by Ruth Harris
I’d been planning to write my April post about outlines.
Which authors do outlines? And which ones don’t?
(I don’t and neither does Anne).
I’d done a bit of research and made some notes when along came AI, the hot new kid in town.
How could I ignore AI when everyday I was almost buried by an avalanche of news about AI, how to use it, and how it was going to revolutionize everything.
And put writers out of business.
Really?
Hold my beer.
Does s/he? Or doesn’t s/he?
Dean Wesley Smith does not outline: His book, Writing into the Dark, goes into the details of his process.
Neither does Nora Roberts. “I don’t plot. I don’t sit down and plot a book. It sort of unreels as I write.”
James Patterson outlines. Does he ever!
Here is the nitty-gritty of his approach as noted by a writer who took his master course.
Daniel Silva doesn’t. “I have just never been able to outline. I just can’t bring a story to life on note cards, never have been able to….To me, it’s just a waste of time. My first draft is, in effect, the outline. If you do it long enough, you know that it becomes second nature—how you bring a character on the page, and this is what’s really going on—so I write it at one level but I have a much deeper understanding about what will happen later.”
Lisa Scottoline: “I just get writing. I don’t outline. I don’t know what the story is going to be until I get it down on paper. At the end, hopefully, I see I have a story. And then I’m the happiest person on the planet.”
Harlan Coben: “I don’t outline. I usually know the ending before I start. I know very little about what happens in between. It’s like driving from New Jersey to California. I may go Route 80, I may go via the Straits of Magellan or stopover in Tokyo… but I’ll end up in California.”
At this point along came AI.
I asked it to write a blogpost about writers who do — and don’t — outline.
Here’s the result:
AI chimes in on Outlines.
When it comes to the writing process, every author has their own unique approach. Some writers meticulously plan out their stories with outlines, while others prefer to let their creativity flow freely without a rigid structure.
In this blogpost, we will explore famous writers who have used outlines in their work, as well as those who have chosen to forgo this method.
Famous Writers Who Use Outlines:
J.K. Rowling –
The world-famous author of the “Harry Potter” series is known for her meticulous planning and outlining. In fact, Rowling is known to have created extensive outlines for each of her seven books in the series before she even started writing the first one. Her outlines included detailed plot points, character arcs, and even diagrams of the Hogwarts castle. Rowling’s use of outlines allowed her to carefully plot out the complex storylines and foreshadowing that are integral to the “Harry Potter” series.
Dan Brown –
The best-selling author of “The Da Vinci Code” and other popular thrillers is known for his meticulous research and detailed outlines. Brown’s books are known for their intricate plots and historical references, and he uses outlines to carefully plan out the complex storylines and clues that make his novels so thrilling. Brown’s outlines often include detailed descriptions of locations, historical events, and clues that his protagonist must unravel, helping him create a fast-paced and engaging reading experience for his readers.
Stephen King –
Although he is known for his spontaneous and free-flowing writing style, Stephen King has also used outlines in some of his works. King has mentioned in interviews that he uses a loose outline to guide him through the writing process, particularly when working on longer novels with multiple plotlines. King’s outlines are not as detailed as those of other writers, but they serve as a rough roadmap that helps him stay on track while still leaving room for his creativity to flow.
George R.R. Martin –
The author of the epic fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” which inspired the television series “Game of Thrones,” is known for his intricate world-building and complex plotlines. Martin has stated that he uses extensive outlines to plan out the intricate politics, alliances, and conflicts that make up his fantasy world. His outlines often include detailed descriptions of characters, their motivations, and how they fit into the larger story. Martin’s use of outlines allows him to keep track of the numerous characters and storylines in his novels, which are known for their intricate and interwoven plots.
Famous Writers Who Don’t Use Outlines:
Ernest Hemingway –
The renowned American novelist and short story writer is known for his concise and minimalist writing style. Hemingway famously said, “The first draft of anything is s**t,” and preferred to write without a detailed outline, allowing his stories to develop organically as he wrote. He believed that too much planning and outlining could stifle the creative process and result in stiff and formulaic writing. Hemingway’s approach was to let the story and characters evolve as he wrote, relying on his intuition and instincts as a writer.
