Do you outline?

I’ll admit, before I started my first finished novel last October, I fancied myself a pantser. Although to be honest, at the time I might not have understood what the term referred to, or that there was even another option as a writer. I viewed my work as an artistic act that sprang forth from my imagination. My analytical brain would only get in the way of storytelling, I thought. And planning? Pfft! I didn’t need no stinkin’ plan.

Which is why, of course, I never finished anything.

Treating my story like a diary to be purged from my brain with little forethought was obviously not the right way to go for me. Since I started outlining and planning stories before I put metaphorical pen to paper, I have actually started (gasp!) finishing things. That’s not to say everyone works best this way, but it is certainly the only way that works for me.

I’ve experimented with the amount of outlining I do before I start writing, and seem to have settled on knowing at least the main scenes, and the next 5 or so scenes from where I’m currently writing. As long as I do that, I never feel like I’m writing blind, or like I’ve lost the thread of my plot. I’ve tried plotting an entire novel down to the scene level, but that gets frustrating when I need to change it (as I always inevitably do, many times before even the first draft is complete). I also try to have a good understanding of my main characters before I start, but I find no matter the amount of planning I do for them, they tend to change a bit during the course of the story.

I think for the next novel-length story I work on, I will try outlining by chapter, again with the next 5 or so scenes always ready so I don’t get lost.

So how about you guys? Do you outline? Pants it? Something in between?

Analysis Paralysis

Analysis paralysis is a term that I’ve heard and used in business. In my line of work, it generally boils down to overanalyzing minor number or processes to the point that doesn’t make sense, and stalls people from making real decisions because they are too busy analyzing to step back and look at the business in a more holistic fashion. It boils down to the old cliché: you can’t see the forest for the trees.

When I first started writing, I didn’t worry about that sort of thing. To be honest, I didn’t worry about much of anything. First drafts in those days only varied from final drafts because of a quick line edit to catch spelling and grammar issues. I was unfamiliar with the application of terms like revising, structure, plot holes, characterization, and voice.

Since I started studying writing and treating it more like a job and less like a hobby, I’ve become intimately familiar with some of these terms, along with others even more dreaded like query and synopsis. I’ve taken classes and read several books relating to these subjects. Books and classes related to the science of writing, I guess you could say, rather than the art.

During this process I’ve learned a lot and I think (hope!) that my writing has improved because of it. However, as I work on draft after draft of a story, attempting to apply all of the wonderful knowledge that I’ve tried to pump into my brain over the last 8-10 months, I worry that I am dragging myself into another sort of analysis paralysis, where I can’t see the story for the style.

Anyone else experience or worry about this?

Hello!

Hello imaginary followers! I am an aspiring urban fantasy author who spends nearly every moment outside of the day job writing about odd creatures (e.g. goblins, incubi, and other things that go bump in the night) and strange worlds (e.g. errr...Chicago).

I'm not sure how often I'll be updating this blog, but I'll be shooting for weekly. Thanks for stopping by!~