To Outline or Not
S ome people outline their novels before they begin. Others do not. Respectively, we can call these people plotters and pantsers . There are advantages in disadvantages to both approaches. I’ve tried both, but I’ve settled into being a plotter . I think the main reason for that is that I tend to be a big picture thinker and a top down approach guy. Some people like starting with the details and then seeing where they all fit. To each his own, I suppose. When I think of a story, I see it all as one picture, beginning, middle and end. I don’t have the details yet. I may not know much about the cast of characters, but I know how it begins, how it ends and how we get there. As I worked to a writeable story, I develop more and more details across the board. As the picture become more detailed, it becomes impossible to hold it all in my head. I have to record it in some way. That’s where the outline comes in. I start with a high level and work down to more detail. I love know where ...