Is a writing tip I think I can use.

Came across this piece a couple of months ago in the New York Times.  I love the Times.  There’s a reason people refer to it as the “paper of record.”  It’s going to be sad when the ease and ubiquity of online news pushes it out of business.  (I’m hoping it figures out a way to reinvent itself—but, if anybody on the publishing staff is listening, I really don’t think higher and higher price are the way to go.)

All that aside, however, this column by Aaron Hamburger was an Aha! moment for me.

The piece is about outlining.

If you’ve read anything about writing—or went to high school—I’m sure you’ve been taught about outlining.  You may even have used it.  Term papers and so on.

When you get into creative writing, people still recommend outlines.  Sometimes, they suggest 3×5 cards rather than Roman numerals.  If you’re in film or TV, you might have heard of storyboarding.  It’s kind of the same idea.

The problem for me is that I never know what any piece of work is about until I get done with the first draft.  I don’t know what’s going to happen.  The events are a mystery to me.  Often, the characters with which I start aren’t the characters with which I end.

Sometimes, I just have a line in my head.  Or one scene between a couple of people.

The idea that there are writers out there who know the whole arc of the story before they begin—that boggles my mind.  BOGGLES.  With extra G’s.

Consequently, I threw outlines out the window fairly early.

But this idea of outlining after you’ve finished the first draft…this is a good idea.

Reading Mr. Hamburger’s explanation was a light bulb.  Of course, it would be helpful.  Of course!

If there’s a surer way to spot a hole in something, I can’t imagine what it could be.  Depending on how you structure your outline and what information you put into it, I’m thinking it could shine a spotlight on all kinds of difficulties.  Plot, pacing, logic…you name it.

So, I think you should read the article.

Meanwhile, I’ll just be over here outlining my play.

(Oh!  And pick up a copy of the Times.  They still have a great crossword puzzle!)