[stylist] Novel Outlines/research

Wed Jul 14 01:58:16 UTC 2010

Hi Lori,
Thanks for sharing this. I think it is so important to be well informed, 
accurate and consistent in writing. Calling it fiction doesn't excuse 
anything. The more realistic your work is -- even the fantasies -- the 
more believable. There might have been some battles with native 
Americans in 1820, but your budding author friend should have 
thought/researched her subject a bit more thoroughly. It is amazing how 
little things like that can ruin a perfectly good story.

Donna

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loristay wrote:
> I don't use outlines per se.  Sometimes I'll write a short story, then expand on that.  If I know how it ends, well and good.  I don't always.  That sometimes means I have to toss out material that doesn't work.
>
> What I do find some writers do is to write without researching, and then they get caught in a glaring error.  One recently gave me material to read in which she said her main character's father died in battle in 1820.  So I asked, who was fighting in the U.S. in 1820?  I knew about the war of 1812, and the Alamo, which I'm told is 1836, and the civil war, about 1858, but not 1820.  When I asked about it, she said, "oh, I just picked a date."
> Now it's possible there was some fighting going on in 1820 in some obscure place.  But she hadn't done her research, and I picked up on it.  I'm not a historian, so if I picked up on it, so would just about anyone who read the piece.
> Lori
>
> On Jul 11, 2010, at 5:45:43 PM, "James H. \" <n6yr at sunflower.com> wrote:
>
> From:   "James H. \" <n6yr at sunflower.com>
> Subject:    Re: [stylist] Novel Outlines
> Date:   July 11, 2010 5:45:43 PM EDT
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Joe,
> if you look back a few issues of slate and style, you can find my 
> article "herding your ideas" where I deal with this.
>
> outlines are not the end all and be all.
> I think for nonfiction they're pretty much a requirement for a piece 
> of over 500-words. but for fiction, authors have used all kinds of methods.
>
> for organizing fiction writing for myself I don't use something like 
> an outline, nowhere near that organized or precise.
> I take ideas and elements and string them together into what I call a 
> "sketch" just written like a paragraph only I use telegraphic 
> language since I'm the only one who's reading it.
> then I can go back and stick in other elements or cross connections 
> once I have the plot line put together.
>
> as I write from one of these, I sometimes find I have to reorganize 
> during the composition, usually putting things together in a different order.
>
> some authors journal while they write. the journals allow them to 
> quickly put down ideas related to other story elements where they're 
> not composing at the time, or to other pieces 
> altogether. journalizing allows those ideas to be dealt with quickly 
> to avoid distraction during composition.
>
> hope this helps Joe.
> jc
>
> At 02:55 PM 7/11/2010, you wrote:
>   
>> Hello all,
>>
>> Okay, so my so-called novel is coming along at a decent hum. Who knows if
>> it will ever amount to anything, but damn it, at least it's coming along!
>> So, my question: How many of you guys use outlines to write, and if you do,
>> what kind of format do you use? I'm considering a few different outcomes,
>> and although I always hesitated to use outlines for anything other than
>> academic pieces, I think I'd better become more organized. Any thoughts,
>> tips, suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks.
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves,
>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>>
>>
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