OUTLINING the PANTSER

By El Ochiis

OK, I hate outlines, I would rather count sand in the Kalahari Desert, in lieu of sitting down and actually constructing one. 

“Think like an architect, a carpenter,” chided my English teacher. “Would you build a house without a plan?”  

“Yes, yes Mrs. Thronebush, I actually would,” I shouted without a thread of shame. With writing, I just jump right in and see where the story takes me. In the same vein, I’d build my house exactly the same way, buy the materials as I go along: art or writing studio space, area for sleeping, food preparation zone, a place to empty after eating and drinking, which may or may not be in the primary structure – one big room – a yurt. I could just add walls later, maybe. Then, I look at Frank Lloyd Wright’s houses. Seriously, Frank, you just had to go proving me wrong. And, don’t get me started with Frank Gehry, he’s like the Tolstoy of architectural prose.

I write from ideas and expand. Then, I go back and write the essentials that the persnickety ones have, probably, already done at the beginning. I am the backwards writer. This could explain my current lack of money producing, scribe status.  

But, lately, I have been paying more attention to the critics’ observations on two kinds of writers:  outliners and pantsers. Pantsers are individuals that would rather start a project without the slightest idea of how it’s going to go down, and Outliners like to have a clear image of their project before it starts.  If you haven’t guessed, I am, sort of, kind of, a pantser. I mean, I do begin projects without a clue of how they will progress, however, at some point, I stop and create a rough guideline, of sorts. I might be wrong, but this could explain why it takes more time than I have to complete said projects. My math teacher said my approach to logic was eccentric. I am sure it was just his polite way of calling me “weird”. You see, when I had to do math, I would use my left hand – to channel the side of my intellect that oversaw logic and analytic thinking – news flash: it did not increase my dismal geometry scores.   

Back to the outlining issue for which I began this piece. I have changed my point of view on the importance of outlining – “a change is gonna come.” Yes, me, the bohemian, plant-eating, non-conformist who once hitched a ride in a converted school bus from Oklahoma to a hippie commune in Tennessee – I think it was called the Farm. For all you pantser-scribes in arms, tie-dye wearing creative outcasts, here are some outlining tips from a bestselling writer, that even you should find rather easy to begin your novel:  

1. Plunge your main character into terrible trouble as soon as possible. (That trouble will mean something different depending on your genre. For a thriller, it might be life-threatening. For a romance, it might mean choosing between two suitors.)

2. Everything your character does to try to get out of the trouble makes it only worse.

3. Eventually things appear hopeless.

4. Finally, everything your character has learned through all that trouble gives him what he needs to personally conquer the opposition.

5. In summary:  Set the Stage, Organize the scenes (starting scenes – building scenes) and, troubleshoot your story outline.

This is a structure that will keep you and your reader engaged and insured against boredom. So, that’s how to outline a novel, whether you’re an Outliner or a Pantser.