On Planning A New(ish) Book

“I’ve found that people who outline a lot spend more time up front planning. People who discover their story by writing it spend more time at the end revising. It tends to even out.” —Brandon Sanderson

I’ve long known that I am much more a plotter than a “pantser” but after writing thousand of words for NaNoWriMo, I came to the conclusion that my book lacked structure. The plot wasn’t tight enough and I wasn’t ready for such amount of writing.

Plotting and planning can feel like procrastination at times. There’s definitely a danger of never ending quest for the perfect plot. As a perfectionist I know too well about this sin, but it’s never been my style to leave success to luck.

After reading Outlining Your Novel I have decided to plan the full lenght of my novel writing, starting with an outlining phase of one full month. At first glance it seems overkill—it does to me at least—but looking into all the tasks involved, I rather be safe. I think of outlining as the key that will let me enjoy the wild ride of writing, and still get me safe to port.

“For many of us, writing is all about tapping that sense of freedom—the promise that anything could be waiting for us around the next bend in the road. Some writers fear outlining will destroy that freedom by locking them into a set route. But the truth is just the opposite. Freedom is knowing you never have to stare down the blinking cursor and the blank page because you don’t know what comes next. You’re still free to explore all you want, but, at the end of the day, when the detour turns out to be a dead end, you can always return to the marked path you know will lead to your destination. With your route highlighted on the map, you’re free to put on your sunglasses, crank up your tunes, and let your hair blow in the wind.” —K.M. Weiland Outlining Your Novel