The Big O

No, not that.  Ugh.  Get your mind out of the gutter.  We're talking about the other dirty "o" word: outlines.

No, no.  Don't run away screaming.  It'll be okay, I promise.  But I want to talk about outlines because, as you know, there's this little writing thing coming up, and for some of us, outlines are the only thing that can keep us on track enough to finish said little writing thing.

When I was in Advanced Composition in high school, part of each project was to write an outline prior to writing the rough draft.  The outlines we did, of course, were the standard outlines that use Roman numerals, must have at least two sub-points (if any), etc.  I hated it, but throughout the semester, I learned how helpful those outlines were to my pieces.  They helped me stay on topic as I was writing, and gave me a reference sheet as I wrote my draft to remind me of what I wanted to say (and why) to be able to get my point across in the essays and papers.  When I wrote drafts before writing an outline, I found my essays were a bit ramble-y.

So when I ventured into the world of writing in an attempt to make it a career, I decided to tweak my outline method to make it fit my style better, and I'm glad I did.  My outline style is sort of standard, but a bit more laid-back than the style I learned in school.  Much of my outline is notes to myself, particularly with fiction, or reminding myself of which characters are in which scenes.  With shorter pieces my outlines are more like a table of contents, giving a numbered list of scenes and exchanges to include in the piece.

For NaNoWriMo, outlining is one of the ways I prepare ahead of time for the whirlwind event.  With character biographies, an outline helps me get into the mindset I'm going to need from November first until the thirtieth.  Not only that, an outline can help me plan my writing schedule, using the section divisions as markers for writing goals.

One of the great things about outlines is that, despite the stigma, they can be done in any way that works for you as a writer.  Some writers do bubble outlines (like bubble brainstorming or web brainstorming).  Some do simple bullet points.  Some do paragraph outlines.  Some do the traditional-style outlines.  Some jot notes on Post-Its and stick them to their manuscripts.

If you feel yourself getting shivers and breaking out in hives when you hear that nasty "o" word, try playing with different ways of outlining and find something that works for you.

Or don't.

Outlining isn't necessary, of course.  Many many writers never outline a thing and are still quite successful.  But you may find, at least for one month, an outline is a beneficial tool to your writing life.

Good luck, and happy scribbling!