Had to pick between a detailed outline or just winging a short story

I chose the outline for a 3,000 word sci-fi piece last week and it saved me from rewriting the whole second act. The structure kept me from jumping to a boring resolution too early. Do you usually plan scenes ahead or just see where the page takes you?

3 comments

3 Comments

jana_ellis952mo ago

And that's exactly why I lean towards outlines too, especially for anything over 1,500 words. I used to just wing it and ended up with two completely different stories fighting each other for control. The outline keeps me from getting distracted by my own shiny ideas, you know? Like last week I had this whole subplot about a malfunctioning robot that I really wanted to explore, but my outline reminded me it didn't belong in the main arc and I cut it before it bogged everything down.

blake_black472mo ago

Has anyone tried combining both? I mean, keeping a loose outline but also writing the weird tangents separately on the side. I've got a whole notebook full of malfunctioning robot side quests and alternate timelines that didn't fit the main story. It's like having a sandbox for all those shiny ideas without derailing the main thing. Then later I can go back and see if any of those wild tangles actually deserve their own story or if they were just fun brain candy. Keeps me from feeling like I'm killing my own creativity while still finishing stuff.

shane_wilson2mo ago

Usually my outlines are more like a polite suggestion to my brain, which ignores them entirely around paragraph three. Ended up with a story about a baker who also happened to be a time traveler last month because I couldn't stick to the plan. My outline is basically a receipt for a purchase I forgot to make.