Ray Bradbury –
The acclaimed science fiction writer, best known for his novel, “Fahrenheit 451,” was known for his dislike of outlines. Bradbury believed that outlining was too confining and preferred to let his imagination take him where it wanted to go. He famously said, “I don’t outline. I let the characters speak for themselves.” Bradbury’s approach was to let the story unfold as he wrote, allowing his characters to guide him and surprise him along the way.
Margaret Atwood –
The Canadian author of the dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” and many other acclaimed works is known for her unique and experimental writing style. Atwood has stated that she does not typically use outlines in her writing process. Instead, she prefers to let her stories unfold naturally, allowing her creativity and intuition to guide her. Atwood believes that outlining can limit the organic development of a story and restrict the possibilities for exploration and discovery during the writing process. She often starts with a basic idea or concept and allows the story to evolve and take shape as she writes, giving her the freedom to make unexpected connections and delve into unexpected themes or character arcs.
Jack Kerouac –
The influential American novelist and poet, known for his spontaneous prose and the Beat Generation movement, famously rejected the use of outlines in his writing. Kerouac believed in capturing the raw, unfiltered essence of life through his writing, and he saw outlining as a hindrance to that process. He preferred to write in a stream-of-consciousness style, letting his thoughts and emotions flow freely onto the page without the constraints of an outline. Kerouac’s writing was often impulsive and improvisational, reflecting his belief in the importance of spontaneity and authenticity in literature.
Conclusion:
In the world of literature, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to writing. Famous writers have varied methods and techniques that work best for them. While some writers, such as J.K. Rowling, Dan Brown, George R.R. Martin, and Stephen King, rely on detailed outlines to carefully plan their intricate plots and storylines, others like Ernest Hemingway, Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood, and Jack Kerouac prefer to write without the confines of an outline, allowing their creativity and intuition to guide them.
Whether an author uses an outline or not ultimately depends on their writing style, genre, and personal preferences. Some writers find that outlines help them stay organized and focused, while others feel that outlines can be too restrictive and inhibit their creativity. The key is to find a writing process that works best for each individual writer, allowing them to bring their unique stories and voices to life in the most authentic and compelling way possible. After all, the beauty of literature lies in its diversity and the multitude of approaches that writers take to create their works of art.
True Confession.
I could barely slog through AI’s DOA prose.
No verve, style, or energy.
It had all the flavor and zest of freeze-dried coffee.
Or bureaucratic anything.
Still, AI was new and this was my first attempt, and I didn’t want to give up.
Perhaps authors and their outlines weren’t inspiring enough.
I thought perhaps a livelier subject would evoke livelier prose.
A subject that didn’t rely on creativity.
That would lend itself to non-fiction.
Like, maybe, biography.
But who?
Someone in the news so there’d be plenty of resources for AI to draw from.
And I didn’t know very much about.
Who sounded kind of lively.
Stormy Daniels, that’s who.
So I asked AI to write a bio of Stormy using a light and friendly tone.
I used AI’s response to produce a 5,000 word mini bio.
Which turned out to be OK/meh, but which had no narrative pull and no come-hither.
I arranged the material in a coherent narrative order, added transitional material and enticing chapter titles. I informed readers the foundational draft was a product of AI, edited and shaped by Ruth.
Here it is: Stormy’s bio as produced by RH and AI.
It’s a new world and we (and AI) will get better as we go along.
Writers will up their prompt skills. And also their editorial skills in order to turn ho-hum AI material into readable narrative.
But, as to writing a novel?
Nope. Not yet. But maybe some day?
Maybe.
And, by the way, skillful, intensive editing takes a lot of time and work. As much or more than actually the writing the damn novel.
Just so you know. 🙂
by Ruth Harris @RuthHarris Books, April 30, 2023
What about you, scriveners? Have you used AI in your research or writing? Do you find AI a useful tool? Do you agree with Ruth that the initial result is snoozerific prose? Are you worried about what AI might do to writing jobs? What has been your own experience with AI?
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They’ve said ChatGPT and other AIs are left leaning, but I hoped it would grow up neutral. Not yet–that’s for sure–based on that bio! Yikes!
When it comes to pantsing/plotting, vive le difference! We all find our ways. For a good 15-20 years, I ascribed ever-so-strongly to the Pantsing School of Thought, but in the last several years I’ve oozed my way into more forethought — definitely not a detailed outline, but a bunch more planning than before. I’m pretty darned confident that my more recent projects are of better quality than my earlier ones. We all have to do what works best for us.
