The Five-Point Stress-Eliminating Outline Guide

Tonight (or rather this morning; it happens to be 2:36am. Why is it that inspiration strikes at the most inconvenient times ever?!....Ahem, let me try this again…)

Tonight I am working on Part Two of a four-part-novel outline. Ever since I started working on this book – actually, since I’ve started writing fiction period – I have found myself trying to come up with brilliant “filler material” that somehow flows seamlessly with the rest of the novel. However, as you all are well aware, filler material tends to be just that. A random set of scenes stuck into the book to fill a gap in time between the two scenes that we actually feel inspiration for.

Needless to say, I keep coming up with bland narratives of boring events that are only made more pathetic with my attempts at clever, distracting dialogue and description. So I decided to take a step back from my attempts and look at the situation with a little more scrutiny. (After all, which is better – a novel thrown out there stuffed with whatever-I-could-find scenes, or a novel that will sit in a folder, quiet and content, until it is ready to be rewritten in a manner that is actually readable?)

It finally occurred to me that my search for 'filler material' was really my novel's desperate cry for some much needed attention. I wasn't trying to tell a story. I was trying to get a book finished. I realized that what I needed for each scene, each paragraph, each sentence, was a goal. A goal that went beyond the simplistic ‘word count’ we writers throw in there to make it seem like we have a goal. I needed to give myself an outline that included only things that would flow smoothly from Point A to Point B without the need for awkward “filler material”. And I needed a system that would work with any genre, narrative style or word-count.

That is how I came up with the system you will find in this blog post. I call it the Five-Point Stress-Eliminating Outline Guide. It is an outline guide that will make outlining a joy again, instead of a burden, and *gasp* will keep you from needing to find any “filler material”. As in, ever again! (Most likely. Unless you, like me, tend to slip back into bad habits.)

Are you ready folks? Here it is – the solution to a problem that has plagued generations of writers!

*dramatic drumroll*

1)      Main & Side Character Development

You may have to start back at square one for this. Oftentimes we writers get so caught up in the things that happen in our stories that we forget to tell what is happening inside our characters. Events change people. Growing up changes people. Meeting new people, new challenges, new victories and defeats – it all changes people. That is what every story is truly about. And it’s what makes a story click with the audience.

            If you haven’t already, a good place to start is to make a literal arch on a piece of paper – it looks like one of these ( turned clockwise – and write out where your character starts off, where your character ends, and all the twists and turns in between. (Not plot twists and turns; emotional/mental/spiritual twists and turns.)

            Now, take that written arch and look back over your outline. Your potential scenes. Your random piles of filler material. What is going to show off each bump, up or down, in your character’s arch to the best possible potential? Does this scene grow him as a person? Does this situation give us a chance to look into her soul? Do we see change? Do we see a stubborn persistence in behavior or attitude? To put it succinctly, is this scene important to him/her? It doesn't have to be huge and life-altering. It just needs to point us to that arch in some way, subtle or shocking.

            This doesn’t just apply to main characters, either. The best minor characters (whether villainous henchmen or hilarious side kicks) will only come to life if you give them a life to display.

2) Introductions (culture, crucial characters, questions that pique the audience’s curiosity)

Your main character walks into a new place that needs some element of explanation. A minor character needs to make their first appearance. An event makes your audience curious and makes them want to keep reading.

            If none of this is happening, you may need to rethink how you are telling this story. Major introductions should end after the first third of the novel. But you’re making an outline, so take the opportunity to go through the first third of it with a fine-tooth comb. (Trust me – it will be worth it!) Also, never forget that you need to keep bringing in additional questions throughout your novel to make your audience turn the pages. In fact, the last chapter is the only chapter where no new questions are allowed. (For a brushing up on good “hook” questions, check out my post on the subject!)

It is SO helpful and truly inspiring to the outline weary. When looking for “filler material” to get you from Point A to Point B, think of those three elements of introduction (culture, characters, questions). You’ll be surprised at how quickly your fillers become crucial turning points.

3)      Interpersonal Relationship Developments

Relationships are some of the most important points in our novels. Yet they tend to be neglected once the two lovers finally express their love, or two friends realize they are best friends, or two brothers who betrayed each other realize they will have to work with each other after all. The battle sequences, plot twists, and introductions are all important. But once two crucial characters are introduced and a relationship of any kind is begun, you don’t dare let it lag! That is the burial ground for realistic and interesting novels.

