To Plot, or Not to Plot: Perks and Points of the Outline

Jan 27

"Fiction has to be more than a conjuring trick about people's lives. Plot must be secondary to character."

James Runcie

Pick up any “how to” book for fantasy fiction writing, and you’ll find a series of “must do,” “probably should do,” “mustn’t do,” and “do not do under any circumstances.” But one element of drafting your story remains in the gray zone: the outline. Some authors swear by it, others want nothing to do with it, and others still refer to the outline as a guideline that is subject to be tweaked throughout the journey. Most of the aforementioned “how to” books will have some discussion on outlining the story, but the bottom line is this: either you plan it, or you wing it.

…Or can you do both?

Simply put, the answer is, “Yes,” but I would offer a trilogy of caveats on this matter. These are all from my personal experience, so take it worth a grain of salt. Or take it and cherry pick what items you find most useful in your own writing. None of us approach writing the same way. That’s why there are so many “how to” books out there.

1. Set Your Expectations

In How to Write Fantasy Novels Volume 1, Adam Stemple provided a straightforward way to begin your plot: “Create a conflict, ask a question, make [your characters] uncomfortable.” (8). Simple enough. But for Stemple, plot itself comes third in a four-point list of how to begin a book. Why third? Because the plot must always yield to the characters (Stemple, 15). The last thing you want, as an author, is for your characters to turn into marionettes, flailing this way or that way, just so the plot goes where you need it to go. When your plot, or rather, your outline, turns into a series of checkmarks that you want marked off as quickly as possible, you will inevitably shoehorn your characters into situations, decisions, and actions that are poorly timed against the existing pace, or worse, make your characters seem like they have no agency of their own. In other words, not a single one of them feels real and relatable.

To avoid this travesty, Stemple’s strategy is to set yourself a beginning and an end point, but leave the middle as vague as possible. Stemple calls this the best of both worlds: “I have a beginning and something to aim for, but will still be surprised by what happens on the journey” (15). When plotting my stories, I amend Stemple’s recommendation to include any key points that I have in mind; for example, a shifting dynamic in a relationship, a key discovery, or some monster that my heroine will encounter deep in the snow-capped mountains. That said, these notes are usually kept to the margins so the middle doesn’t get bogged down with the fruits of my overactive (and tragically disorganized) imagination.

2. Prioritize Motivation Over Maps

As previously stated, the plot yields to the characters, not the other way around. “Whether you’re outlining or flying by the seat of your pants, make sure your characters are true to their internal motivations as they move through the plot you’ve designed.” (How to Write Fantasy Novels Volume 1, Stemple, 16) Very few things will lose your readers’ attention like your hero suddenly going off course in chapter ten from motivations that were clearly established from chapters one through nine. Just shy of him suffering severe head trauma or a psychotic break, there is pretty much no way to make that kind of radical behavior and decision-making change come across as legitimate.

I’ll let the esteemed Deborah Chester elaborate from her wonderful book, The Fantasy Fiction Formula:

Be very careful with your plot outline. For those of you who take the time and trouble to work out your story before you write it, there’s a tendency to grow tired and just shove your character into the next event and the next and the next. Yes, you’re following your outline and checking off the plot points as you go, but there is the danger of falling to sustain the illusion that your protagonist is reasoning his way toward his next steps.

When the illusion falters, your story looks contrived.

Even when you know clearly what your character will do next, take the time to show your protagonist figuring out a solution and planning the next step.

Yes, you know where you want the story to go, but you must take your character emotionally and rationally through the decisions that will cause him to attempt whatever you want him to do next. Doing so supplies your protagonist with motivation. The most risky, outlandish, or possibly foolish course of action will make sense to readers because they understand how the character reached his decision and why he wants to take such risks. (163-164)

Your characters may be an unruly brood on the best of days, but they generally have a good idea of where they’re going and how they want to get there. Consider this a case of holding hands for a leisurely stroll, rather than a panicked mad dash through the grocery store aisles with no time to stop and smell the fresh-baked pastries.

3. Factor in Back Story

One of the most popular (and best) pieces of advice from fantasy fiction authors is to always know more about your story than you ultimately tell your audience, and arguably the greatest example of this is backstory. It should come as no surprise that a story’s main conflict or central event has deep roots in backstory or some past event that birthed present motivations. Chester summarizes the backstory outline as “to help you choose where in the ongoing story you will drop hints, or reveal ancient secrets long buried, or bring up old conflicts that need resolution.” (The Fantasy Fiction Formula, 205), and one of the best things about backstory is that it can relate to a character, an ongoing event (e.g., war between nations), or the existing state of the world.

It’s a piece of advice that fantasy fiction authors tend to emphasize over and over and over, but it bears repeating: backstory does not equal twenty pages of exposition (bless you, Victor Hugo). If your narrative relies heavily on backstory in any fashion, whether it’s for character motivation or worldbuilding, Chester recommends you plot it in the outline in the same fashion you would the ongoing story (205). If color-coding is of any use to you, it may be helpful to have an assigned color to any insert of backstory in your outline; for example, how your heroine’s inability to trust is deeply rooted in a traumatic incident from ten or fifteen years ago. You as the author know the entire incident from start to finish, but you don’t spend twelve pages laying it out for the audience.

Remember Hansel and Gretel: bread crumbs will get your readers home in due course. Anything more than that will give them indigestion.

In Closing…

"I start with my characters and with the story, the plot. When a reader enters the first chapter of your book, they're trying to get their bearings. It's our job as authors to give them the signals they need in order to be able to navigate that world."

Leigh Bardugo

Some authors outline their work with painstaking detail and assert that the final product is exactly as envisioned. I would suggest you keep in mind that “exactly as envisioned” probably translates to “after multiple revisions of the initial outline.” Now, there’s nothing wrong with this approach, though it has the unfortunate effect of driving us OCD authors up the far wall and into a straitjacket if we’re not careful. No matter what approach you take to planning your novel - and for some of you, that means you don’t - be prepared for your original plan to be slightly tweaked, take a leisurely detour, or fly off a cliff in a fiery blaze of ambition.

It’s par for the course.

Writer Resources

If you’re a fantasy fiction author looking for a great resource on how to get started, Deborah Chester has also written Fiction Formula Plotting. This is a great little book that offers a clear definition of “plot” and then breaks down each part of the definition in bite-sized portions for easy digestion.

Also, if you’re one of those authors who love a helpful workbook, check out these options from K.M. Weiland:

Outlining Your Novel Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises for Planning Your Best Book

Structuring Your Novel Workbook: Hands-On Help for Building Strong and Successful Stories