Some writers are outliners and others are seat-of-the-pantsers. I used to be the latter. I loved setting off in search of a story with no idea where the journey might lead me. But over the years, as a result of getting lost in numerous detours and hitting too many dead ends to count, I’ve become a bit more of an outliner. Not a super nit-picky, detailed, know-everything-that’s-going-to-happen sort, but an outliner with a penchant for seat-of-the-pants thrills.

Actually, I don’t outline at all, in the traditional sense. What I do is write a synopsis before I begin a draft. Before the first draft, my synopsis might only be a page long: beginning, middle, and end. But I find that even that simple level of structure gives me a sense of where I’m going while still providing plenty of room for exploration, sudden brainstorms, and chance flashes of genius (yeah, right). It’s like the difference between setting off on a trip with no map or GPS and no idea of what your destination will be and embarking on the same journey with a map in the glove compartment, in case you need it. Even if you never end up using the map, it’s nice to have it handy.

Once I have a first draft completed, I go back and rewrite the synopsis. This time, of course, it’s much more detailed. What I’m looking for are connections: cause and effect, relationships between characters and events. Writing out the story in synopsis form helps me identify and strengthen these connections. It’s where I get “aha”s about how I might be able to combine characters and reorder events for more impact and/or efficiency. Many times, it’s where I actually come to understand what I’m trying to say.

So if you’re of those writers who thinks that writing a synopsis is just a chore to get through, something to submit to an agent or editor, think again. A synopsis can be your road map, your guide, and your key to discovering your story.

Tags: first draft, writing process

This entry was posted on Friday, June 22nd, 2012 at 9:38 am and is filed under Work in Progress. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.