            One way to come up with a good filler scene, or to decide if an old scene needs to go, is to ask this simple question: have relationships between my main character and the other characters in the story been revealed, developed or destroyed lately? If the answer is NO, you can use this opportunity to invent a scene that will openly display the relationship between characters.

            NOTE: Again, it doesn’t have to be a jaw-dropping twist to the story. Often readers relate as well to simple glimpses into a good friendship or ongoing romance as they do to new information. And in an incredibly complicated, serious, heavy-material-type story, it can be a good breather.

4)      Subplot Developments

Speaking of minor characters…what about their lives? As I’ve mentioned before, one of my favorite examples of excellent subplot development is Charles Dickens’ work Little Dorrit. In it, he creates unforgettable side characters that further the main character’s journey…all while showing glimpses of complicated journeys of their own. True, it is a bit confusing. (When you watch the film version, you end up a bit dizzy.) But it’s still a good lesson to us modern writers in how important subplot development is.

            If you haven’t already, fix yourself a page separate from your main outline and write down all your important minor characters. Then, give them each a journey that they are going through that will tie in with the main plot or main character’s development. It doesn’t have to be the extremely important kind of subplot (not every character has to be the secret son of the main character’s mother). But it should affect the main plot in some way, even if all it does is give the main character a reason to step back and evaluate their own life. This makes filler material even easier – try and squeeze in at least three scenes throughout that specifically deal with a minor character’s life in a way that develops that character and the main character. Easy filler – and enjoyable read!

5)      Furthering of Main Plot (a.k.a. story continuity)

This one is obvious at first glance. But a second glance shows that Point 5, like the others, tends to be left in the dust very quickly. We hurry and scurry to make filler scenes – and then we wonder why they don’t seem to match the rest of the story. IT’S BECAUSE THEY DON’T! They weren’t created with the main plotline in mind, so they won’t further it. And this makes them awkward, unnecessary, and incredibly annoying. The easiest way to decide if a scene works with the rest of the novel is to look at it and see if it has any ties to the main plot.

            Each scene should somehow reflect on the overall arch of the story itself. We should fill it with side stories, minor characters, character development, and interest-piquing questions. But throughout the entire story should be woven one master thread. Once a scene loses contact with that thread, it loses all importance to the story. Now it is officially “filler”. Congratulations. We just lost our audience!

            Look at EACH SCENE individually. Look for that main thread. It doesn’t have to be huge. It doesn’t have to be blatantly obvious. It just needs to be there, subtly drawing the reader into the novel, leading them through every page with a consistency that promises the wait is worth it. If you can’t see the point of a scene, trust me – they can’t either. On the flip side, when every scene reminds the reader that things are moving forward, when each event gives us a glimpse into our character’s soul, when no paragraph is there just to be there but rather prods the reader to keep reading…that’s what you call a Best Seller novel in the making.

           Whew!

           Okay, that took a LOT more words than I thought it would. But I’m glad I wrote it. Now I will have a better vision as I write down my outline goals. I hope you do, too. I hope this inspires you to go out there and get that outline done. Because, let’s face it – road trips are so much easier with a map to guide us.

            I remain, as always,

                                    Yours Truly (and dreadfully sleepy)

He Said, She Said...and Neither Needed To

     What is dialogue? The online version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary brought up the following definitions:

     1) The things that are said by the characters in a story, movie, play, etc.

     2) A discussion or series of discussions that two groups or countries have in order to end a disagreement.

     3) A conversation between two or more people.

     You'll notice that none of those three definitions included the phrase "used to describe scenery or actions in a book so that the author doesn't have to bore the audience with a sentence or two doing the exact same thing in the narrative". 

     And yet that is exactly how too many amateur authors and authoresses treat dialogue. Seriously, why is that so hard to avoid? There are a couple of semi-valid reasons that writers resort to this method of description. Fortunately (for me at least) they are also very easy to address.

     One reason an author may be tempted to insert description during dialogue is that it seems far more clever than the traditional route of using the narrative. And I have to agree - that is a VERY tempting proposition. Especially when you have reader friends who keep insisting that you stop "writing like Charles Dickens". (Trust me, I've had my full of that. It's called GOOD WRITING, people!...Ahem...) It sounds simple enough. Take all the boring descriptions; slip it into the dialogue. Nobody will notice, right? Um, wrong!

