Outlining Problem

[NiQuinn]

So I got a beginning and an ending. Sort of have an idea about the middle but the details are escaping me. Do any of you have tips on how to solidify a storyline's main chunk? After all, the middle part is where a lot of groundwork and foundation is laid for the ending.

 

[Devils.Advocate]

Do any of you have tips on how to solidify a storyline's main chunk?

depends...
When you think of the beginning, do you feel eagerness and exhilaration? Do you imagine all the places your characters can go? Do you imagine all the adventures they can have?

When you think of the ending, do feel like you can barely hold it in? Like you want to tell someone, yell out "That is how it ends!" but you cant say it! Because, it wouldn't make sense if its just the ending, without all the steps in between, all the pieces of the puzzle that needed to be laid out before you can get the picture.

What is it that you feel about the middle? What do you want from it? Not in vague terms, but specifically.

In your story what is the middle for? Redemption? War? Triumph? Romance? Degradation? Exploration? Exploitation?

 

[jinxs2011]

Now, when you say middle, do you mean middle as in the chunk of the story in between the beginning or the end or middle as in the part of the story directly after whatever you already have?
If after what you already have, just keep in mind recent events and characters and think how they would continue to act as said events progress and write that.
If you're talking the whole middle of the story then... Yeah, that's difficult. You'll want to come up with some characters, places and events that you can look forward to writing and intermesh with your idea of the storyline. You'd be surprised at how much coming up with random characters can advance the plot. Now, i'm not saying you half-arse things, but tbh if you don't know what to do next just have a new character come in or chuck some weird enemy at them.
I made an old dude selling fish pop up and he turned into a badass retired navy captain or something who became an avenue to introduce the next big bad guy in the story.

 

[XianPiete]

So I got a beginning and an ending. Sort of have an idea about the middle but the details are escaping me. Do any of you have tips on how to solidify a storyline's main chunk? After all, the middle part is where a lot of groundwork and foundation is laid for the ending.

My advice is to keep it simple. It sounds like you are making your outlines too complex. My outlines are usually not much more than writing prompts. When you outline in too small of a detail, you might end up over explaining some things that would have a better flow if you came up with them based on what you know in your story after writing a bit. An outline is a way to give you a general direction when you get lost, it shouldn't be an overscheduled itinerary, at least that's how I feel.

 

[JayDirex]

Niquinn , every movie (and most books) are written to a three act structure. I advise you to read up on the 3 act structure. and YES, the first thing you need for your story is a beginning and and End. that is GOSPEL to me. I won't start a story unless i know the ending. in the meantime, your MIDDLE, all the guts of that story, are part of the three act structure:

 

[Deleted member 2533]

....you are making your outlines too complex.
.... When you outline in too small of a detail, you might end up over explaining some things that would have a better flow if you came up with them based on what you know in your story after writing a bit. An outline is a way to give you a general direction when you get lost, it shouldn't be an overscheduled itinerary, at least that's how I feel.

definitely me.

I can't help it. I'm studying engineering. I love mechanics, how things work. My guilty pleasure, perhaps.

 

[Eukro]

Niquinn , every movie (and most books) are written to a three act structure. I advise you to read up on the 3 act structure. and YES, the first thing you need for your story is a beginning and and End. that is GOSPEL to me. I won't start a story unless i know the ending. in the meantime, your MIDDLE, all the guts of that story, are part of the three act structure: View attachment 965

In a web novel you use this for each arc/book you put in your series.

 

[NiQuinn]

Niquinn , every movie (and most books) are written to a three act structure. I advise you to read up on the 3 act structure. and YES, the first thing you need for your story is a beginning and and End. that is GOSPEL to me. I won't start a story unless i know the ending. in the meantime, your MIDDLE, all the guts of that story, are part of the three act structure: View attachment 965

Yeah. I know this already. There's even a 7 act structure if I remember it correctly.

 

[JayDirex]

Yeah. I know this already. There's even a 7 act structure if I remember it correctly.

Then use it! seriously. The three act structure is designed to answer your question, which is a question of STRUCTURE. The very question you ask shows you are not writing to structure.

 

[NiQuinn]

Then use it! seriously. The three act structure is designed to answer your question, which is a question of STRUCTURE. The very question you ask shows you are not writing to structure.

But I am. My problem is tying them together and I'm finding out that the middle is missing something that I can't pinpoint. Thus, this thread asking for tips.

 

[NiQuinn]

Finally found a video that helped: