By Alegra Clarke
I have this belief that there are authors born with an invisible third ear tuned to stories floating around in the ether. They don’t need to plan, all they have to do is pick up their pen and tilt their head to invite the stories to dive into their minds.
I am definitely not one of them. Terror was the only reason I began my first novel attempt without an outline. I knew that if I paused long enough to think about what I was doing I would be paralyzed like a rabbit in oncoming headlights.
My first attempt at something other than a short story was born out of a caffeine-induced dare. After a surf session, I was sitting at a café in New Zealand enjoying a soup-bowl sized mug of coffee with my friend when she suggested that we both attempt to write a romance novel. Never able to pass up a dare, I was game. We brainstormed our ideas and I ended up writing “His Picture, Her Words” a story about a female journalist and a big wave surfer with a dark past.
My first query was met with rejection. I reassessed and sent it out again, this time receiving my first taste of success; I had made it out of the slush pile with a request for the full manuscript. Once the editor had the entire story I imagine it became clear I was treading water to get myself to shore. While the manuscript was ultimately rejected, it gave me the confidence to begin again, and this time with a little more courage to contemplate what I wanted to do and why. Key word being ‘little’ but isn’t there some saying about all it takes is the faith of the mustard seed?
Even though I was never destined to write romances, it taught me about the structure and discipline needed to write 70,000 words or more. I now use outlines even for rewrites of short stories, not because the writing will be obedient to the outline but because in the process of outlining, I develop my own temporary third ear. An outline forces me to contemplate the story and to ask myself some difficult questions about why I am writing it. I am finding that more often than not, I am surprised by the answers.
A synopsis is often described as a roadmap, it can’t convey the landscape, but it gives a sense of direction and makes the prospect of beginning less daunting. Right now, I may not know what the ending of my novel looks like, but I have a sense of where I need to go to get there.
I have found three travel guides for this journey invaluable. These books are dog-eared, thick with highlighted passages and always close at hand when I am in need of inspiration:
Writing the Breakout Novel
by Donald Maass
First on my list because of all the books on writing a novel I have read, this one continues to be invaluable in the way it inspires me, helping me to ask those difficult questions that lead to the heart of a story. I have no doubt it will be returned to again and again.
Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go
by Les Edgerton
Devoted to the importance of beginnings, and by the nature of beginnings, also helps in contemplating the importance of the middle and end.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
by By Anne Lamott
How to describe Anne Lamott? This book is my writer’s bible, meaning that whenever the bogeyman of doubt comes creeping into my mind all I have to do is pick up her book at any random page and read a line. She casts out mental demons with a humor like none other.
Follow Alegra Clarke’s writing journeys on her blog.
Flickr photo by marcodede
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
As always, a great post Alegra. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Last week on my blog I officially announced to the world that I was embarking on my first attempt at writing a novel. I realized about an hour after sending the note that I have no idea how I’m going to complete a project of this scale. The nerves set in. Seriously. And have been lingering like a summer cold every since.
So far the tilted head hasn’t resulted in so much. So on to the synopsis!
It’s pretty exciting, feeling like I’ve reached into the lions cage in hopes of a nuzzle from the great beast, instead of the other possible outcome.
Thanks again for the words of wisdom.
Sid.
I couldn’t agree more; outlines are my anchor when writing. From a course I took with the Institute of Children’s Literature, I learned how to create an outline/synopsis and it’s been one of the most valuable things I’ve learned as a writer. Thanks for the references to the 3 books. I’ve read Bird by Bird, but I haven’t read the first two, so I’ll be sure to check them out!
Great post! After reading about it in several places, I’m beginning to think I really need the Maass book…
How fascinating. It’s great to see how different writers work. I seem to have the third ear thing going on. I do use rough notes, but nothing so concrete as an outline. It all just flows.
Keep going, keep trying. I’ve had deals on the table fall through and still keep on. It’s worth it.
With love,
J xx
I think the best part of this is not knowing what your ending is or will be. It’s great to have an end goal, but I firmly believe it should be a broad goal, like “we are going to Italy for our vacation”, as opposed to “We are going to Florence to take pictures of the original 15th century architecture in the Basilica of Santa Croce.” There’s no mystery there. One of the true joys in writing is when you, as the writer, are surprised by what happens and how your characters evolve. Having the roadmap is sometimes essential, but it shouldn’t dictate exactly what you see on the journey.
Caffeine-induced post-surfing romance novel challenges. Sound too eerily close to drunken bungee jumping to me: nothing but pain waits at the bottom. But that’s just me, I’m a lumberjack. And I’m okay.
Greg
I’m not sure why this post was any different than any of the countless others I’ve read on writing, publishing, etc, however, it struck me in a different way.
This time, I heard your words, I thought of my own soup bowl of coffee, and decided that as soon as I have a little more time, I am going to actually try to write again.
Even if I am the only one who reads it.
Alegra I love to hear about your process. Outlines scare me for some reason. I think because you have it staring there at you and the next step is to dive in to the real nitty gritty. But I think it is very effective and I can use some of your ideas for my own creative projects. I love to hear all your details and I would be curious to read that first romance novel…
Alyx
nice form in that pic! and great post!
@ Sid: Exactly why I’m a believer in grand, public declarations, it is like being thrown in the deep end to learn how to swim!
@Kimberly: I agree, a synopsis is a real safety net and makes it much easier to take the leap
@Kristan: The book is a worthy investment, I hope you search it out.
@Joely: I have a borderline obsession with wanting to pick the brains of other writers! Thank you for your words of support, you know they go a long way on this journey.
@Greg: You are a lumberjack and more than okay, it is a beautiful thing. You know, in a lumberjack-kinda-way.
@Chrissa: Write! Write! Write!
@Alyx: I have found the best bait to deal with fear is bribery. Try a big cup of chai or something shiny and pretty ;o)
@ TB: it is nice form, isn’t it?;o)
Love that pic! Also loving the way your mind works, you always amaze me!
Thank you for reading WildFire…I love the pic too, but I am finding it very distracting. I keep dreaming of days down in Baja with my belly full of mango and nothing on the agenda but hours of surfing and eating. *sigh* I hope I can convince my daughter to be a surfer. she is already a little thrill seeker at two years old!
Even though I don’t like the idea of an outline, I think it’s probably the only way I’ll ever really finish something. I write in spurts when I get an idea and then tire quickly. The problem is trying to turn a cocktail napkin and an envelope into something that makes sense later. …. Annnnddd my big theory is that you used to be the opposite of an outliner. Not just with the writing, but in general. I believe that you still have that third ear, you just aren’t listening to it all the time.
thank you Alegra, you are really an inspiration. And thank you for the helpful tips. It is my intention this week to put an outline together. I get so overwhelmed by information overload that I just shut down from all the different directions I could go with something. I wonder if you have any tips for this–staying interested and focused on one thing. Also, I mainly write nonfiction–any tips for nonfiction writers?
@ PJ: I think you might find that outlining has a creativity of its own and as you said (only I am sort of redirecting the thought) about the third ear, you made me realize that writing a synopsis, outlining, etc. actually has a way of tuning in that way of listening rather than diminishing it.
I think what I have learned is that the free-flow writing is like a burst, a vivid snatch of dream, but in order to connect all of those cocktail napkin scribblings as you mentioned, into a larger whole, sitting back and looking at the words you have collected and trying to note what they are telling you has, for me, required the use of things like outlining and contemplating.
But, as I mentioned, I am also learning that while my initial attempts at a synopsis were robotic feeling, there is a flow to an outline and it in no way defines or takes away from the vividness of dreaming fiction – I think it just allows me to sustain that dream for longer.
I don’t know if a word of this has made sense…but I trust in your ability to translate ;o)
@ Julia: Oh how I know about the onslaught of angles and ideas! For me, I have discovered that there is often a theme or angle that continues to reveal itself in any project I am attempting. I often use mind maps, jotting down images, thoughts, etc. and seeing how they are related to one another and if there is a common theme connecting them. With a longer project it is essential me to focus on something that I feel passionate about or I will lose interest and the writing will fall flat. I think this would be true for fiction or non-fiction. I often borrow some of my strategies from writing essays at University for approaching my fiction – I group my ideas, see how they feed into one another and then find a metaphor or theme to tie it all in.