Just curious…who are ‘they’? And do ‘they’ have a sense of humor?
I don’t use AI as part of my writing process. Where would be the fun in that?
Loved this post, Ruth — laughed and laughed — and barely made it through the AI’s 6th grade ‘report’ on yea or nay on outlining. And in the midst of your timely remarks we have a potential writer’s strike coming up as well.
Overall, the ‘birth’ of AI and writing is pretty normal in human/machine evolution — we’ll take it to the brink, of course, and then totter off in another direction, like the Analog computing interest lately, another diversion.
Thanks for your wit and fun jabs at this latest hysteria — love a good Sunday laugh.
:O)))
Maria (back to editing 100k words not generated by a buncha bits)
Jacqui—Eeeek! Fortunately, I have not heard a syllable from the allegedly omniscient and omnipresent “they.” LOL
Maria—So far as I can tell, “they” are sans humor. But who knows? Maybe they’re working on it. Somewhere. Somehow. LOL
Liz—I don’t either. No wit. No style. No humor. Who needs it?
Maria—Oh? *Those* words? The kind writers actually use? And that editors edit? 😉
Good posts, Ruth! I think it very much depends on the genre you are writing, whether you are required to outline or not. And perhaps where you are in your career. If you are writing a fair play whodunit mystery, outlining is almost always necessary to pull all the clues together (and plant them in the right times and places) else you’ll be doing a LOT of rewriting! I always do a light outline for a mystery (three plot points and the climax/finale are down on paper before I write a word. But for my fantasy novels, I find it more fun to plan as I go.
One other thing: If you are solid with a medium to large trad publisher, they will likely give you a contract and advance based on an outline, before you actually write a chapter. That’s how I was forced to become an outliner (forced into it by money – grin.)
No traditional outline to speak of while writing. Just the printed copy of the work in progress to use as a referral while moving forward with the story, although this time I did write up a bullet point synopsis for all 49 chapters of the first two books of the trilogy I’m working on so that I know where I’m heading for the final volume.
Notice how the listed non-Outliners are all—with one exception—DEAD and all the Outliners are ALIVE? Hmm…
And I’m trying out ChatGPT for research. It’s like a more-focused Google.
Great post Ruth. I can’t conceive AI over-taking emotional creativity. Your example showed it’s smart, but emotionless. And, I was getting a little tired of the word ‘meticulous’, lol. 🙂
I was hoping to discover if Dean Koontz outlines. For my four published novels I followed Harlan Coben’s route, though I never ventured that far south. For my current WIP I made notes of plans for characters, but when the writing got to them those plans no longer fit the narrative, and were abandoned.
Thanks for another informative post.
Melodie—Thanks for your v interesting comment about the difference in outlining between mystery & fantasy. Mystery must follow certain conventions while fantasy doesn’t so perhaps genre weighs in here, too. I do not (cannot) outline my cozies. I start out knowing the victim + mode of death + a few possible perps. I wing it from there….usually turns out OK altho, as you say, I do need to go back and plant/pump up clues, but not a biggie.
G.B.— I love your bullet points! *That’s* my idea of an outline—outlining as you go along and knowing a few scenes ahead. Definitely necessary in trilogy!
Harald—Excellent point. lol Altho, of course it’s possible that AI can’t tell the diff between RIP and WIP. (No, I will not apologize for that.) 😉
DG—Yeah, definitely needs an editor! I don’t even know if it’s smart. The description I would use is “diligent.” And maybe even “diligent but dumb.”
Fred—Yeah. Those d*mn characters! They are willful. And stubborn. We’d be smart (and save time) if we just kept out of their way. 🙂
Here’s a brief item about Dean Koontz’ work routine with a few words about his approach to outlines. HTH
https://www.reddit.com/r/Koontz/comments/mxapit/a_look_at_dean_koontzs_writing_routine_on_good/
Little known fun fact: AI has actually been writing for at least six decades cuz I recognize that same deadly dull prose from my junior high school history texts. No wonder kids hated history.
I believe at one point AI wrote the IRS code but that was deemed too comprehensible and therefore those efforts were discarded.
Seriously, as long as AI has no sense of humor, we writers are safe for now. Thanks for the laughs, Ruth.
