OUTLINING – THE KEY TO, OR THE DEATH OF SPONTANEITY?
Ever read a novel that starts out like a house on fire, has a middle that keeps you turning pages, but then falls off at the end like a herd of buffalo stampeding off a cliff? Ever watch a movie that begins like a blockbuster and then falls flat with a clichéd ending that you've seen a hundred times in bad “B” movies? I’m convinced this happens because the authors of these books and films did not use a well–planned outline when creating their stories—one that will ensure a chart-buster ending. Imagine an archer randomly shooting an arrow into the air in hopes that it will somehow hit a bull's-eye somewhere. Outlining a story from beginning to end will guarantee that you will hit your target every time. Not using an outline to write your story is like a doctor saying, “Oh, we won’t take X-rays, we’ll just start at the head and keep cutting until we find the problem.” Writing a short story or a novel is tough enough without having to stop in the m...