Motivational Monday: Shoveling Sand

#MotivationalMonday -- Crappy Beats Nothing

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now (#115) -- Story Outlines

When outlining, for those who do, how much information do you put into the outline stage? I know some writers whose outlines are roughly the size of a small book itself and others, like myself, whose outlines don’t fill a full sheet of paper. What method works best for you?

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.

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now (#114) -- First Drafts

What are you trying to accomplish with the first draft of a story -- is it mainly about getting the story out as quickly as possible and then fixing it in the editing stages or do you try to get the technical aspects right from the start, figuring you can tweak the story in revision?

For me the first draft is about exactly that, getting the story down, but I tend to redraft as I write sometimes, especially as the character take over and spin out new directions. Then I have to go back to fix old "maps" in the story, even if it's not done. When I'm finished with a final draft, it's really more of a third draft before I ever hit "the end." What I end up fixing after that is proofreading and replacing weak words and sections with stronger ones, but the plot doesn't change much at all after that draft is done.

This question courtesy of Table Talk.