     Another reason is that the author is actually attempting to write in a classic style. Everyone looks up to "the classics". Even authors of what my mother calls 'fluff novels' can become famous for their flowery narrative. That's what people look for in good books, so why not include it in the dialogue and make it really flowery? Again, wrong!

     And then there's a third reason. (And please don't be offended by it.) But a very big problem with many amateur author's dialogue sections is plain ignorance. You hear some description in dialogue every day. 

     "Hey - who's that?" 

     "Who?" 

     "That blonde girl walking in with Prescott." 

     "Where?" 

     "Over by the entrance." 

     "Which one?" 

     "Seriously?! The one by the water fountain."

     You hear that and it sounds natural. So it's no surprise that many amateur authors try to fit that kind of dialogue into their stories. But they get carried away and don't realize that they're including too much description. Instead, it turns out like this:

     "Hey - who's that girl?"

     "What girl?"

     "The girl with the flowing blonde hair and the pretty, sharp green cocktail dress? She's walking in in those stunning bejeweled stilettos."

     "Where?"

     "Over there behind the vine-covered columns near the southwest entrance."

     "Which one is that?"

     "Seriously?! The southwest entrance by the blue trickling waterfall surrounded by sweet mermaids."

     (I kid you not - I have actually read a published book written by a friend that read like that!)

      See? Not nearly as natural. Way overdone. Almost annoying. And it will easily lose that author's audience.

     Now all thee of these reasons seem legitimate at the time. But you take a dialogue sequence like that, and - well, it's just not worth the effort you'll have to put in once it's time for the rewrite. 

     So, how to nip it in the bud? 

     Easy! When you start writing dialogue, STOP. Talk it out loud to yourself first (as all the parts). The ear is the best writer of all, so they say. (They are totally right, by the way! See my other article on the subject of talking to yourself - I mean, your characters!) Then, while it's still fresh in your mind, write it down as fast as you can. Then, read it out loud to yourself, acting it out so to speak. If it still sounds good, keep going. If not...take a very long break with a big plate of brownies followed by a long walk and a tall glass of water. And start all over again.

     Hope that this helps you! If not...my apologies. 

     Sincerely,

          Yours Truly

Confessions from Camp NaNo

     Six o'clock was much earlier than I was used to getting up. But I could already feel the morning person inside me gearing up for a writing frenzy. I got some breakfast and hot tea, sat down with my computer and notebooks, and started the journey we writers call National Novel Writing Month.

     November was a busy month for me - or at least, what I used to consider busy. I had dance classes twice a week, church and meetings weekly, and let's not forget one of America's biggest holidays (Thanksgiving) at the end of the month (which is always the hardest time for tired writers). But I was determined! The year before, my friend had beaten me to the 50,000 word count goal by a matter of hours. And this year I was going to beat her. No matter what it took.

    That was 2012. And that, friends, was the last NaNo of any kind in which I successfully completed my entire word count goal.

     Allow me to put this into perspective: during this last month (Camp NaNo), I had a word count goal of 15,000, an extremely modest goal given the 50,000+ I completed only three years before. And...I made it all the way up to 4,040 words. Total. Fantastic, right?

     You can imagine how it felt. I, a once-avid writer, had fallen so short of my own word count goals that I was almost embarrassed to admit it to anyone else. Some writer I've turned out to be. Life throws me a few curves and the first thing I give up is writing!

      .....And yet, on the flip side of that coin, I did write almost 5,000 words. And I did complete two of my smaller goals (completing two chapters I was struggling to make any headway with).

     So does it count as a failure or as a success?

     I guess it helps at this point to consider the value of what I gained versus the gravity of what I lost. Because honestly, I didn't lose anything (except a notch on my belt of writerly pride). I only gained. And five thousand words, as sorry as that sounds compared to fifty thousand, are still that many words written down. Not stored away in my brain for a rainy day. Not procrastinated over for months on end. Not sitting idly filling my head with writer's shame. They're on my computer waiting for some additions.

     And isn't that really the goal of writing? To get words onto paper? (Or in this digital age, onto the computer hard drive.)

     Maybe it's just me trying to sound noble after a failure of such epic proportions. But given the fact that the month of July was very unusually busy for me, I'm actually quite proud of myself for getting any writing done. At least now I have one foot in the door for completing what I started. And who knows? Maybe when National Novel Writing Month comes around, I'll be so geared up by Camp NaNo failure that I'll actually complete the much bigger (and more stressful) goal.
   
