No one really writes a novel without considering the plot beforehand. Nor do they outline the events so tightly that they know each step the protagonist will take and never vary from this initial plan. So why do we argue about the best method? It is a matter of ego. Authors claiming to write what flows out of their mind without much premeditation often claim to be purists–the truly creative writers. While those who plan their compositions respond to anyone bemoaning the fact they kept rewriting their book with a nonchalant, “Why don’t you try outlining?” 

A person who writes without an outline may keep on composing more and more pages until they have penned passages worth keeping. This writer still has a plan before starting the story, even though writing oneself into a hole may result in ditching a book and starting over again. People with this kind of writing temperament will review their work without mercy if they are wise and cull needless words. It takes perception to put a novel under the knife like a surgeon removing a tumor in an attempt to save the patient. 

Like many writers who rely on outlines (and I fall into that camp) I ruminate about what will occur in the book. I don’t grow weary of writing out the details of a scene that I composed as a detailed list after rehearsing it in my head and I don’t get bored writing this way. Rather, most of the manuscript is never as compelling as I imagined it in my mind. As I determine the number of acts and sketch out the major plot points, I always give into the temptation to start writing scenes. So, I have come up with a compromise of completing each “act” as a fully developed manuscript before I move on to the next one.

My initial style is dry and repetitive. I later edit my work to make the language more luscious. That is much the way that F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote his stories. When stuck, I will go back and reread to recall my characters’ pasts. Sometimes what I have written earlier surprises me. However, there is a point of diminishing returns. I keep rewording phrases until I imagine they flow. But, when I start changing the characters’ names, eye color, and clothing style, I must acknowledge that I’m not helping my novel any more.

I am comfortable developing the plot first and imagining a conflict that will take an entire book to overcome. It helps to delve into a setting familiar to me, so I don’t spend endless hours researching details. I have found out there really is no list of common culinary practices for southern Britain after the Romans pulled out, nor drawings showing how people dressed, nor a record of how business was conducted without a  currency. At that point I get to create the rules of society for myself. In the end the creator of a detailed outline can be just as creative as the author who wings the entire story.

Photo by K.N. Listman