Hello again, dear blog reader. In this post, I will tackle the arduous task of outlining a novel, and then blow that out of the water with a radically different theory. First, I don’t want to put you off, but every story has been told before in one way or another. Details change here and there, and characters names vary, but overall it has been done before. With that in mind, here are a few questions you should be asking yourself to be able to outline a book, generally before you even put the first words down. Question 1 – Are you creating your own world or using ours?There is a reason why fantasy novels are generally about 120,000 words whereas real-world mystery or crime novels are closer to 70,000. Creating your own world is hard work, but not as hard as it is explaining that world to someone who has never seen it. A borough of London or New York is more natural to describe because you can actually go there, make notes and take pictures. Generally, the people you explain it to will have done some of the list themselves. Taking the time to describe a new world takes up reader time. It's a knife-edge balance between over explaining the magical type of plant which can cure this particular curse (thus grinding the story to a halt) and grabbing a curing plant (thus robbing the reader of the what and why behind the cure) Even the late great Terry Pratchett, who I rank among my favourite authors of all time, created his own world and then used variations of real-world situations to excellent effect, sometimes even taking other stories and twisting them to fit his world. Masquerade, for instance, is a superb Discworldification (yes I made that up, but it works well) of Phantom of the Opera. Question 2 - What do you want your character to overcome?Every story has something for the main character to overcome. Harry had an evil wizard and growing up at school. Romeo had the family feud. Katniss had a corrupt government and leader. It doesn’t have to be world shattering. You can tell a good story in making a cup of tea if it isn’t something your main character (MC) can do easily. Perhaps water is tightly rationed or expensive, and MC goes through hardship to provide a tea so their grandfather can toast their departed grandmother. Perhaps an accident has paralysed MC and being able to make a cup of tea on their own is the first step to coping. My point is, nothing comes easy to anyone so why should it to your MC? Put obstacles in their way, especially if they don’t see them coming, and make them overcome it. Better yet, make them struggle to overcome it. Will a choice take something from them? Are you going to have a “Needs of the many” moment? A book where your MC easily overcomes the issues is not exciting, not gripping and most importantly, not very good. BUT, and I say this with all the importance I can, don’t go too far the other way. You don’t want them climbing Everest with a spork. It still has to be believable. Question 3 - Who will help or hinder them along the way?The one-man army doesn’t work anymore. Even Bond has Q and the gadgets. Frodo had Sam and Gollum. Luke had Yoda and Han. Will there be a circle of friends or an organisation to call on for help? Will some of those friends turn out to be working for the other side? Will those frenemies have a last minute change of heart and turn to the good? Will the friend have a last minute change of heart and turn to the bad? Secondary and tertiary characters aren’t just there to provide options for dialogue, character levels can be fluid, and sometimes a secondary character can become the MC for a while. Is Gru the MC or are the minions? They can provide twists and turns to the plot and can check the behaviour of the MC. You can write the MC off a cliff if there is a secondary character to pull them back. Sometimes that’s the entire plot. Question 4 - Does the book warrant a happy ending or a realistic ending.Let’s face it, MC’s get shot, stabbed, electrocuted, blown up and burned. While it generally makes good reading, you have to decide whether you want your MC to walk away at the end, having just escaped a building exploding, being shot multiple times and after an extended fist fight, or something more akin to the end of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. Will the love interest walk away with the MC? Will the MC mourn the love interest, or will the love interest walk away mourning the MC, or will nobody walk away? The Radical TheoryLots of writers and authors plan their books methodically down to the last detail. It helps to have a clear path from page one to “The End”.
However, I count myself among those who write with only a vague idea of the story we want to tell. We write the first short draft like the skeleton of the book, then go back through and add the organs in the second write, the muscles in the third, the skin in the next and the clothes in the last. Once that is all done, only then is the story complete and the editing can begin. It’s reminiscent of being back in the playground making up worlds and games with your friends; you didn’t need an eighteen point plan to turn your stick into a light sabre or your bed into the bridge of a starship. Not everyone can do it. Not everyone should do it. But if you can, why not see where it takes you. You can always change it when you finish.
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Craig BoldyBorn in South Yorkshire, he lives there with his wife and Labrador. Working a normal 9-5 while filling his nights with writing. Categories
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November 2018
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