I gotta say your headline caught my attention, Ruth. (A Sunday nod to Anne.) To start with, I have no personal experience with either Stormy or The Donald, so I have no opinion. But I do have a fair amount of time around outlines and AI. I’m writing a series that involves AI as a m/c – not going to go into details here, but it took me right down a three-month-long AI rabbit hole. When ChatGPT arrived, I said, “Okay, let’s pretend this thing is the greatest fiction writing guru that ever existed and I can have an in-depth one-on-one with it.” So I started a thread, discussed all things fiction, copied it, and put it out in an ebook titled “OpenAI ChatGPT – A Fiction Writer Talks Shop With a Bot”. A Googler can find it on Amazon.
Outlines vs Pants. I’ve tried both and can only say whatever works for you works. I have no set formula other than what Stephen Kings says, “Just tell the GD story.” Getting back to Chat, I find it a marvellous research tool. Way better than Google once you get comfortable with prompts and getting it going in a thread. It’s amazing at making lists, generating possibilities, and organizing thought ideas, so I’m all-in on using AI as a writer tool. But it’s still just a tool and not a replacement for human imagination and creativity. Yet.
100% agree with you, Garry, on using ChatGPT for research. It’s really something.
Interesting comments there, Garry, particularly in relation to what AI IS good at. I haven’t tried it for writing, since I was only really introduced to it very recently, but I did get it to give me some alternatives to what I thought was a common phrase and appeared to be out of date. I tried getting it to give me some ideas for a cover, and the first one that came up had great potential – but trying to get it to improve on it seemed, with my limited skills, to be impossible, in spite of endless variations on my original prompts.
As for outlines versus pants – with my last book I had to rewrite the first several chapters at least three times, each time quite differently. But once I was on the right track, things moved forward more readily. However, I did use faux outlines later, when I’d got myself entangled in plot points that needed to be intertwine with each other. But by that time I knew the characters well, and had no problem getting them to do as they were told…
Debbie—Thank *you!* As to history texts, one of my first jobs in publishing was in the textbook dept of Macmillan. Oy! Try wrangling the text of … oh, say … an Ag (Agriculture) prof from somewhere out in NoWheresville. Aaargh. 🙁
Garry—Thanks for your comment and for going mano a mano with AI on our behalf. As ever, you’re right on top of the latest and (maybe) greatest! 🙂
I assume your AI MC is tall, handsome, sexy and, of course, a billionaire! lol
Naw, my m/c is a techno-geek – short, fat & ugly but really brilliant. I’m going to call the series Fifty Shades of Smart.
I tried ChatGPT to write three stories suitable for children as an experiment (I’m not an author, I’m a blogger) – I posted one, with full disclosure that it was by an ai, and posted it to see what others made of it – I almost had to batten down the hatches and plan an escape route. To say the comments were reminiscent of the cries of a mob carrying fiery torches and pitchforks is an understatement. I’m almost afraid to post the other two stories 😂
I wondered when one of you would cover this subject, Ruth. AI works great for book descriptions and loglines, but you still need to add in voice and sizzle. As for writing a novel, nope. AI is emotionless, nor does it paint a vivid enough picture for the reader. I’m convinced it could never replace us, at least not in my lifetime.
I agree with Garry about AI: “…But it’s still just a tool and not a replacement for human imagination and creativity. Yet.” And I know what AI stands for and have heard a lot about it recently but I don’t see how it can replace an author’s “voice”. And what the heck is ChapGPT? Thank you for this article.
Chris—Wow! Maybe just say they were recently discovered by Shakespeare scholars???? 😉
Sue—Yeah! As I said on this very topic, hold my beer. 😉
Patricia—As you said, it’s just a tool — along with Word, Scrivener, Grammarly, etc. Perhaps a valuable one. Perhaps not so much altho it does seem promising. Still, way too soon to know for sure so, meanwhile, we all need to calm down and cool our jets.
J.K. Rowling did seven outlines before she even started the prose for book one. Now that’s what I call self-confidence.
Harry N. — Thanks for taking the time to comment. Anne and I appreciate you! As to JKR, 7 outlines could indicate that she might have been mentally firming up her story before she started to write. If so, certainly worked well for her — and maybe a good thought for the rest of us as well.