Writing

What’s the most important thing that has ever happened in your character’s life? If you start from there, whether or outlining or writing by the seat of your pants, then you’ll give your story the momentum to move forward.

Regardless whether you have an outline, at some point you have to sit down and write. That is the fundamental, universal truth about writing. You can do it for one hour a day or twelve hours, but the fact of the matter is you have to sit at your computer or legal pad or blank piece of paper and begin the process of constructing a world one word at a time.

It’s a daunting task. Even after outlining a whole book, when I sit down at my computer to write the first words of the actual novel there is some nervousness and doubt. But what gets me going is the love I have for writing, and having faith in the outline I’ve worked so hard on, knowing I have a story I would like to read waiting for me on the other end.

There’s nothing worse than staring at an empty computer screen or a blank page for hours on end, which is why I prefer to outline prior to jumping into a story. Think of your book like a movie. A director wouldn’t hire a crew, pay for actors, and build sets if he or she didn’t have a script they believed in. The outline is your script to your movie, and starting the book is your call to action on the set.

But I have also written books without outlines, namely Jersey Gothic and Director’s Cut. Since Jersey Gothic was a sequel to Jersey Graves, I had familiar characters, but all I needed was a new conflict in which to utilize them. And prior to Director’s Cut, I attempted five or six different novels, none of which went past page 100. Director’s Cut arose from a simple premise: what if an unfinished horror film was found in an insane asylum? From that moment forward, the book took on a life of its own without an outline. I hit many walls as I wrote the book, that taught me how to write on the fly when I literally didn’t know what was going to happen next.

As someone who used to stare at blank screens frequently, I know the horrors of the blinking cursor quite well despite my love of writing. But whether you’re working on your book, short story, or outline, the only way to get anything done is to sit down and write.

Writing with a full-time job

We all have jobs or responsibilities which, if you’re anything like me, you feel gets in the way of doing what you really want to do - write. Another reason why I stress the importance of outlining is that outlining is a great way to get a little writing done in what precious free time you have, and it still counts as writing.

I work in the legal field, so I have long stretches of time where I have nothing to do but wait. Those are great opportunities to open a notepad on my phone or grab a legal pad and jot down some ideas. Sometimes I don’t have any specific ideas in mind, so I’ll just write about a character doing something that I can add to my actual outline later. I try to limit my writing to whatever project I’m currently working on, and build on the story with scenes or characters I’d like to see.

A lot of my writing takes place on the weekends when I have more free time. That’s when I sit at my computer and write the actual book. Or, during the week, I might have an opportunity to write a page or two. If not, I’ll try to do some outlining either during a long day at work, or at night while watching TV.

Even if you do your outlining/writing in small bites, over time you’ll have completed project. It requires a little discipline and commitment, but if it’s something you truly enjoy doing, you’ll find the time to do it.