I hope this helps! I don’t know if I have been useful or more confusing! :oP
As usual, a useful, informative, insightful and entertaining blog. Well done, Al.
Look at that sweet lil bottom turn! Where were you? Looks fun. Sigh, I haven’t been for a surf in AGES. (I’m burnt out on the COLD & the fickle conditions. Not to mention the ex-boyfriend factor.)
But speaking of surfing and the writing process…outlining…drawing your line on a wave…nice connection! And to your point, I don’t know how anyone writes without some kind of outline. The beautiful thing being, of course, it’s your outline, so you can make all the detours you want.
Nice bloggin, Lady. And…I think I should mention…for the record…the idea was to write trashy novels from remote surfing locations and make millions.
And I’m not gonna lie…the combination of surfing, sex, millions of dollars, and a predictable happy ending still sounds good!
Cheers,
kapeka
Why does it not surprise me that your first novel came from a dare? :P
Thank you for sharing how you are inspired. I love to read, but more and more I’ve been reading the notes from the authors to see what sparks the novel. I like to read about the thought or image that planted the seed. Needless to say, it’s been amazing to be around while you actively live the journey.
Alegra,
Thanks so much for the inspiring story and the book list!
Off to Amazon I go!
Cheers
George
@Kapeka: Shhhhh…it isn’t me in the picture. But it could be right? Right? I have to give Maria all the credit for coming up with the surfing picture tie-in but I don’t think either of us had caught the ‘line’ metaphor, nice one chiquita. But what else would I expect from the master of disaster Miss Lopez?
I need to surf more, I really do. I miss it like crazy. I caught a few waves this season but not enough. And I am such a wimp about the cold, even here where the winter is ala Southern California.
And I am glad you set the record straight, you notice how I didn’t give even a broad stroke of some of our crazy story ideas…
If you moved to NZ, we would be writing, surfing fools.
@ Tomi: thank you!
@ Debbi: as always thank you for all of your support. Whenever I buy a new book or even while browsing I often go first to the brief biography of the author or any additional info that might give me insight into the author’s life – I love to have a sense of who they are as a person and how the story evolved.
@ Tumblemoose: You’re welcome! I hope you find at least one of the books helpful, each one has a very different approach.
I almost always outline. It is a skill I picked up in English 101 and I have never let it go. It helps me weed out the fleeting thoughts from the true stories waiting for me to breathe life into them.
@ Trista: You summed it up perfectly. I actually went back to my postgraduate essay writing approach to figure out how to combine research, ideas, and outline into a novel. An outline really does act like a filter. I find the outline flows when I am on the right track, it becomes awkward when I don’t believe in my own ideas. It means I am not hearing the story properly – the passion or heart of the story is not there.
My husband is the writer in our family, and he is adamant about outlining everything. It amazes me how long he can sit and just write and write and write (which is why I am usually on here peddling my trinkets or painting).
He has 5 finished screenplays so far, god knows how many songs, short stories, etc. He entered one of the screenplays into a contest on Kevin Spacey’s site a few years ago and was ranked in the top 10 out of thousands for a bit (pardon my bragging).
A short story of his is supposed to be published in a little science fiction magazine sometime soon, but we’re kind of wondering if maybe the magazine went under. (and again, pardon my bragging. he’s just so frigging talented, and i want people to see it.)
Anyway, you two should connect. He would enjoy you, I am positive. Send him an invite on Facebook if you think of it. You would have so much to talk about.
You know how I feel about organization and outlines and such. My creativity thrives on chaos. In a Chaos Garden, my roses would stay in full bloom year round, but go in and dig up the weeds, space out the flowers, make it nice and neat…and well, pblbt there go my pretty rosebuds of inspiration.
