The Deal With Outlining

I hate outlining.

Really.

I hate it so much that I usually skip it.

We often hear that there are no rules to being a writer, but it seems, as writers, that we are all expected to outline. We are taught to outline as if it is the correct way to write anything and everything.

I took a creative writing class a few years back where, in the space of a year, each student wrote his or her own novel. The first actual writing step we had to do was create the outline. While I enjoyed the class, I ended up not liking my finished work. In my opinion, it is the weakest thing I have ever written and I'm convinced it was because of the outline.

So I typically don't outline anymore. I tend to let my stories flow naturally. I like to be surprised by where my story takes me.

I'm not here to diss outlining, though. Outlining can and has been a great asset to many writers and is often very helpful in the writing process. Outlining can be wonderful, but it's not always necessary. If you look around, you'll see that writers today are divided on the subject of outlining. K.M. Weiland (she has a wonderful writing blog that I love) strongly believes in outlining, while Writer's Digest has a great article on how you can write awesome stories with no outline.

Don't feel pressured to write an outline. If the thought of creating one stresses you out, just don't create one. My problem with outlines is when I have one, I feel limited, like I have to stick to my outline no matter what - but that's definitely not true. You can have an outline and completely stray from it if you wish. You are the writer, after all. You are the god of this story and can do whatever you want.

This isn't to say go ahead and start writing with no plan whatsoever. When I get an idea for a story, I don't jump on it right away. I let it flesh out and develop for a few days so I at least know my main characters and have a fairly stable idea about where the story is going. But I definitely don't make an outline.

Don't let anyone except yourself tell you if you need to make an outline before you start writing. Some writers do better with one and others do better without. You know if you need an outline. You're not a lazy writer if you don't have an outline, you just have a different writing process. If people are going to say there are no rules to writing a novel, don't let them give you any.