Outlining for a discovery writer

I’m almost finished with the rough draft of Bringing Stella Home, but I can’t shake the feeling that this draft really sucks and is full of holes.  

Part of that is probably that I wrote the whole thing  out of the top of my head.  The only part that I really took the time to outline was the back histories of the mercenaries–and that gave me material to make the story a LOT stronger.  This probably means that I need to do more outlining in the future.

I think I know now what to do and not to do.  Here’s my list of do’s and don’ts for someone like me who is more of a “discovery writer”:

Do’s:

1. Keep a list of brief explanations for setting elements (history, cultures, traditions, technologies, magics, etc).  These do not need to be full length articles, but they should have enough information to trigger your knowledge and/or record the things that you are likely to forget.
2. Keep profiles of all the major/viewpoint characters.  These should:
   –Briefly explain their backstory, including parents/family/origin, childhood, education/training, major formative events, etc.  This part should be fairly extensive, and will help you discover even more things about your character as you write your story;
   –Explain, in some detail, their motivations–not just their desires, but the basis behind their desires.  These usually grow out of the backstory;
   –List some basic stats: age, height, distinctive physical characteristics–basically, the stuff someone is going to get on a first impression;
   –List their important strengths.  This part can be sparse, but you should at least be aware of the things in which they are competent;
   –List their important flaws/handicaps.  This part can also be sparse, but it should be extensive enough to at least make you aware of and/or get you to think about the potential conflicts that will arise;
   –Explain why this character is sympathetic–why the reader is going to like this character.  You MUST make a conscious effort to think this out.  As the writer, you will love your characters simply because you created them, but the reader will not share in this euphoria.  Write this section like a pitch, as if you’re addressing the reader (I haven’t tried that yet, but it sounds like a good idea and I’m going to try it on my next project).
3. Keep an ongoing list of all the major plot conflicts, with a checklist for each one of things that must/should happen in order to make the conflict as juicy and story-rich as possible.  These lists should be sparse: one sentence to explain the conflict (character vs. character), and each point of the checklist should also be one line.  You will flesh out each of these points as you go along, and you may even add new conflicts and get rid of old ones as your story takes shape.

Tip: None of these sections needs to be extensive.  Sometimes, it will work better if you simply cut and past excerpts from your novel in the appropriate places in your outline.  This may be especially helpful for setting elements and minor characters.

Tip: Not all of your outlining has to be done before you start writing.  The outline should be an organic document that expands and changes with your draft, and your best ideas will come as you write the story, not as you write the outline. The outline exists to serve the story, not the other way around. 

Don’ts:

1. Don’t feel that you have to write encyclopedia-style articles on all of your setting/worldbuilding elements.  You are the only one who will see these, so you don’t have to extensively edit or proofread these sections.
2. Don’t try to explain every detail of your characters’ personalities.  When you have a clear backstory, these will come out naturally.  To write believable characters, figure out the basics and then GET OUT OF THE WAY and let them take over.
3. Don’t outline the plot; outline the major plot conficts with their necessary events, but expect these to change as you write.  This should be the most flexible part of your outline.
4. NEVER feel that you have to fit your story to the outline.  The outline exists to serve the draft, not the other way around.  Use it as a reference and a set of guidelines, not a set of rules.  You will discover your story as you write and daydream about it, not as you write your outline.
5. Don’t worry if your outline is spotty and full of holes.  You’re not writing this to an uninformed audience; you’re writing this to your future self, who can fill in the holes quite well.  In fact, your outline only exists to fill in the holes in your future self’s head and point him in a clear direction.
6. Don’t worry if your story gets ahead of your outline on the rough draft.  For discover writers, outlines are more of an after-the-fact thing anyway, and your outline will continue to grow and expand in the rewrite.  In fact, you may find it more productive to write the rough draft in a burst of frenzied creative energy, leaving 90% of your outlining for the rewrite.

These are a few of the things that work for me, as a discovery writer.  I haven’t tried out everything on the do’s list, but looking back, I can see that they would have helped tremendously if I’d done them while writing Bringing Stella Home.  

Just because you’re a discovery writer, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t keep an outline.  It just means that you need to keep a different kind of outline, one that will enhance your discovery writing process rather than constrain it.