However, since I love and adore you so much, I might be willing to try this outline thingy you speak of. Especially since banging my head against the keyboard doesn’t seem to be working any longer.
It’s a shame I never realized it before, but Pete and I seem to be like kindred writing spirits (don’t get jealous my dear, you’re still my PSM!) in the sense that we both write in spurts, and abhor outlines. But I think it’s going to be the only thing that tames this Wild Mind of mine (you love my Natalie Goldberg reference, don’t you?).
What you said, about that third ear, has been my enemy thought for so long. I always wondered why I had such a passion for writing, why I thirsted to weave tapestries full of rich, vibrant language if I didn’t have that ‘third ear’ you mentioned.
But after 30 years, I have come to realize that while I might lack a third ear, I don’t lack the ability to hear what I need to hear.
You make me want to be a better writer.
I love love love that I get to go on this journey with you. I expect total handholding when it’s my turn.
@ Michelle: Brag away! He is lucky to have such a supportive spouse and it makes a big difference to have someone believe in you like that. His accomplishments are definitely something to be proud of, each victory should be counted and celebrated.
I am always keen to meet another writer – I gain so much strength and inspiration in my connections with others, especially in moments when I need to commiserate or just laugh like mad.
@ Kemari: Kudos for the Natalie Goldberg. And yes, you and Pete are definitely kindred spirits. If you two joined forces it
I think if you give it a shot you will find the outline process gives you a similiar type satisfaction as contemplating how you want to set up a website or the environment you are writing in (both are things I know you enjoy doing), and keep in mind that an outline doesn’t have to be the ENTIRE book, just enough to get you to the middle with a rough idea of what you want the ending to look like. At least this is the approach I am taking. I am trusting that as I write, the synopsis will work as a lighthouse keeping me headed in the right direction.
I have total faith in your third ear. I have read your stories. Speaking of, have you submitted yet?
*ahem*
oops…my sentence about you and Pete disappeared. I might just leave it as a cliffhanger.
It seems appropriate.
;o)
I always love hearing about your journeys. Thank you for the list of guides – Bird By Bird is a wonderful book with some excellent points. I love Lamott and I think she’s a riot. Wishing you the best of luck with finding the next words, and I can’t wait to hear the net chapters of your worlds unfolding.
Late to the ‘game’ here, but fabulous post. I very much liked Les Edgerton’s book; it made me rethink the opening of my first novel. The concept that an action (or lack of action) very close to the beginning has to serve as the catalyst or rationale for the rest of the story was a fresh approach from other craft books and recommendations.
I don’t write a synopsis or outline per se, but I do a lot of ‘pre-writing’ before plunging into a story: character sketches, thinking through obstacles and plotlines, a lot of writing through structure (POV, tense). I’m embarking on my second novel and I know my beginning and I know my ending, just not sure on the middle. This, for me, is the fun part of the ride.
I always enjoy your wisdom and generosity in sharing it… Peace, Linda
Hello Linda,
Great to read your comment this morning. In fact, you have inspired me to do some browsing through Edgerton’s book again in contemplating the editing on the first three chapters.
Your process sounds very similiar to mine. At this point I have pages of ‘test runs’ that equal character sketches in the making, possible scenes, possible trajectories of plot – I am finding that while there is a main thrust to all of it and certain milestones that remain almost the same, the novel continues to define itself every day. The details emerge as I do the writing and figure out what works and doesn’t work. For example, even last night I was watching a movie and understood that the central conflict was like a two legged stool – the movie gave me the possible third leg but I am still mulling it over, testing my ideas.
Best,
ALegra
Ha ha! I caught it last night…right before I fell asleep…I thought to myself, ‘I don’t remember Alegra being goofey-footed.’ But, you’re right, it could’ve been you in the photo. Totally. Now had you picked one of “you” smashing the lip a-la-Keala-Kennelly-style, I might’ve been a lil more suspicious ;) But that skinny tan girl with a sweet lil bottom turn, that’s you.
