1. DoyenCae

    DoyenCae New Member

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    Creating an Outline

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by DoyenCae, Aug 2, 2020.

    I am new to writing fiction. I am at a stage where I write lots of little bits in a variety of different styles, seeing what works for me. I am getting a feel for how I want to write but I have reservations about how to proceed with writing at length.

    My problem as I see it, is that I am not very good at conceptualising a story structure. As a reader I have little sense of what is coming next in a story. For example, some people know "who dunnit" before the end of the first act, I am usually clueless right up to the end!

    So I think I need to work on story outlines so I have a direction to go in as I write. Any good tips most welcome!
     
  2. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    Your first step should be to learn a few things about story structure. I would keep it simple, look up websites explaining Aristotle's Poetics, otherwise known as 3-Act Structure. Look at lots of them, you'll start to get the feel for it. It's really the basis for all other methods of story structure. I don't mean they all incorporate it, but rather it's the first one you should learn and then branch out from there if you want to. It seems to be the archetypal story structure, and the others get more complicated.
     
  3. Seven Crowns

    Seven Crowns Moderator Staff Supporter Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    I always recommend the Snowflake method as a great place to start with plotting. It's basically 3-act structure written from a logline. You end with a two page synopsis and then you start writing. (As a bonus, the synopsis is exactly what a publisher wants with those sample chapters. You'll have that part done early on.) The snowflake book is incredibly simple, almost like something aimed at a twelve-year-old. Honestly, you could teach middle schoolers with it. It's really pretty silly, but it gets the job done. The method's nice because it enforces tension and character arcs. It grows the story around plot and characters in such a way that they're intertwined. As they should be.

    Of course, always be willing to bend your outline. It's not a binding contract. It's a guarantee of minimal competence. If the details of the story lead you someplace better, then you rewrite the outline. You want to make sure new elements are in place. It's kind of like calling the resort to make sure they're open before you go on vacation. You never want to end stranded.
     
  4. DoyenCae

    DoyenCae New Member

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    Thank you both for the helpful advice! The snowflake method looks good. I will also look into 3 act structures.
     
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  5. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    I've seen it mentioned a few times and always wanted to look into it. Now I will. I just never liked the name, it's taken on a very negative connotation in recent times lol!
     
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  6. Seven Crowns

    Seven Crowns Moderator Staff Supporter Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    Yeah, that's true! haha

    They should call it "Fractal Plotting." That's really what they mean, and it would seem even smarter. I think the author just wants it to seem harmless. If you read that book, you'll see what I mean about the ridiculousness of it. It's like a children's story. But if you have a vague idea for a novel and actually follow through with fleshing it out as a chapter exercise, I think you'll be amazed. It really does work.
     
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  7. cosmic lights

    cosmic lights Contributor Contributor

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    There is:
    The Three Act Structure, 5 act and 7 act
    Hero's journey
    Save the Cat (I think)
    The Snowflake Method
    K.M Weiland - https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/
    Brandon Sanderson does some lectures on it, but I didn't find them very helpful as it was too broad and not really in steps to be taken. Plus, it gave me flash backs to English lit classes which were so bloody boring.

    You can just google story structure.
     
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  8. Fervidor

    Fervidor Senior Member

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    Well, first of all, not all writers are outliners. Some do just make it up as they go along, we call them discovery writers. Neither approach is inherently better, I would say, rather which one works best for you depends on how your mind is wired, so to speak.

    Basically, don't worry about "doing it the wrong way" if the "right" way doesn't seem to work. Instead try to figure out which strategy feels more natural to you.

    You mean, in your own writing, or when reading the stories of others? If the former, again, discovery writers typically claim they have no idea where their stories are going ahead of time. This is not because they have no grasp of narrative structure or common tropes, but rather (as I understand it) because they navigate the myriad of directions a plot may take by intuition rather than deciding on a path ahead of time and following it.

    If the latter... Well, as you said, you are new to this. There's no actual trick to that thing we do, when we see the twist coming from a mile away. That's something we develop over time as we gain an intuitive understanding of how stories tend to be constructed. It's really just pattern recognition, but that requires a rather intimate familiarity with patterns. It may be that you simply haven't analyzed enough narratives for your mind to start seeing those patterns. It's a habit of sorts, a matter of experience, not a natural ability you simply have or don't have.

    Also note that this isn't something that can really be taught, which is why I use the word "intuitive." The reason writing is difficult and takes a long time to master is because a lot of it - perhaps even the most important parts - can't be learned from instruction or be explained to you. Most people simply don't develop a mentality adapted for storytelling because they don't need it in everyday life, and it can take quite a while for your mind to restructure itself for "thinking in narratives."

    Regardless, you might want to stop and consider the possibility that you have all this backwards: Trying to write outlines may not give you a better grasp of story structure, because it's sorta our grasp of story structure that lets us write good outlines. It could help, but it may be a better idea to slow down a bit and just look into writing theory on narrative structure, or consume a lot of stories while trying to see how they were constructed.
     
  9. DoyenCae

    DoyenCae New Member

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    I bought the Snowflake method book. It was only a few quid on Kindle. It's exactly what I need! Building up the entire structure of the story from top down is ideal for me. Gives me the sense of security that I will not be rambling off into irrelevance. I can follow the method, end up with each scene plotted out, and then it's like a series of prompts that when written should add up to a coherent narrative at the very least.

    I can also see the potential of working multiple story ideas, getting them plotted out and choosing the best ideas to flesh out rather than putting all my eggs in one basket at the start.
     
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  10. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    Try this book called Save the Cat:
    https://www.amazon.com/Save-Cat-Writes-Novel-Writing/dp/0399579745

    It gives you a beat sheet (15 beats) and then breaks down famous novels using the beat sheet so you can see how it works. It runs through I think 10 different models of story, and tells you the 3 key ingredients in each model and then onto the beat sheet. Novels this book breaks down includes Stephen King's Misery, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Kite Runner, Girl on the Train, The Help, and others whose titles I have forgotten. Sophie Kinsella's book is on the list too (Twenties Girl), as well as Heart-Shaped Box, which is an award-winning horror.

    It's very straight forward and you can get as detailed or not as you wish. Very helpful. The claim is all stories can fit into these 15 beats and if your story contains these 15 beats, your book is good to go. It was recommended to me by a Czech TV director, so I figured it must be pretty good, and it is. I remember once asking him what makes a good film, and he said: You can make a bad film out of a good script, but you can't make a good film out of a bad script. His conclusion was, if there's a bad film, it's usually because of poor structure, and that all Oscar-winning movies have the same structure.
     
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  11. DoyenCae

    DoyenCae New Member

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    Thanks for the link! This looks great too. I think between the cat and the snowflake I have a good chance of putting a novel together!
     
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  12. Thorn Cylenchar

    Thorn Cylenchar Senior Member

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    I need to try more outlining as several of my stories have kind of died a sad sortof death.
     

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