Writing Free Style vs Outlining

Writing is a personal process. I ran into someone today who was so excited to meet a published author. It’s her dream to write a book and become an author. She had several questions for me about writing. The question that stuck in my mind was when she asked if I write free style. It confused me for a moment. Questions that aren’t relevant to me often confuse me for a moment as I try to register what they mean by their question.

Free style.  Is there any other way? I guessed that she must have meant to ask if I write an outline first. Nope. Sure, I have a general idea where the story line is headed. I normally think of the beginning first, then the general plot line, and definitely the end. Of course, all too often, the characters dictate the direction of the story. New characters sometimes highjack the story line. The main characters might resist the direction I am taking them and do their own thing that requires revising the direction I intended. Sometimes it’s a struggle to get them back on track. Sometimes I let them have their way and rework the direction I intended because often the characters know better than me the right path they must take.

I can’t imagine putting so much work into writing an outline, defining every step of the story line, only to have the characters veer me off into another direction. They are often right also. As they gain depth and personality, the best characters show me a path more defined for them.

Besides, writing an outline sounds like a lot of work. I like my writing to be fun. I could not do it if I did not enjoy it. The passion that drives me to write is the joy of the process as well as the satisfaction of completing a book that I am happy with. Take away the passion and replace it with a laborious chore of creating a concrete outline sucks away the joy. Don’t get me wrong. I do have a plan. I’m talking about the detailed outlines I’ve seen. And we all have different ways of setting out about completing tasks. Some people might enjoy completing an outline before sitting down and fleshing out the details.

I know of a few successful authors who diligently create outlines before writing the book they intend. Maybe one day I will try that just to see how it feels. For me, it’s a creative flow. A spark of an idea will flicker inside my thoughts and soon it’s all I’m thinking about.

I go to bed thinking about the story I want to tell. Conflict points dance through my thoughts as I drive on errands. Give me a long road trip and I have almost the complete storyline worked out by my arrival at my destination.

Then I write. I write as hard and as fast as I can to keep up with the ideas flowing from my mind. I write and I don’t stop to think of the right word (amazing how many times you toss something on the page to retain the flow and when you go back later you can’t find anything out of place) or names or places or dates, etc. I take advantage of the creative thought process.

On those days when I can’t get into the rhythm I go back to the beginning and start the tweaking and revising and it prompts the writing mode mood. And when I reach the second to last chapter I go back through and do all my tweaking, editing, and first read through. I always save the last chapter for the end because I know how it needs to end and then I always have the ending to be creative with.

Finally I do the first of the final read through, editing and revising as necessary. Sometimes it only takes one pass and sometimes it take three or four passes. I just do what I need to do without set goals. It’s the story again telling me how many times I need to do a final read through.

Then let it sit. Even if you’ve only done two final read throughs, those first few chapters get read a lot and your brain will start skipping over the words because you’ve read them so many times. So let it sit, let it simmer, let it fade from your brain. When you can read every word in the first chapter like it’s the first time you’ve read it you are ready for the final read through.

It’s a process that’s been built over time and multiple manuscripts. Many authors have many ways of creating their manuscripts. So free style or outline? It’s up to you. If you need the structure to keep you on track, then definitely take the time to set up an outline. If you like to wing it, let the creative juices flow. If you need to write ideas and conflict points on paper napkins for the old t-shirt you found under your bed, do that. Whatever helps you get those words on paper (or a blank page in Word, etc) is what I best for you.

Robyn Braemer