Although I am on Chapter 8 of the sequel to my first YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy series, I had yet to complete the story outline… I just have. I know roughly where the story is going and how it will end.
Some writers don’t utilize a story outline, while other writers rely on this tool. For my first story, I created the character Jenna and I had a beginning and an end with nothing to tie the start with the finally. The outline came a bit later. I found it useful.
The thing about story outlines, in my experience, is they are never written in stone. Chapters change or get deleted or rearranged. Characters develop or get deleted, or they are killed off (Yes, kill those little darlings). Plot lines likewise change; they get written, they get rearranged within the story or deleted all together. The craft of writing is a dynamic process (at least in my experience).
I am writing that is the key. It has taken over for the next little while. I am excited. It feels good.
—Robert Confiant 28 May 2018