The Art of the Outline

I used to fancy myself as a pantser. I truly did. Or at least about here:

I always had some kind of plan for the stories: a beginning, a couple crucial middle points, and a vague idea of the end. But after leaving point A, I could have gone through both Nova Scotia and Dubai before getting to point B. Editing then involved reducing the Trans-Siberian railroad trip to a transcontinental flight (no snacks included; please pay $25 per checked luggage item), and maybe my characters didn't really NEED to go to Dubai. I'll clip that and keep it for a later WIP.

This lasted until NaNo, I think. I was so excited to start on that new piece, I spent days outlining, character sketching, etc. I'm glad I did, because I don't think I would have finished NaNo otherwise. I needed that outline to remind me of where else I needed to go, and which overpriced-with-hidden-fees transcontinental flight could more easily get me there.

Then I started working on this latest project of mine. Can I just say for the record that my brain won't let it go ANYWHERE without an outline? So, what have I been doing this week? Well, besides avoiding my WIP since I don't know where it's going, I've started outlining (and then because I was excited about the outline taking shape, apparently now I'm blogging. Productive, huh?).

My goal for this week is to get this amorphous little outline into something resembling the outline I used for NaNo, so that by next week I will be less afraid of this new WIP.  I'm really happy with what few ideas have solidified in my mind regarding this WIP, but fumbling in the dark isn't my style anymore. I'm not sure if it's because I've changed as a writer—I did have that writing class last semester that could have also contributed to this change—or if it's particular to this WIP. Either way, I need this outline whipped into shape.

If you plan, how do you plan? What's your strategy for developing the sequence of events?


If you pants, how do you learn to trust your characters with each new WIP that they'll get you to the end in a decent fashion?

One Week Down

This week classes started at the university again. I'm trying to get my schedule in order, and the pieces don't seem to want to fit into the neat little slots I've assigned for them. Figures. It's just going to take some time to sort things out, I suppose.

The biggest problem with trying to reorganize is that writing tends to fall to the side. I need some time when I can concentrate and sit in personal-zone silence (meaning, I can be at a coffee shop as long as no one's talking to me), but when my life is a mess, I don't generally make that time for myself.

So my plan for the long weekend (which, since I only have Mon-Wed classes, means I have until Tuesday) is to work out a schedule in which I can:

• get my homework done reasonably and without extra stress
• use extra homework time to write
• get to the gym 3-4x per week
• schedule time dedicated to working on my freelance projects
• read at least one hour per night
• write at least a couple hours every day
• have time to spend with my husband

Pulling off that schedule would be a feat of the invincible. If I can work it out still come out sane on the other side, I do believe I should transcend to superhero status.

How do you keep yourself organized? How do you find time to write if you have a job/school?