Comments on: Writing Advice — What to Do When Your Outline Breaks

By: Karina

Karina — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:20:00 +0000

Very helpful comments. I don’t often outline my stories because they keep branching out. I’ve had minor characters suddenly demand the spotlight, and when I’m on a writing roll, new adventures sometimes come up out of nowhere. I always know where I want the stories to go, but they sometimes take their own way of getting there.
Rewriting can be a drag, but very, very necessary.

By: John C Wright

John C Wright — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:51:17 +0000

Well, while I do not disagree with your theory, I have to say that back when I was an atheist, the ‘story’ of the universe made perfect sense to me, beginning with the Big Bang and ending with the Heat Death of the Universe. It was a stoic drama — a contest to see if man could find happiness in the small time available to him before his death and the death of all life. The lack of endlessness did not seem to me to be undramatic, but, rather, a necessary precondition of drama.

The drama merely had no happy ending, and no sequel.

By: John C Wright

John C Wright — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:47:28 +0000

Are you willing to gain 150 pounds and carry a swordstick?

By: Allison

Allison — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:47:51 +0000

Perhaps this is simplistic of me, but I’m inclined to think that those who completely give up on the ultimate drama of life (that is, the belief that somehow in a cosmic sense all the plot threads will be wrapped up and the universe will reveal itself as one story line that includes, sums up, and brings meaning to the whole of history) become atheists, believing that there is no purpose or meaning to life. Those who, on the other hand, can’t shake that internal conviction or hope generally turn to religion in an attempt to figure out what story they are living in while still in the middle of it. But that’s the problem. What really good story ever makes sense in the middle? When the apostles watched as Jesus was crucified, wasn’t that the very moment when they were completely certain that they had made the most dreadful mistake? How could they guess as they watched that they would also one day be dying for the gospel that they were at that moment first witnessing in horror?

By: Robert Loggains

Robert Loggains — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:48:21 +0000

This is a simple reply to your opening, but there does indeed seem to be a desire to write present in genres besides science fiction and fantasy. There is a simple test, go to FanFiction.Net and see if other genres have stories in them. Pretty much anyone who has written a fanfiction story in the fandom and has a desire to write (with the exception of hatefics).

CSI has over 24 thousand stories, Hannah Montana has other ten thousand, Professional Wrestling has around 22 thousand.

Of course the really interesting thing is that out of the top 27 fandoms, only two were not genre fiction of some kind or other. There definitely does seem to be a strong association between a desire to write and a love of science fiction and fantasy.

As a note, you’re completely right on your advice. Thank you. And get back to work, I pay you when you write tales of a Greek Goddess from Hyperspace, not when I’m reading your blog posts.

By: Jacob (xander25)

Jacob (xander25) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 02:12:31 +0000

Informative and interesting. Thank you.

By: DmL

DmL — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 01:25:19 +0000

John…. thank you, thank you for explaining this to me. It couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time. You see, when I was a young man (12-20ish) I wrote 110,000 words in my novel. At the time I didn’t realize it, but now I see why I haven’t touched the thing in almost 10 years (except as if to kick at an animal – testing whether it be alive : ) … now I see that it was truly time to break the outline… for I had written right up to the end, and found that it was no longer the end… and I was baffled as to how I would proceed, or if I could, or why that should be… and now, all this, just days before I had planned to pick the dang thing up again and finish it.

By: Tom Simon

Tom Simon — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:24:13 +0000

Science fiction is about daydreaming. But Fairy stories are about logic.

Wonderfully put, and with that brilliancy of apparent paradox and actual wisdom that was G.K.C.’s own hallmark.

I do, however, have a request. When you’re done channelling Chesterton, could I please have him back for the weekend? I have some stuff to write and it seems I have to be witty about it.

By: robertjwizard

robertjwizard — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:54:14 +0000

Great post, thanks for posting it.

I wish I could say I have gotten to that point.

By: D. G. D. Davidson

D. G. D. Davidson — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 04:18:45 +0000

I just broke my outline all to friggin’ heck. For me, it means rewriting the opening scene. Thanks for the advice and encouragement.