A Wednesday Writing Tip

It’s taken me three years to write my latest novel, and it’s not quite done. Oh, I finished it a year ago, but then a publisher requested edits, so…. Yep, working on it. I expected to be done by the end of last month, but life got in the way, and I’ve rescheduled the edits to the end of February. That’s fine though, because I’ve discovered a writing tip to prevent future occurrences of the never-ending novel.

This tip is very basic. I’m expanding on it next month in my blog, but for now. Drum roll: outline.

I’ve always been a pantser, a/k/a discovery writer, mostly because I find it hard to write to a detailed outline. My hat is off to writing friends who write forty-and fifty-page outlines and maintain an interest in their stories. I’m an adrenaline junkie, and when I know my story in that much detail before I write it, well, I get bored. When that happens, I either set the story aside, or create story problems that have me looking for ways out of the corners I’ve written myself into. Neither solution works.

What’s a writer to do? Outline. I’m lucky in that I usually know who is dead, who killed them, and how they get caught. My novels typically run thirty-five to forty chapters, and I write in a program called Scrivener. Once I have my start and finish, I write a line or two describing what needs to happen in each chapter. By avoiding the how and sticking to the what, I’m giving myself free creative rein while following a basic structure. Oh, there’re plenty of rabbit holes to keep me interested and in trouble, but the words are flowing and the story is moving ahead. If the momentum holds, I’ll have a completed draft in the next six months. Champagne and fireworks will occur.

Is your story taking too long to write? Give what happens outlining a try, it might just work for you, too.