There are supposed to be two types of stories: Plot-Driven and Character-Driven. In the past I would have agreed but as I mature as a writer of stories, I see that a powerful book not only has fleshed out characters and complicated plots & subplots, but also bread crumbs for the reader to gobble up in order to become engaged in the relationship between reader and writer.
In today's culture readers also want messages and themes- there must always be a moral of the story otherwise "why bother". Readers want something for their $20-$30 they're handing over to the bookstore. Overall, this means that the recipe for baking a story has become more complicated; overwhelming the write or making progress move at the speed of a turtle. The solution . . . an outline which renders these problems obsolete. With an outline everything from the good to the bad is poured on the grill for the writer to see. With heat of passion and instinct, the unnecessary ideas are removed from the outline and the writing of the book is cooked with short order quickness. How can one constantly provide goody after goody of stories? The answer is outlines. When I first started I was a panters, I felt that outlines squashed my creativity therefore I went through the process of writing draft after draft of a complete manuscript or I would flat out quit the project. I didn't have fully developed ideas when I began, my stories were often dull, and my characters didn't have enough to do which is why my manuscripts weren't considered as a true contemporary seeds for books. But I stuck with the profession, deciding to learn how to structure a written story and plan my works accordingly; hence the promotion of the requirement of an outline for success, Outlines save more heartaches than they cause. Again, it's like cooking, an outline makes certain that you have all the ingredients, tells you what goes where and when, then allow you to sit while the writing of the story rises in you. Much shorter process than if you tried to cook it from scratch. Outlines keep the excitement going because you can skip around during this or that step of the process. Although some may tell you that the outline can be as short as a couple of sentences, I believe the more in depth the summary (which is really what an outline is) is the better. A few quotes, write-out of some body movement, and the writer's voice/style will find their way into the outline- very good stuff. Like driving on a road trip, outlining gives you a snapshot of the directions but lack the sights that you can only get with writing the book. So if you're for saving time, sanity, and confidence, then outline; you won't be sorry, promise. -Thanks for Listening Sabrina-Louise Andielle
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AuthorOne of those writer folk telling stories, reviewing the writer's adventure, and presenting the hero's journey. All wrapped in Spirit, the Kingdom of God, the Sanatana Dharma, the Tao, the Way, or the Absolute. Archives
February 2020
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