I often get a reaction equivalent to running off screaming in fear when I mention outlining. I think it scares the bejesus out of people because they remember all those horrid outlining exercises they had to do in school.
http://www.eths.k12.il.us/manual_of_form_and_style/outlining.html
Then they assume they must rigidly adhere to the outline. I’d run away too!
It doesn’t have to be that way. An outline can take on many forms and be as general as you like. It is just a set of guideposts to get you from point A to point B. They don’t have to be rigid and conform to high school style guides. No one is going to grade your outline.
I use a very loose outline at the start of a story, and then gen up more detailed outlines a few chapters ahead as I go. The detailed outlines follow the general flow of the loose outline, but capture those strokes of insight one gets while actually writing.
~jon
Jon-
Exactly! And I am so glad to hear that you take a general approach and then more detailed planning as you go because I have been finding that is working really well for me. Always nice to get the validation that another writer is using the same method.
:o)
Does an outline count if it’s in your head? Maybe I’ll get around to being disciplined and actually writing one of these days. In the meantime, I think my calling is line editing the work of friends. Except that yours never needs it.
I never thought I would have to outline like this but the more I have learned by attempt and failure, including some of my short stories, I have realized that for my mind, I really need an outline as a ‘plumb line’ of sorts to keep the story and themes focused. Otherwise, my words spread like a wild garden.
You are a superb editor AND writer.
Confessions of an Outline Rebel…
Hi and sorry for the late arrival!
I never used to use an outline confident that my way was the best way for me because my finished pieces always got good marks. However, there was always much mental anquish involved in writing them. The disorganization and the accompanying angst when I lost my train of thought…the way too many revisions because I didn’t have good flow (which an outline definitely helps to facilitate), and the generally chaotic state of mind as an Outline Rebel led me to finally accept a new path.
One day I read a book by one of my professors that advised first spilling your thoughts out on paper in an endless stream of consciousness on the topic you wished to write about. No matter what the words were…spill ‘em and damn the punctuation. That’s step one. Step two involves rereading and discarding stuff that doesn’t fit your vision of the end result. Step three involves creating an outline from the writing brainstorm.
So…I’m not a ‘writer’ per se…just a creative individual who does tend to write on occasion and toys with the idea of one day writing a novel or memoirs or something to that effect. Maybe the brainstorming thing and subsequent whittling down to manageable outline is old-hat to you pros out there, but I think it’s great! I know the professor is on target as he has been published many times, including screen plays. Using his technique improved my writing greatly.
Having said that…while I have never attempted a novel, I’ve written several successful research and creative papers this way. I enjoy the process much more than my old method of pulling fleeting ideas out of the maelstrom of my mind sporadically as I progress with the writing. Which is not to say that capturing those ideas willy-nilly is a bad thing. What I’m trying to say is much as you’ve said in this blog, Alegra…that the outline creates the focus and the map for the work. Because the main ideas are there, you don’t have to try to pull them out of the air later and smack yourself in the forehead saying, “Why didn’t I write down that thought when I thought of it ’cause I can’t remember it now and it was so incredibly perfect at the time?” The outline gives the artist/writer the freedom to welcome new ideas and pull them in when they come along, not worrying about remembering the original ideas.
I also save my written streams of consciousness, which are often useful to go back to. I frequently find other threads to pick up for new writing ideas if I didn’t use them in the original project. I may write up to twenty pages of stream of consciousness only to whittle the idea down to a page or two of information for my outline.
It’s a great method for me!
Also, I recently picked up a few books on writing. Haven’t had much time to look under the hood, but plan on investigating further this summer. I’ll see if I can find your recommendations. I think I saw “Bird by Bird” during my bookstore excavation, er, shopping trip.
Here’s what I picked up:
Booth, Wayne C. et. al. “The Craft of Research” 2nd Ed.
Wiesner, Karen S. “First Draft in 30 Days”
Morrell, Jessica P. “Bullies, Bastards, and Bitches: How to Write the Bad Guys of Fiction”
Have you heard of them? Maybe I’ll pop them in my suitcase in August if you want to take a peek…
Love Ya! Keep up the good work!