I owe a lot of my writing skills to my creative writing-specific classes that I took during college. However, my writing outlook on life changed forever when I took my first screenwriting class. Before it, I had all of these questions about the supposedly intangible writing process. Why is the middle of my story falling flat? Why isn’t it a page-turner? Why do all of my characters seem like they don’t matter?
I found all of my answers to my questions in my screenwriting class. Because while creative writing is important to the craft of writing, there’s very little talk about the structure of story. (I won’t deny my love of writing craft, but let’s allow this blog to be a total advocate for screenwriting.) In screenwriting, there are very clear techniques and how to apply them. Since we aren’t necessarily worried about sentence structure in screenplays, it’s easier to see actual plot events from afar.
As such, one key thing I learned from screenwriting and filmmaking was the importance of going from broad ideas to details. In creative writing, I sensed it was the opposite. My fellow classmates and I would often start with writing a scene, then build an entire world out of it. This is a perfectly fine way to go. There are plenty of authors out there that can miraculously hold all of the details in their head without outlining. I envy them, because I am clearly not one of them.
I’m here to provide another way that doesn’t kill your creativity and may save you from years of wasted as well as your frustration. I say this, because I speak from experience.
I’ve made many attempts at novels before and technically, have finished them. However, they are only in the first draft stage. Still. I remember coming to end of that fateful first draft and realizing that there was a major plothole or character inconsistency. I assumed that it would be easy to fix that in the second draft and then in the third. Yet, the first draft had burnt me out so much that it felt overwhelming to know these HUGE structural issues awaited me in the second draft. It basically meant that I would have to rewrite a large portion of the book entirely. Additionally, I was attached to specific paragraphs or dialogue. I couldn’t imagine that I’d have to go through several drafts of that and kill my darlings.
So I quit those stories. You see, what I didn’t understand was that there were ways to avoid these plot issues from the very beginning.
Why You Need a Step Outline
Normally, in writing, you don’t share your work until perhaps the third or so draft. In reality, you need to share your plotline early on in the process, before you get too attached to what your novel has become. You need other people’s perspectives to point out the holes in your story. This is where the step outline comes in.
First of all, what is a step outline? It’s basically a plot outline for screenplays. Based off of the way I was taught, a step outline has a few extra rules regarding formatting, such as:
- list out the characters and the their personality traits in the beginning
- headline each act
- start a new paragraph with each scene
Though of course, there’s some variation on this. However, at the core of it, the step outline shouldn’t be weighed down with too many details. Only state what is necessary for the reader to understand the essentials of each scene. You can include action, revelations, and some dialogue. However, the whole point of a step outline is to give the broadest scope of your story. Much like a storyboard, we only get the barest sketch of an image, though it’s still enough for us to understand what’s going on. This way it will be easier for you to move around the order of scenes for better clarity and other things.
Still, your step outline should be interesting. So be coherent, be concise, and be compelling.
Here are some example of step outlines. They are formatted differently, though it’s still worthwhile to read them to understand the benefits of a step outline.
Get Out by Jordan Peele
Toy Story by Joss Whedon and Andrew Stanton
My Experience
I recently just finished the first draft of a step outline for my novel, which took me roughly a month to finish (Hurray for reaching a milestone!). I wasn’t going for perfection. I knew that there was only a certain degree that I could go on my own, before I needed to send it to fellow writing friends for feedback.
And that’s what I’m doing now, sitting on the edge of my seat for all of the feedback to return. I’ve seen some of it and truthfully, my stomach tumbled when I saw just a few comments on them. I’m so used to sending a piece when it feels close to perfect, that right now, I feel slightly out of my element. Exposed, really.
But I know it’s good for me. It’s good feedback and I know my novel will be stronger because of it.
I’ve found writing the step outline to be helpful for various other reasons as well. For one, I’m not as winded. I feel like reaching a milestone allows me to catch my breath and get my second wind. I’m also the sort of writer who tends to write better when she knows exactly where she’s headed, so I’m curious if my writing will shine a bit more in this project.
Additionally, in this step outline, I’m avoiding my greatest weakness (or one of them): scenes where characters talk and talk and talk, but nothing ever happens. The step outline is anchoring me in a scene and gives me a purpose to move the story forward. I also get to see when characters aren’t pulling their weight in the story. I’ve already avoided several weeks of unnecessary work by seeing a flat character arc in my step outline.
I still have a ways to go. Possibly a few more drafts, before I actually start writing the project. I’ll update you all more when things come up! (Maybe even share some deleted scenes 😱).
How do you outline your work? Leave a comment below, I’m curious 🙂