My outline could almost be called a skeleton draft for lack of a better word. I put a lot of time into my plots and usually write out a full plot document that highlights key scenes and even includes dialog. My plot outline if more a treatment (like a movie) or pitch (like a comic or novel) than it is just an outline.
This question courtesy of Table Talk.
I have about a five-page outline for my first two novels in The West World Trilogy, and a six-pager for the third (but it's going to be the longest). My outlining method is very traditional - main points with indented subpoints. I don't write it out as a document, but I do occasionally include specific lines of dialogue.
ReplyDeleteI love using an outline. Without one, I would have given up before I even finished the first novel. The outline helps me know I'm on track - and I definitely DO NOT feel that it stifles creativity, as some would argue. Come on! A five-page outline becoming a three hundred-page manuscript leaves you lots of room for creativity!
My draft outlines can be one-third the length of my stories sometimes. I completely understand.
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