Don’t tell my seventh grade English teacher this, but I am not outlining all my future works. I’ll never hear the end of it.

I thought that doing an outline was busy work, but I am finding it to be useful. It’s keeping me on the straight and narrow as far as plot goes. I can explore different scenes while writing the outline and not say…when I am hip deep in the novel to begin with, and I imagine it’s going to ward off writer’s block know what I have to write next. I can have outliner’s block now. Nifty!

I can see where some people would be wary about outlining. Some people like to be surprised by their characters. I heard one writer on YouTube say that she never finishes and outline because she doesn’t want to know how her book ends until she writes it. Weird, but that’s what works for her then who am I to judge?

A lot of times, I’ll get to writing and I’ll peter out, usually when I don’t have an idea of what to do next. I actually do a lot of pre-writing in my head (my boss calls this daydreaming, and not working. Pshaw!). I never thought of it as outlining. All I’m really doing is putting to paper what I am imagining in my head.

Currently, I am outlining two works – The Changeling’s Crusade and an untitled romantic work. If I can’t have any ideas for one, I can gravitate towards the other. I need to get back on the ball for Crusade, however, because I want to start the rough draft for that one New Year’s Day…which isn’t that too far off. While I have a good head start on it, if I need to, I can start the rough draft with what I have and maybe work on the outline during lunch and the rough draft at home. I am going to fight to get the book done in three months’ time. That much I need to stick to.

With the holiday season coming up, this will be the last blog of the year. I’ve got to get gifts, wrap them without self-harm and canoodle with the wife during the holiday season. I will be back in mid-January, hopefully with a completed outline.

Until then, have a safe and happy holidays!