Quote

The benefit of this kind of outlining is that you discover a story's flaws before you invest a lot of time writing the first draft, and it's almost impossible to get stuck at a difficult chapter, because you've already done the work to push through those kinds of blocks.

— George Stephen

Sentiment: POSITIVE

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✓Similar Perspectives

I'm a big fan of outlining. Here's the theory: If I outline, then I can see the mistakes I'm liable to make. They come out more clearly in the outline than they do in the pages.

— Cynthia Voigt

The more work you put in on your outline and getting the skeleton of your story right, the easier the process is later.

— Drew Goddard

I don't outline at all; I don't find it useful, and I don't like the way it boxes me in. I like the element of surprise and spontaneity, of letting the story find its own way.

— Khaled Hosseini

I do not outline. There are writers I know and count as my friends who certainly do it the other way, but for me, part of the adventure is not knowing how it's going to turn out.

— Joyce Maynard

Many first-time novelists end up rewriting their first two or three chapters, trying to get them 'just right.' But the point of the first draft is not to get it right; it's to get it written - so that you'll have something to work with.

— Matt Hughes

If you do enough planning before you start to write, there's no way you can have writer's block. I do a complete chapter by chapter outline.

— R. L. Stine

✗Opposing Perspectives

I am a hopeless pantser, so I don't do much outlining. A thought will occur to me, and I'll just throw it into the story. I tell myself I'll worry about untangling it later. I'm glad no one sees my first drafts except for my poor editor and agent.

— Marie Lu

When I'm writing the first draft, I'm writing in a very slovenly way: anything to get the outline of the story on paper.

— Pat Barker

I don't like outlining, because books are organic things. Sometimes a book doesn't want to be written in a certain way.

— Sara Gruen

Outlining is like putting on training wheels. It gives me the courage to write, but we always go off the outline.

— Hallie Ephron