     We shall see.

      Until my next post, I remain,

                 Yours Truly

Patchwork Writing

     What part of a story do you start writing first? The answer seems simple. The beginning - duh! But is it really that simple? Chronological writing is only one way to write, and for many writers it is the hardest.

     And yet that part isn't too simple, either. You can't just start at the end, or even start in the middle, and end up with a plot line that's all connected and makes sense. However, there are alternatives to starting at the first sentence and writing clear through to the end, especially when you just can't seem to get that first sentence started.

     This alternative is what I like to call "patchwork writing". Because that's really all it is - taking scraps of written scenes and piecing them together once you've finished them.

     Allow me to demonstrate.

     Let's say that I'm working on a scene with combined dialogue and description. The description is really important because it will give my readers a feel for the whole situation and a glimpse into the setting. But let's say that I'm having problems because my dialogue is coming out all wrong. It's stilted and unrealistic and sounds like a bad lip reading of Shakespeare. So what do I do?

     What I always do in such a crisis - I take the dog for a walk and talk the scene out between my characters. Then, once I've got the sequencing right, I write down just that dialogue. I even skip the actions until I've got the part down that I know sounds good.

     Now I've got a workable written portion. What's next? The part that was hard becomes easy. I take my writerly thimble, needle and thread and start connecting the dialogue with the rest of the portions I've written. This would be the description and actions that make up the rest of the scene and all the in-between parts.

     And that trick, believe it or not, solves 50% of my chronological-writing problems. It's my #1 piece of advice to give to writers struggling with chronological writing (especially when it comes to NaNoWriMo). It also keeps me interested in my own writing long enough to finish a project, which, as you may have noticed, is not always an easy thing for me to do.

     So take this trick (if you haven't already done it yourself) and share it with your writer friends. Or just use it yourself and get to that writing project you've been putting off because of this very issue!

     Sincerely,

          Yours Truly

I'm Not Talking to Myself - My Characters are Talking

     How many of you have had that conversation lately? Neighbors, family and coworkers don't quite know what to think of us when we writers talk out our dialogues in a low (or not-so-low) voice with no one else around. I actually have a friend who had a security guard ask her manager if she was all right. Talk about busted!

     The truth of the matter is that (no matter how embarrassing it can be to have someone laugh at you for "talking to yourself") we writers have to talk out our dialogue. There's just no way around it.

     Why, a non-writer might ask? It makes perfect sense if you consider what goes into writing.

     When a writer sits down to a blank screen, there is an automatic "FREEZE!" moment. They suddenly can't think of a thing to write. So they think and plot and plan a little, then come back and sit down again. With first sentences, this is pretty easy. With dialogue, not so much. Why? Because narrative is easy to write. It's like writing in a journal, or blogging, or Twittering. It's basically typing out your thoughts. No editing is really needed as you go to make it sound natural (most of the time). Dialogue, on the other hand, isn't something you can always write naturally because all conversations with more than one person (you and yourself don't count) happen out loud, not inside our heads.

     This means that when you're writing dialogue, you can't just depend on what you hear inside your head. You have to hear it out loud to know whether or not it sounds right. You have to hear it to know if people would really say things like that. "The ear is the best writer" is the saying - and it is completely right when it comes to dialogue!

     Think of it this way:

     You love fudge; you've eaten lots of fudge; you've made lots of fudge. But you've never tried Lemon Bar Fudge. Now, you can read the recipe all you want. You can think about how delicious it's going to be. You can even pin pictures of it onto your favorite Pinterest board. But you will never know what it tastes like unless you actually put a bite into your mouth.

     The same is true of dialogue. You can read it. You can plan it. You can even write it down. But until you hear it spoken out loud, you will never know if it SOUNDS right.

     So for those of you who are hiding behind bedroom doors, cowering in the basement study, covering up your conversations with the noise of a hot shower, I would say this - rehearsing dialogue is nothing to be ashamed of. A little unusual for non-writers to see, but not at all unusual for a writer to do. The next time somebody gives you that look and asks, "Who are you talking to?" just give them a lecture on the subject of how to properly test dialogue. And I guarantee you, they may think you're crazy, but they won't ask about it again.

