Writing Tip: Outlining is a Big Deal

“If writers wrote as carelessly as some people talk, then adhasdh asdglaseuyt[bn[ pasdlgkhasdfasdf.”
- Lemony Snicket, Horseradish

I've come to realize that while randomly writing is great fun, it sometimes leads to disaster, or at the least, much more work later on when it comes time to edit.

Outlining is the trick.

Careful, detailed outlining, with lots of arrows, highlights, and references, sets the path clearly before the writer. I've found outlining to be a huge boon when I am zipping along, adding this and that. It helps me to not forget those clever ideas I had once upon a time when I was brainstorming.

Part of my writing pursuits involve creating curriculum for the teachers of young children. As a result of this passion, I work from the mindset of brainstorming. And the only way to organize my wild and fanciful ideas is to plot them in the middle of an outlining chart.

Yes, there are many formats for outlining. I regularly change which form I am using for different purposes. Grids, numbers, alphabet letters, index cards, wall charts, spread sheets, sticky notes . . . An outline can take any shape the writer requires for specific projects.

Outlining = Planning

Some tips for using an outline:

~ Find what works for you. Adjust to fit. Many times I've taped four pieces of typing paper together to create the size of outline chart I need for a particular unit.

~ Make it fun. Use fancy paper or colored sticky notes.

~ Highlighters work wonders for coordinating important features. For instance, for curriculum, I must include a certain number of resource kit items. Highlight away, Angie!

~ Work in pencil. Right now, I love the neon-colored mechanical pencils I found at Costco. Plenty of lead, plenty of erasers.

~ Jot source page numbers right into the outline. I also place a sticky note on specific pages in the resource book and keep those books I am using in one pile until I am ready to make copies.

~ Organize your outline according to the master plan. My units involve a month of Wednesdays. Each Wednesday has to have specific activity areas. Those are all labeled for ease of use.

~ Don't feel confined by your format. Mix it up or cut and paste. Literally. My type of one-page outlines often have notes all along the margins. The occasional mix of sticky notes are haphazardly attached where needed.

~ Sketch! I always scribble in images of my ideas. The back of the outline papers usually contain stick people drawings for activities, games, and projects.

~ An outline lets you notice holes in your plan. I just found several missing bits by glancing at my outline.

~ Make your outline work for you. It is a tool to make our work easier.

The old saying, "Failing to plan = Planning to Fail" is certainly true for some, if not most, forms of writing. Even if plans are not on paper, isn't it true that there are plans and ideas bouncing around in your head?

Alrighty then. Get planning.

A Writer's Life

Having recently returned from the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference in SeaTac, Washington, I am slowly getting my brain back to normal. Suitcase is unpacked. A tub is full of notes, business cards, and receipts, waiting to be cared for. The slick girly briefcase/shoulder bag is waiting for attention. The laundry is almost complete. And the manuscript is being edited. Again. And probably will be again. Before it is shipped off to a lovely editor and a cool agent I pitched to during the conference.

If you are a writer, or want to be a writer, or used to be a writer...this conference is very beneficial. Everything I have thought over the years was verbalized, expounded on, repeated, discussed, illustrated, shown, explained, questioned... Things like writer's platform, query letters, proposals, New Adult (that one I had never heard of, nor thought of, as adults are not usually new - since they have been growing as a human since birth), pitch sessions, contracts, agents, publishers, marketing, traditional publishing, self-publishing, hybrid publishing (missed the explanation on this one), and head shots. That is not all, but the brain is sorting the muddle as I type.

People watching was most interesting. Speaking with a wide variety and caliber of writers was enlightening. Personalities and stress levels were evident, to my amusement and agreement. I did not relax until Saturday afternoon, AFTER my pitch session was over. FYI, a pitch session is very similar to speed dating, except writers pitch to editors and agents in four minute blurbs of time. Observation gave me a slight shock as I realized that some writers actually resemble what they write! I guess that means I will (or do) look like a child. I know I am as short as an elementary student.

There is much to process from four days of long sessions and experiences.

But underneath it all, we get it. Writers understand other writers and the need to write. From an early age we have needed to express ourselves with words on paper. It is hard to write. There are times we must force ourselves to write and words do not come. At other times, words flow like a river of smooth ink. Procrastination is easier than butt time. There is always something else to do. But we must write. Our souls call us to create in our minds. Ideas sneak up as we are engaged in other activities. Words, phrases, and plans are jotted on a myriad of writing surfaces. Scribbles abound in unorganized form, longing to be placed in context.

So we write. Of course, we want readers to read and understand.

But even if readers are not available, we must write.