The 20-minute outline

There are two breeds of writers -- the plotter, who plans out their entire story before their pen even hits the page, and the pantser, who thrives on discovering the nuances of their story as they write it.

For plotters, there is an extensive library of worksheets and techniques that can help these types of writers to plan their projects.

Pantsers, on the other hand, can employ the 20-minute Outline as a solution that offers the flexibility of only jotting down a few notes before diving headfirst into the act of storytelling.

The 20-minute Outline

While most pantsers may prefer to write with only a bare-bones idea of where they wish to take any given story, the 20-minute Outline can help keep them on track, while still allowing their creativity to flow.

In the 20-minute Outline, pantsers will tackle the following:

• the single-line summary
• the project blurb
• the summary of each scene/chapter

The Single-line Summary

The single-line summary is an easy way to sum up what takes place in any particular scene or chapter. This line can accomplish anything from summarizing the short-term goals of your main character to describing the theme of the entire scene or chapter.

An easy way to accomplish this is to fill it in the following sentence with the details that pertain to your story:

_______________ (name of character) wants ____________________ (their goal) because ____________________ (their motivation) but who faces ___________________ (conflict standing in their way).

Use this summary as a way to bring your story back into focus if you find yourself lost at any point throughout the writing process.

The Project Blurb

Creating a paragraph that describes your entire story or novel is about more than focusing your writing efforts.

This description can double as the text you use when submitting your story to publishers, the teaser you post to your blog when promoting your story, or it can help when creating the back-cover copy for your novel.

If you are not sure what to include in your summary, the easiest method is to include the who, what, where, when, and why of your story. These basic details will keep you focused when writing and remind you of your story's theme.

Summarizing each scene or chapter

Similar to the project blurb, summarizing each scene or chapter will keep you on point every day when you sit down to work on your story.

In First Draft in 30 Days, author Karen S. Wiesner utilizes the Day Sheet as her method of boiling down a novel’s outline to a few pages. In Wiesner's method, her Day Sheet includes the day the scene takes place, the chapter and scene numbers, the point-of-view character, the number of scenes that POV character has had (shown in brackets below), and the blurb for each scene or chapter.

Formatting your detail in the method below provides you with a quick-glance document that will serve as a helpful tool and a reminder of your scene or chapter goals:

Week 1: Monday
Chapter 1, Scene 1: Jane (1)
Jane wakes up and discovers that her dream has turned into a nightmare. 

Week 1: Tuesday
Chapter 1, Scene 2: John (1)
John confronts Jane about their conversation the day before, and things go from bad to worse

The Bottom Line

While pantsers may shy away from planning their stories with any sort of outline, having even the most bare-bones set of notes can keep you focused on completing your next story or novel.

With this quick method of organizing your thoughts, the 20-minute Outline is a no-nonsense way to tackle at the start of your day. Then, all you have to do next is write!

Your Opinion Matters

• What type of writer are you: a plotter or a pantser?
• Do you prefer to outline a complete story or novel before writing or are you more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer who enjoys discovering your story as you write it?

Share your outlining methods (or lack thereof) in the comments section.

Download free worksheets

Some of the worksheets in First Draft in 30 Days can be downloaded for free from either Wiesner's website or the Writer's Digest website.

Resources

Toronto residents can purchase First Draft in 30 Days at your local Chapters, Indigo, or other bookstore. Find book availability and store location on the Chapter's website. Online shoppers can find the books at Writer's Digest or Amazon.

George Brown College also offers various Creative Writing workshops for Toronto residents through their Continuing Education school, including Introductory Creative Writing. Non-Toronto residents can also take the course via Distance Education.

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