A forum contributor asks: Do you outline before writing, write intuitively without an outline (including from dreams, etc.), or some hybrid of both?

PART THREE OF FOUR


Jeannine Garsee, author of Before, After and Somebody In Between (Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, June 2007), writes:

I have to admit, I'm not a very organized writer. I've tried to outline, but I always veer away from it--and then I feel as if I'm doing something wrong. So no, I don't outline. I start with a character, then a premise...and then simply start to write. The most fun part of writing, for me, is to see where the characters take me...how they find themselves in situations and how they manage to (or fail) to get out of these situations. Writing dialog is the absolute highlight of the process--what comes out of my characters' mouths sometimes shocks even me!

Eric Luper, author of Big Slick (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Fall 2007), writes:

I always try to outline, but it never seems to work. If I outline more than a few chapters ahead of where I am, my story will invariably take an unexpected turn that even I didn't see.

When I'm writing, I know something good is happening when my characters surprise me. I start with a main character, a setting and a challenge/problem. If I know my protagonist and supporting characters well enough, they will do what needs to be done to make for an interesting story. My job is simply to throw other characters or more problems in thier way and see what happens.

My other job is to type it all and hope that my fingers can keep up with my brain!


Stephanie Hale, author of Revenge of the Homecoming Queen (Berkley Jam, July 2007), writes:

Before I start writing I always have a pretty detailed idea of the plot since my books are always plot-driven. I'm talking just one scrap piece of notebook paper worth of notes, not some crazy twenty page outline (yuck!). I always know the main characters names because names are a biggie for me. I HAVE to have the perfect names. And I usually know the first line. Then I just start writing. It's amazing how many ideas I type subconsiously that can be tied in to later chapters. But I also type a lot of crap, which means revisions (double yuck!). I wonder if I did the twenty page outline if I wouldn't have to revise? HMMMM.....

www.stephaniehale.com

Suzanne Selfors, author of To Catch a Mermaid (Little & Brown Books for Young Readers, September 1, 2007), writes:

I tried an outline once. It took two weeks to write. Then I started the book and by chapter 2 I had already strayed from the outline. What a waste of time!

When I start a new story I always know how the story will begin and how it will end. I also know what the major conflict is. Everything else comes as it comes.


Sarah Beth Durst, author of Into the Wild (Razorbill/Penguin, June 2007), writes:
Yes, I always outline.

I like to be able to break the story into bite-sized chunks. That way, when I sit down to write, I can say to myself, "Now I’m going to write this scene," rather than the way more intimidating, "Now I’m going to write a novel."

Granted, my early outlines tend to have chunks like, "And then something cool happens," but they still count as outlines.

Web: http://www.sarahbethdurst.com
Blog: http://sarahbethdurst.blogspot.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/sarahbethdurst

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