picking one of the most interesting scenes you've planned, and starting there. It can still be changed when you come to it naturally (first drafts aren't set in stone either) but it's a good idea to engage yourself in the story from the first word you put to paper.

Well that's how it tends to work with me, not that I've finished a whole load of stories myself. Keep us updated on your progress.

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

That's why I never start an outline, nothing ever comes of it for me.


But while I do get words out, it's not exactly the sort of thing for everyone. It can be hard to have everything in your mind.....

[Lith]

You start writing.

Page one, chapter one, sentence one. "In the beginning..." and you keep going until you get to "... the end."

If you want to keep doing top-down, then you break your story down into scenes (a lot of writers advise the 3x5 cards at this point), then fill out details, like who's where, what the setting, and theme of the scene are, etc.

But a lot will probably change in the actual writing, and even knowing where you're going with it isn't the same as giving the piece actual atmosphere, which IMO is as exciting as creating from scrap.

[pyan]

It should be pulling you 24/7 saying "Write me, write me!", Aorrowan.

If in doubt, follow Heinlein's Rules of Writing:

1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
4. You must put the work on the market.
5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.

Everyone seems to agree that it's the blank sheet of paper that's the hardest bit to overcome, so just start - if it's rubbish, it doesn't matter, as long as you make that start.

[Mourning Star]

Paraphrase:

Isaac Asimov was bragging to a few fellow writers about one of his popular stories and how he only had to rewrite it once. Robert Heinlein, sitting nearby spoke up, "You wrote it twice?! Why didn't you just write it correctly the first time?"

I mostly just wanted to drop that quote in, but I agree with Writers Block, if you are having a hard time getting the ball rolling, just pick the most interesting scene and go with it. Don't even edit yourself as you write, just keep moving, don't rethink how to say something more clearly or what to call this or that, just let the idea movie play in your head and try to keep up.

[Karpinskaia]

I never use "the dreaded yet highly organized "plot outline"" because I find it sort of inhibiting and boring. I usually start by knowing what my characters are going to do in the section that I want to write. From there on I let my imagination loose and it works preety well, because as I'm writing, new scenes and ideas, even new characters spring into my mind and in most cases they end up by making their way into the story. Well, at least, that's how it works for me.

Now, on the other hand, if you say you are having difficulties writing without a plot outline, by all means, use one, but my advice is to write it in the most general manner possible so as to make room for improvization, a lot of improvization, because I can tell you from experience that the best ideas come to you when you are writing and it would be a shame not to use them, just because they don't fit the outline.

[dreir]

Originally Posted by Mourning Star

..just pick the most interesting scene and go with it.

That sounds like it might work in your case, Aorr. You seem to need both an outline and a degree of freedom from it, so writing the scenes out of order might get those juices flowing faster. And as Karpinskaia mentioned, be as flexible as you want with the plot outline during the actual writing. You'll probably find yourself striking a good balance between the two in no time. Tell me if it works!

- Dreir -

[Aorrowan]

First of all, thanks for all the input already!! There are a bunch of good ideas here. I think you're absolutely right when you say that i don't need to start with the opening scene. I think that is the thing i'm stuck on, not the actual writing, but figuring out how to introduce the heroine of the story without revealing too much about her character right off the bat.

Someone once told me that main characters were like onions, horrible in large amounts but if you layer them into the story they add great dimension to the flavour. Or something like that. But it's so tempting to just toss the whole onion into the pot!!

And Pyan, indeed you're right, it is screaming to me constantly! To the point where I am at work right now, casting furtive glances over my shoulder incase management should show up mid post. I should be paying much more attention to the *other* emergencies I am paid to deal with, but can't stop thinking about this instead.

[Writers Blocked]

Ever see a film called Zombie Strippers? If you're old enough, you should, it's a hell of a laugh. Complete and utter rubbish, of course, especially the writing.

I only mention this because it's the writing that reminds me of your onion. One of the characters, for example, has an agonising internal torment over her desire to be an individual, and her need to be accepted as part of a group. She made some tough choices based on some surprisingly involved emotional issues that we know about because she tells us so in exacting detail through lengthy and unconvincing monologues.

Which is a long way of saying that the onion is best when you don't taste all the layers in one go. So long as you know they're there, it'll come through in the recipe.

I like onions.

[flynx]

The only stories I've written that were outlined were fairy stories. I found it wonderfully freeing knowing where I was aiming and when I was going too far in another direction. If it's not a fairy tale then I just sit down and start writing (and editing at the same time, which is why it takes me so long to even write a short story) I may have a vague plot in mind or a strong character or know what my final scene is. But I always write in order. Begin at start and finish at the end.

You say you have several different stories begun Aor, maybe if you look closely you might actually have several chapter beginnings from the same story.

Paul Heaton, the singer and lyricist of The Beautiful South often combines two different sets of lyrics or poems to make one and he does some beautiful stuff.

[dreir]

I like onions, too. The more onions the better!

- Dreir -

[Aorrowan]

Haha, I will have to look up Zombie Strippers. With a name like that, how can it not be a classic?

Flynx, i agree, aside from my lack of ability to find where to start this story, writing the outline has enabled me to come up with logical subplots and other things that i haven't been able to insert into my previous writings originally. It IS a lot to keep in your head, and writing it down has really helped me order my thoughts into a semblance of a story. So far, at least...

[David Gullen]

Originally Posted by Writers Blocked

Ever see a film called Zombie Strippers? If you're old enough, you should, it's a hell of a laugh. Complete and utter rubbish, of course, especially the writing.

Zombie Strippers is a really entertaining film, but if you think the writing is rubbish you've missed out on a lot of the humour. The film is loosely based on the absurdist play Rhinoceros, by Eugene Ionesco - for example the club is the Rhino, the owner is Ian Essko. Part of the bizarre delight of this film is the stream of philosophical dialogue running through it - the woman in charge of the strippers is Madame Blavatsky, the strippers read Neitzche and find more sense in his writing as zombies, and the action takes place in a town called Sartre.
Plus you get some gloroiusly bad references to other films from Blazing Saddles to Thirteenth Warrior.

[Writers Blocked]

I appreciated the humour, even though I wasn't aware of the inspirational source, but I still don't think the writing was particularly good. Fun, yes, with some interesting ideas, but hardly an oscar winning effort. After all, Barb Wire was loosely based on Casablanca and they are on record as my favourite and most hated films of all time

Having said that, you may have given me reason to re-evaluate my criteria for good or bad writing. After all, I'm a huge fan of the Evil Dead films and while I'll often quote them, I've never really considered whether the writing qualifies as good or bad.

At least they're all better than the [insert genre] Movie "parodies."