Aw, this wonderful post is brought to you by @RichardStaschy! He says he uses a different outline method, a chapter outline. I'll retype what he PM'd me.
RichardStaschy's Chapter Outline:
[The most common problem I hear about is writers' block. I think the term writers' block has been bastardized. I've always believed the concept writers' block describes the instance when the writer is overwhelmed with ideas and the direction isn't set. So they are blocked from writing the story. This is common, especially when writers start a new story.
Another issue I have noticed is the large number of authors on Watty and Booksie who are writing a story by jumping into a swimming pool without an actual plan. Most of these writers get stuck on chapter 3 or chapter 5 for months (sometimes years). Eventually, the story is shelved, and it it plays on the writers' minds for a long, long time.
We writers are dreamers. We have dozens and dozens of beautiful ideas floating around in our heads. These ideas are so awesome that they provoke us into writing them down. The problems about these dreams and ideas, though? They are not the complete story. There is no character, no emotion, no connecting of the dots. They are just chuncks of something that is incomplete.
Seriously, the best thing you can do when you come up with a wonderful idea is to write it down. Then build from it.
The outline is the most important tool for a writer. It's the treasure map, the GPS, the compass, and the railroad tracks for your story. If you do the outline correctly, you will never get writers' block.
I use a simplified version of the outline, and it is expandable. Typically, when I start my story, I compress my ideas into a list of 10, which will be converted into chapters. If I believe that list is too short, I'll play with it. For example: I started with a 10-chapter outline with Dragon's Nest, and then it grew into 40 chapters.
So how do you start the chapter outline?
First: The Idea Phrase. Start with a sentence that summarizes the idea you want to write about. It could be something random--the most incoherent thing you can think about.
Next: Begin the 10-chapter outline. (Please remember this is not set in stone, you can always make it longer.)
Number the paper 1 - 10 and leave 2 spaces between each number for a sentence of each outline heading.
Next: I am going to give you a list of questions. You are going to fill in those answers in the blank areas of the outline. The answers don't have to be a complete sentence; nor do they have to be only one sentence long. You are simply going to brainstorm the answers. You will need to jump from number to number, as explained below.
1 - How should I start my story? This is tricky, if you're not sure how to start it. Just write something about the character you're planning to write about.
10 - How is my story going to end? Yes, jump straight to Number 10. The answer to this question should be quite easy. It can be something as simple as, "The hero slays the dragon and kisses the princess."
5 - What do I think should happen in the middle of my story? It may be tough to answer this question at first, but you don't have to think of the center of the story in literal terms. Just write something that you believe could be the center point. It could be when somebody dies, a lesson is learned, or a mistake is made. For my Dragon's Nest story, the center point was when Lancer stole Wratt's riding boot.
3 - What do you think happens between 1 and 5?
7 - What do you think happens between 5 and 10?
2, 4, 6, 8, & 9 - Connect the dots. Fill each of them out.
The Title: After you finish all ten sentences, write a simplified title for each chapter.
Look at the outline you have created. If it looks too small, then you may begin brainstorming where this and that can go. At this point, your mind is like a rapid-fire machine gun.
Next, we move on to the content of each chapter. This trick is easy. It's so easy, you'll think I'm joking.
The Content Outline: Start with a short content outline that is numbered 1 to 5. This is a fixed number, and it will not grow because it keeps your word count in check. Leave two spaces for your answers, and jot down your ideas in the order below. Yes, you will jump around again.
1 - How is my chapter going to start? How do I connect this chapter with my previous chapter?
5 - How would I like to end my chapter or HOOK the reader?
3 - What do I think might happen in the middle?
2 - How do I get from Point 1 to Point 3?
4 - How do I get from Point 3 to Point 5?
Turning the Content Outline into paragraphs. You should be able to write one to three paragraphs for lines 1, 3, and 5. Lines 2 and 4 are transitions, which connect the dots--they can be anywhere from 3 paragraphs to 3 pages long. There is no set rule.
It is important to realize that when you are writing a story, you must know when to stop.
The End!]
YOU ARE READING
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