When is it "to late" to outline your story?

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  • #40735
    Hannah
    @salome01w4g
      • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
      • Total Posts: 991

      Okie-dokie, I have an outlining question.
      So I’m 5 chapters into my story and in part two of the whole thing. I feel like I’m losing hold of my story (Not to mention I’m getting writing burn out.)
      and am wondering if I should create an outline for it, or is it to late to outline it.

      I honestly have never outlined any of my writing before soooooo, I have a feeling it would be a bit of a disaster.
      @winter-rose @emily @catwing and anyone else who wants to jump in/ has any advice

      ~I don’t know what I’m doing~

      #40737
      Kate Flournoy
      @kate-flournoy
        • Rank: Chosen One
        • Total Posts: 3976

        @Salome01w4g never. Seriously, never too late. If you’re serious about this story and an outline is what it’s gonna take, outline it.
        I’ve been very vocal in the past about my hatred of outlining, but lately I’ve been eating some pretty serious humble pie and planning to outline all the rest of my ideas from here on out. Too late for my current one (it’s in third draft and an outline wouldn’t change much) but for all the rest… yep, I’m definitely trying it. The more involved you get with time, the more you need one. Go for it.

        Hannah
        @salome01w4g
          • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
          • Total Posts: 991

          alrighty…… my schedule for the next week of writing just got way hard…. 😀 thank you for the advice! @kate-flournoy

          ~I don’t know what I’m doing~

          #40739
          Kate Flournoy
          @kate-flournoy
            • Rank: Chosen One
            • Total Posts: 3976

            @Salome01w4g *grins* You can do it. Go forth and conquer.

            Hannah
            @salome01w4g
              • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
              • Total Posts: 991

              @kate-flournoy

              deep breath, means I have to do lots of ahem…. history research…. :'(

              ~I don’t know what I’m doing~

              #40742
              Anonymous
                • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                • Total Posts: 1330

                I totally get you, @salome01w4g! I despise outlining too and until recently, I had never done any unless it was required in school or something. The way that @that_writer_girl_99 said to do it has really worked great for me. It doesn’t take long, and it isn’t like the standard Roman numeral, Arabic numeral, a, b, c, thing. All you have to do is write down every detail of your story on a blank sheet of paper. It is so easy and fast. I kind of had to outline my story when it was already half way done, but it still worked and my story is going GREAT now. I hope this helps a little.

                #40743
                Kate Flournoy
                @kate-flournoy
                  • Rank: Chosen One
                  • Total Posts: 3976

                  @salome01w4g ooh brother, now there I do not envy you. 😛

                  Hannah
                  @salome01w4g
                    • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
                    • Total Posts: 991

                    yep, I doubt ANYONE envies my position 😉 @kate-flournoy (also this is totally unrelated , how do you pronounce you last name??)

                    ~I don’t know what I’m doing~

                    #40748
                    Kate Flournoy
                    @kate-flournoy
                      • Rank: Chosen One
                      • Total Posts: 3976

                      @Salome01w4g Heh. It’s Flor-noy. The Flour rhymes with door. 😉

                      Catwing
                      @catwing
                        • Rank: Chosen One
                        • Total Posts: 2557

                        @salome01w4g I wrote two drafts and started a third before I outlined… So I outlined the fourth draft. Never too late! 😸

                        IMMA KAPEEFER! Til we're old and gray!

                        #40846
                        Hannah R.
                        @his-instrument
                          • Rank: Loyal Sidekick
                          • Total Posts: 229

                          @salome01w4g I just figured out that it’s great to outline in post-it notes. I write each plot point on a different note and stick it on my bedroom wall. Each character has their own color, and I write the year/date of the occurrence in one of the top corners so it’s consistent throughout. So you’ll end up with a line of post-it notes all across your wall. And you can move pieces around until you get it the way it satisfies you. Then, take them all and stick them on a piece of paper, in order, and put it in a page-protector. Or, once you’ve got the colorful visual, type it up in an orderly way. It works for me because I like to see things in bright colors and moveable pieces. It helps my brain. 🙂 Anyway, I used that method a couple of chapters into one of my fantasy stories, and it’s worked out so far.

                          YA Fantasy Writer
                          Obsessive Character Namer
                          Find me at hisinstrumentblog.wordpress.com

                          #40848
                          Catwing
                          @catwing
                            • Rank: Chosen One
                            • Total Posts: 2557

                            @his-instrument Great idea!

                            IMMA KAPEEFER! Til we're old and gray!

                            #40865
                            SeekJustice
                            @seekjustice
                              • Rank: Chosen One
                              • Total Posts: 3365

                              @salome01w4g I second everyone else here, it is never too late to outline and I thoroughly suggest you do it.

                              INFP Queen of the Kingdom commander of an army of origami cranes and a sabre from Babylon.

                              #40887
                              Hannah
                              @salome01w4g
                                • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
                                • Total Posts: 991

                                @his-instrument oh that is a really good idea!! Thanks!

                                @seekjustice
                                , thank you!!

                                ~I don’t know what I’m doing~

                                #41035
                                Anonymous
                                  • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                                  • Total Posts: 1486

                                  @salome01w4g Yep I agree with everyone. It is never too late to outline. 🙂 I also find it helpful to write down what my main characters (The protagonist, antagonist, major side characters, etc.) want and what they could do to achieve those goals, along with how those goals can get in the way of each other.

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