Fluid Outlines

In school, we were always taught about the outline and how important it is. The basics of writing anything with the beginning, middle, and end. The outline is meant to help map out the story, help you structure it, and know where you’re going. But sometimes it’s okay to just throw it away. Some feel lost without it; some feel stressed just having it, and some might be fixated on having one cause it’s what you’re “supposed” to do. I think an important step in writing is to let go of that rigid way of thinking, as if these are rules similar to the lines in a coloring book. They’re more like suggestions really.

Whether or not you can work with an outline depends on the style and method of the writer. It’s those who are the more leap-and-let-the-story-find-you type that prefer to go without an outline as opposed to setting out with a specific idea to tell a specific story. Outlines are certainly valuable for that purpose, or when you’re maybe just starting something and you’re still brainstorming ideas and narrative beats. However, it could be a good idea to toss it out every now and then. Get a little crazy and jump with a blindfold.

I find outlines to be more of a hindrance than anything else. They’re stifling and stressful to even bother with. That’s likely from my indecisive nature that needs to actually start the story and see it laid out in the flesh to help me make my decisions, but I also straight up see the absence of them as liberating.

Following an outline step by step, where you go out of your way to fit into the lines is not always the best thing to do. Things will change as you write because as you’re transferring it from your head to paper or screen, things begin to evolve, and usually, that alters the narrative, structure, or character choices. Not a single one of my stories ended as I originally intended for them to end. When I started my first story, I’d spend hours building an outline and struggling to figure a plan out. Then all it’d take was a single chapter, and I’d already be off track from what my outline said. It took me a long time before I decided to do away with them altogether.

If they work for you, that’s terrific but, if you find yourself struggling to manage one, then let me take you by the hand and say, if it’s not for you, it’s not a big deal. Just junk it and go.

Rachel Roth