     Sincerely,

          Yours Truly

LIFE: What Having a Child Will Do For Your Writing

      A lot of people make a big deal about how having children will change your life. "You'll never get to go anywhere fun!" "You'll never be able to afford it!" "You'll ruin your figure, not to mention your life!" Oh, and my personal favorite - "Just forget about romance after this!" People make a big deal about almost any major event in your life (and theirs). As if the world is coming to an end just because you have to plan your life more carefully or work out more diligently. But what they tend to forget is that you can turn almost anything to your advantage as a writer. And major life experiences are no exception.

     No, this is not a blog post on how having my daughter has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Nor it is a blog post on the many ways she actually has changed my life. (For the record - the romance only leaves if you let it. Just sayin'.) This post is going to be about how life-changing events, like having a child, can actually improve your writing on a level nothing else can.

     How? Here are three important ways.

     1) It makes you think about priorities. This may sound daunting and undoubtedly cliched, but any change in your life that starts to cause inconveniences (from missing Mom's old coffee maker to waking up at 3:30 a.m. to a baby's cries) will make you rethink what's important in your life. Our lives only have so much room despite our efforts to cram everything in. Which means that we have to decide what is important enough to make time to do and what isn't. As harsh as it sounds, if the one thing you don't have time or energy or inspiration for is writing, then it's time to let it go temporarily. If you find yourself spiraling downward without it, it means you're still a writer at heart. If you find your life is simply that much better without it - it means you're not really a writer at heart and you need to focus on those passions you were created for.

     2) It gives you fuel for your stories. The more experiences you are exposed to, the more you will have to write about. I haven't had that much happen to me throughout my life compared to most people, certainly not many big life changes. (Either that, or I just didn't realize that they were big life changes at the time.) So for years I have struggled with the phrase "write what you know". If I was supposed to write about only my life experiences, then my book was going to be awfully boring! (More on that phrase in a later post...) Now that I've had more happen to me (marriage, moving away from family, having a baby), I not only feel like I have actually had something happen in my life - I have SO much more to write about! I now have a huge increase in story material from my own life that I can write about expertly because (duh!) it happened to me. And that leads to the most important way a life changing event helps a writer...

   3) It allows a writer to sympathize with the characters. Most of my stories growing up were about people older than me, in different circumstances than me, dealing with a lot of things I could only imagine I knew about. And it made for pretty unconvincing story lines, not because I hadn't done my research, but because I had no source for emotional connection with my characters. I had never been separated from a loved one, so I couldn't properly relate how a girl would feel if the love of her life got sent off to war. I had never had a child, so I couldn't properly relate how a parent would feel about watching a child have to go through something difficult. I had never been through surgery, so I couldn't properly relate how a person would feel having to deal with rehab. Now that I have experienced all these major life events, I can write as though I understand what a character is going through even if their particular life experiences are slightly different than mine. Why? Because I have been through similar situations, if not identical ones (I'm pretty sure no one has ever carried around a magic ring and had to dump it in a volcanic mountain before). And while before the reactions I came up with were noble and brave and idealistic, I can now write reactions that are more realistic. People are people. They don't always react like they should. And having been through some "stuff" myself, I can now understand why they don't. It makes for better plot lines, more lifelike characters, and reactions people can believe.

     Does all this mean that writing is made any easier having a child around? Or living in a new area where you don't know anyone? Or dealing with a physical condition that takes up a lot of your time? Absolutely not! But easier isn't always better. Just ask my post-pregnancy-work-out-sore abs - sometimes you have to endure pain to build muscle. So don't complain about the inconvenience of life experiences. Start using them!

     Sincerely,

            Yours Truly

Guess Who's Back? (And Bringing Company)

     Wow. Having a kid in your life will do all kinds of crazy things to your writing! But not necessarily bad things. Later this weekend, I'll be publishing a post about how all of this "non-writing time" has affected my writing and what I've drawn from it - and, hopefully, some other, fun posts, too!

      For now, let me share with you some food for thought: a vlog (video blog) by Nosco Says in which my big brother discusses weak, underdeveloped villains - and when you can afford to get away with using them. Although drawn from films, this vlog certainly applies to writers. I myself was convicted of falling prey to the kind of cheap writing Nosco points out.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vs. Big Hero 6

     Please enjoy and share with your writer friends!

     Sincerely,

           Yours Truly