Question for outliners...

[Kali]

I never outline. Well, almost never. Halfway through a story I might jot down some thoughts on where it could go, or if I get in a tangle I'll think out loud on paper. But now I have these ideas for this epic fantasy I've been wanting to write.  I'm outlining mostly as a way of getting the ideas down so I don't forget them. I'm kind of enjoying this spate of pre-writing. I'm writing sloppy paragraphs like this (none of this is actually in my outline):

Jill goes to well, finds bucket outside on the ground. Problem, she worries about it. Finds bucket dented, smear of blood. Worries Jack's in well, but no sign of him.  Turns to look at distant hill; did he go without her? Turns to go, sees wolf tracks, assumes wolf has Jack. Remembers wolf vowing revenge for 3 pigs incident.  Knows she'll need help. She'll have to go to the woodsman. Afraid of him, poss. former relationship? Will ex help her rescue current boyfriend from big bad wolf?

The question is, how do you know when your outline is enough to fill a book vs. too much for one book? Can you judge book length by your outline?

[jeno]

You can if you outline chapter by chapter. Otherwise you'll just have to go with

Can you judge book length by your outline?

You can if you outline chapter by chapter, like JK Rowling did when plotting the HP books. If you don't outline by chapter, then you'll have to do some estimates. Luckily, that shouldn't be too hard if you know your own style/tendencies well. An outline is just a structure for the story in your head. If you use them often enough you start to get a feel for how long things will be, at least in the first draft.

But in the end, the only one who can say if an outline covers enough material for a full novel is you.

[LizW65]

I frequently outline each chapter, mostly because I have complicated plots that I can't remember otherwise (I often end up changing things, though.)  How much detail really depends on what I'm trying to do with a particular scene, though--for a mostly action scene, I might write something like "Big fight in bar, Bill injured, taken to hospital.  Cops called.  Laura unnerved.  Bartender says man in fedora came in yesterday--what mean for Our Heroes??  We get some of Laura's backstory here--she recalls incident at summer cottage."  Or whatever.  Usually my chapter outlines end up running 1/2 a page to a page, single spaced, which might cover about 20 pages of manuscript, but that's just a very rough estimate.

[The Deposed King]

I frequently outline each chapter, mostly because I have complicated plots that I can't remember otherwise (I often end up changing things, though.)  How much detail really depends on what I'm trying to do with a particular scene, though--for a mostly action scene, I might write something like "Big fight in bar, Bill injured, taken to hospital.  Cops called.  Laura unnerved.  Bartender says man in fedora came in yesterday--what mean for Our Heroes??  We get some of Laura's backstory here--she recalls incident at summer cottage."  Or whatever.  Usually my chapter outlines end up running 1/2 a page to a page, single spaced, which might cover about 20 pages of manuscript, but that's just a very rough estimate.

With my first completed book (rough draft just finished the 31st of last month) I had a firm background for the first character and I knew his personality.  then I set up a series of major events he was going to be involved in.  Most he caused, several he was swept up in.  Then I decided my starting place and the series of events as they were going to transpire.

It was like this:

Starting Point: Dreadnaught Class Heavy Cruiser, in small cabin.

Events:  Imperials Abandon Sector and Turn ship over to formerly figureheaded leader.

Sub-Event: Organize crew

Sub-Event: Arrest Attempt on main character

Event: Pick up Prize ships before Imperials get them

Event: Answer distress call

Event: destroy or run off pirates and save Settlers

Event: Go to Native world with intent to get marines and future base  (charter thinks he's saving Settlers from broken ship and finding a safe temporary location)

Event: Bug Menace

Sub-Event: save native bug prisoners

Sub-Event: go down to the planet to secure permission for settlers to land

Sub-Event: former settler escort catches up with the Heavy Cruiser, due to engine troubles

Event: Return to Confederation Space

Co-Event: Mutinous or Piratical former Fleet Mates spotted

Sub-Event: go to deal with them

Co-Event: Imperial Cruiser are seizing Constructor ships that don't belong to the Empire under the auspices they are imperial assets.

Sub-Event: stop those piratical Imperial pirates!

Event:  Main Battle with Imperial Medium Cruiser


Its wasn't quite as official looking as all that.  However all the Main Events were in my mind.  Most of the sub-events were notions of things I wanted to do if I was a good enough writer to fit them into the story.  But how I got there was entirely up to me.  Which allowed for my sense of fun and adventure to break free without queering the deal with me losing my way from lack of a clear sense of what was going to happen next.

But that's just me and its not yet finished editing yet.

Hope it helps.


The Deposed King