Outlining, My Way.......

Here I am again. It's been a good week, and I hope those of you who celebrated Easter had a good, safe Holiday. For everyone else, I hope you had a good weekend.

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I have been for years a guy who writes stories on the fly. I haven't been a plotter, at least not until the Outcast Ops novels that had to be outlined so both Rick and myself knew where the story was going.

I have tried a few ways in the past to outline novels,but when it comes down to it, the way I think is working for me best is what I call "Chapter Summery" Method.

That means sitting down and start with Chapter 1. I summarize what happens in that chapter. Depending on how much thought I put into it, the summery may be a single sentence, a paragraph, or several paragraphs. But now I know what happens in Chapter 1. I move onto Chapter 2 and repeat and continuing, summarizing what happens in that chapter. If I suddenly have an idea for a subplot, it's just a matter of going back to earlier chapters and adding the foreshadowing or the subplot threads. Once I'm through the whole  story, I go back and look at each chapter. I expand the summery, adding plot points, characters, and changing things to improve the story's flow.

I'm not bothering with a lot of detail at this point. I'll generally describe the action (A shoots B and C, C goes out the window), but don't go into detail about what B and C are wearing or what they look like. Locations are the same way -- I give it a name, and don't bother describing it beyond that unless there's a reason to. Also, I use a mix of character names and placeholder names when writing these summaries. Once I have chosen a name that fits the character better than the placeholder name, I use the WP's Search and Replace function. But that usually happens after the first outline draft.

In addition, each outline file has notes at the bottom --- bit and pieces of background, things I need to research, questions I need to find the answers to, ect. Things that don't fit directly into the story, but are part of the story. For Darkness of Shadows, I already have about a page worth of notes about this planet, it's technology, and the society on it. The other two have a half-page of notes. If I have a thought or question white outlining --- it goes under notes.

So, that's how I'm doing it --- summarizing chapters and using them to build the story. It's bringing free writing and putting into a usable structure. It may not work for you, but it works for me.....

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And the writing update:

The Assassin Prince --- Outline (through Chapter 26)
The Darkness of Shadows --- Outline (through Chapter 11)
Operation: Broken Chains --- Outline (through Chapter 16)

When I say "Through Chapter X," That means completed chapters. Each of the novels has partially outlined chapters which are not included in the totals above. Any feedback will be welcomed.

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Both Outcast Ops novels I co-authored are on Amazon and are both part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm is here: Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon! For those in the United Kingdom, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon UK!! Red Ice is here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon UK! For anyone else, please check your country's Amazon Website (if there is one) Both novels have been on the upswing on the sale charts this week, so they are still being read. Please read and please leave a review!

Craig

Letting Go of A Story

Here we go again......

Progress is continuing on The Assassin Prince, but more about that later in the post.....

The tile of this post comes from what I have been doing lately. I was asked to submit a story to show I could write a longer story. So I did --- A Novella.

A novella is a story between 17,500 --- 40,000 words, and this particular novella is on the upper end of the word count. Now, I have no promise this story will be accepted, or published. I stepped out of my comfort zone somewhere, but I feel the story is solid.

And in that lies a danger that is an insidious one for a writer --- seeking perfection in a story. "Perfection is the enemy of Good" is the quote that fits my mindset at the time. Writers work and work on a story, looking for those imperfections that scream "Change me!" A writer wants every word to be perfect, every sentence to grip the reader, every minor character to be vivid and clear as the main characters, and the story to be spell-binding to any reader who reads it. A perfect story.

There is no such thing as a perfect story.

All story has flaws --- minor ones, hidden ones, the wrong word here, a sentence too long there. Most are either too small or camouflaged by what's around it to be noticed. Other flaws that reader accepts as part of the suspension of belief all readers bring to reading fiction. As long as the flaw doesn't overwhelm the story, they are invisible, spotted only by those who look for them.

In my case, I found myself going through the story several times, tweaking and trimming lines, adding a scene here, a chapter there, and pushing the limits of a novella word count. I had a friend read through it, make his notes and I made changes here and there, moved chapters around like a magician doing a card trick, and did a few other things. After the fourth pass through the story, I said to myself, "I have to let go of this or I will never do so," So, I sent it and I now wait.

There are parts of the story I'm not certain about, and if it accepted, there may be changes needed. I hope the changes, should they be required, are minor ones. We shall see, and I will let you know if and when I hear back.

There comes a time in every completed story that all a writer is doing to it is cosmetic polishing. It comes down to confidence --- is the story, for all it's perceived flaws, a good one? If it is, it's time to send it and get to work on the next one.

“Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.” ― Salvador Dalí

“If you look for perfection, you'll never be content.” ― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

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The Assassin Prince is now outlined through Chapter 23 and into Chapter 24. But my Muse, being the perverse type (and lazy -- she lays on the couch with a bag of potato chips , yelling every so often, "Keep writing!") has decided that one novel is not enough, so I'm now outlying three novels.

In addition to The Assassin Prince (Fantasy), I am outlining The Darkness of Shadows (Science-fiction), and Operation: Broken Chains (Action/thriller). Three different genres, all designed to keep me working with whichever one is speaking to me at the moment. As a way to force myself to keep on track with this, I'll give you an update on the process of all three. So, starting tonight, a progress report on all three to keep you updated.

The Assassin Prince --- Outline (through Chapter 23)
The Darkness of Shadows --- Outline (through Chapter 7)
Operation: Broken Chains --- Outline (through Chapter 12)

Lets see how this goes. Any feedback will be welcomed.

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Both Outcast Ops novels I co-authored are on Amazon and are both part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm is here: Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon! For those in the United Kingdom, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon UK!! Red Ice is here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon UK! For anoyone else, please check your country's Amazon Website (if there is one) Read and please leave a review!

Craig