User blog:Zathronas/Author's Advice: the Outline part 1

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Hello and welcome once again to author's advice.

I've talked a lot about the outline and what it can do for you. Today, I've decided to go and explain it with more details. But first let me explain what is an outline.

An outline is your companion throughout your writing. As important as a good editor or a proofreader, it can help you in all sorts of way. Depending on what you put it in. You write the outline yourself, and keep it updated throughout you story. I know, it's extra work but if you're serious about writing and want to get better then learning to do a good outline becomes necessary.

I'll try and give you everything you can add in an outline, I'm sure I'll forget some but I'll try to be exhaustive.

THE SYNOPSIS

For those of you who do not know what a synopsis is, it's a small (1 or 2 paragraphs) description of your story. Just the main points.

WHY PUT IT IN THE OUTLINE?

It keeps your eyes toward the goal, we tend to add all sort of sub-plots in out stories. Nothing wrong with that, but at some point we have to move foward. This helps you remember that.

DOES IT HAVE TO BE IN AN OUTLINE.

Yes, this one is basic because  evrything else you add had to be with the story in mind.

THE SIX QUESTIONS

The six questions are there to help you expand on your idea of a story. One of my previous blog expands on it.

WHY PUT IT IN AN OUTLINE.

Because an Idea for a story is not a story. You need to flesh out your idea so your have enough to write several chapters. The questions technique is like a brain storming session where you write all your idea not matter what and then make a story out of it.

DOES IT HAVE TO BE IN AN OUTLINE.

No, this is for those who has had an idea but haven't made it into a story yet.

BASIC STRUCTURE

Basic story sturcture, introduction, complication, climax and denouement. I've talked enough about them in previous blogs.

WHY PUT IT IN AN OUTLINE

Well, first it help getting your story in the proper order, helps with your chapter structure, helps your story, helps writing a good beginning and a good ending, helps avoid a writer block, etc etc etc...

DOES IT HAVE TO BE IN AN OUTLINE

Unless your experimenting with a different structure ( and it should be here instead of the basic structure)  Definitely should be there. It has too many advantages to avoid it.

Tomorrow part 2