Trying to be less of a pant-ser

[QuercusMalus]

Most of my writing is short stories- I go in with a simple idea and that's it. Works okay most of the time. But for longer stories I struggle to create a coherent flow as I have an idea, and a few scenes that I want/need to occur, but the rest is badly connected with awful flow that I spend as much or more time fixing as I did writing. So, I think I need to create outlines. Problem is that writing the outline bores me and I get distracted.

Anyone have a good outline format or tricks to improve the process?

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

Most of my writing is short stories- I go in with a simple idea and that's it. Works okay most of the time. But for longer stories I struggle to create a coherent flow as I have an idea, and a few scenes that I want/need to occur, but the rest is badly connected with awful flow that I spend as much or more time fixing as I did writing. So, I think I need to create outlines. Problem is that writing the outline bores me and I get distracted.

Anyone have a good outline format or tricks to improve the process?

I am still a pantser writer, but I had this problem early on a lot. For me, it's because I tried to rush to the parts I wanted/needed to happen. I don't really see a problem with fixing later, though. You start a story and finish it. That story is now your outline to fix.

Or just read and re-read what happens in every chapter. Does the flow make sense? Did you forget something important? Maybe take notes of the important things in every chapter. Make a summary of only important bits. There is even a summary section in google docs and probably other platforms I don't use.

 

[CarburetorThompson]

It’s not something you can brute force. For me, planning out longer stories takes a long time. If you just keep thinking about plot threads that interest you, over time you’ll think of new ways for it to connect together.

Sometimes I’ll be doing something innocuous like showering or brushing my teeth, and just suddenly see the story in a different way and understand how to connect things, (I have google docs on my phone, so if I get a good idea while afk I can record it)

If you can come up with a solid beginning, I’d write that first. I often get good ideas when I’m writing. So I’ll start writing something even if I don’t know where it is going.

 

[Tyranomaster]

I think its possible to successfully use a hybrid system. Thats how I write. I keep an ongoing list of the MC's goals and things I'd like them to do. Then I also keep a list of events that are going to happen in the world at set and relative points (examples would be: earthquake happens in year x for set, and country a invades country b after mc does y for relative points).

I then run with the story as the mc tries to attain their goals, and has to react to the world changing around them. As the writer, its then my job to ensure that the upcoming problems are solvable by the mc by the time the mc runs into them. If not, I may need to adjust their timing, or change my outlines.

 

[Deleted member 54065]

I'm a planner, and my outline goes like this:

A. Theme and Genre
-this serves you so as not to get lost with the themes and genres of your work.

B. Problems
-Main Problem: which is connected to the Theme. What makes your story run?

-Solution to the Main Problem: this is what the main characters or side characters do in response to the first problem. Oftentimes, you'd want other problems coming out of this part especially for long stories (like mine), so you have a basis on what and where your arcs/seasons/volumes' themes would start (see Arising Problem part).

Arising Problems: you'd get these from the Solution part so you can have themes for your arcs/seasons/volumes.

C. Plotting
-now that you've got your themes/subjects laid out, it's time to plot the stories.

You only need to answer these:
1. Start/Intro
2. Rising Tension
3. Climax
4. Falling Tension
5. End

First, do an over-all plot for your story, from start to finish. This is a MUST, and you should also strive to follow this so as not to 'dilute' or change your work significantly it becomes an entirely different story from what you first envisioned.

Second, now that you've plotted your main story, it's time to plot your per volume/arc/season novel. Same as the main one, just answer those five points. For this part, you don't have to plan all the arcs/seasons/volume you intend to write right now. Just plan what you are currently writing, and that's it.

Save your plan notes so you can have a sense of consistency because you have references.

D. Characters
-you can now proceed to describe your characters.

Reminder: one of the reasons why an author finds it boring to plan a work is that they plan up to the minute details. This one's an outline, I believe, and with that, I was able to write 17 volumes for my story, The Human Saint is Bored. I'm currently in my 18th volume out of the planned 20.

Now, if someone disagrees with my method, feel free. There are lots of ways to finish our stories, and mine is just one of those. If you think it won't work for you, it's your issue, not mine.

 

[Rhaps]

I started off as a DM, so panser is my first love. I can't separate from it and its the thing I am most comfortable with.

Plus the fact that I use my dice to decide, my story is pretty much literature's version of the Gordian knot. I still await for my Alexander to cut it in half.

 

[Deleted member 54065]

And to continue what I replied in this thread, see, I'm a lazy writer, and I write in bursts.

So, to compemsate for this trait of mine, I schedule my writing. Like for January 2024, I plan to write the manuscript of Volume 18, then by February 2024, I rest.

I give myself deadline, which is usually from three weeka to a month. During that time, I refrain from doing other stuff that might distract me, like games, animes, reading, etc. It is flexible, as long as I'm reaching my goal, i. e., if I wasn't able to finish V18 after a month, and let's say I'm about 80% done, I continue till I finish.

Then edit the work THREE TIMES ONLY. Whatever I came up with, I stand by it, critics and nitpickers be damned (unless it's a glaring mistake/plothole).

When I take a break, I do what I want.

 

[K5Rakitan]

Write the outline in a separate notebook as you go. Basically, when a great idea pops into your head, jot it down before you can forget it.

 

[QuercusMalus]

Have any of you tried the snowflake method? Any thoughts about it?

Write now I have a couple different templates for different outlines that I am working on building the framework up from. I am hoping by using multiple styles it will force me to explore and expand the details a bit more.

First is the 27 chapter method:

27 Chapter Method Made Easy - LivingWriter Writing Blog

The 27 Chapter Method is supposed to make plotting easier, but when you first take a look- you'd think otherwise. That's why LivingWriter made this template

livingwriter.com

Second is Campbell's Hero's Journey:

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/writing-101-what-is-the-heros-journey#6UWvL8cDzsbpOVbOL5VRyL

 

[Temple]

I'm a pantser. Tried all sorts of outlines, didn't work. What I'm doing is like a modified version of what you're doing. So, we have like things that need to happen, right? The problem is that getting to those points will be a mess. What I do is have bullet points of those main things. Under them, minor bullet points of what needs to be done.

For example, main point - get a dragon pet. Underneath: learn about taming dragon; go to the area of dragon; maybe fail a few times first.

Now, when I'm writing a chapter, I browse the master list. Let's say the MC is visiting a new town to join a guild or something. Maybe I can pluck "learn about taming dragon" and put it in this chapter as a side thing for this new town. For the chapter, I have bullet points too. Let's say main is find guild building. Along the way, he's going to bump into dragon tamer guy or whatever.

Sorry if it's a messy explanation. But that's how a do it. Maybe it'll make sense to you since you're a pantser too. Essentially it's bullet point sort of a mild reverse snowflake, but not in one sitting method.