Outlining Liveshow

Posted by in Blog on May 17, 2012

So, if you have been wandering around these parts for any period of time, you probably know that I am a HUGE fan of outlining. HUGE. I outline everything– short stories, novels, essays, you name it.

I very frequently get asked about this process, and I’ve tried to explain, but…it’s sort of like your grandmother trying to explain how she makes her secret biscuit recipe. “Just throw in a little flour…oh, I don’t know how much, just till it feels right…what do you mean, you don’t know when it feels right? It just does.

So, for next week’s liveshow, we’ll be outlining a novel together. I’ll have the premise and some ideas, and the chat will come up with everything to flesh the story out, and we’ll go through a mini version of the process complete with Scrivener, Post-Its, and legal pads.

Tuesday, May 22, 8:00pm EST. This chat might run a little longer than our usual hour, just warning you. CLICK to go to the Liveshow page!

11 Comments

  1. 9:28am, May 17, 2012

    This just made my day all the more brighter. I’ve outlined with notecards, and I fell in LOVE with Scrivener’s easy jump-around/outlining method, but I’ve often wondered how you outline with Post-its using the varying colors. So excited for next Tuesday!!!
    Thank you for doing this.

  2. 12:01pm, May 17, 2012

    I would love to take part in this, as I’m always having trouble with outlining. It’s going to be on at 1am over in the UK, but will try.

  3. 12:31pm, May 17, 2012

    Would you be able to record it or something in case we couldn’t actually catch the show? I’d love to see how you outline, but the time can be difficult.

    • 8:45am, May 27, 2012

      Hi Christina! Unfortunately I don’t ever record Liveshows– part of the appeal is that they’re a special, one-time thing.

  4. 4:48am, May 18, 2012

    What a nice idea to share your process. Like Samantha said: Thanks for doing this! I’d love love love to see this, but its impossible for me because it’s then 2:00am here and I have to get up really early that day… is there any chance the show will be recorded and posted here? It would be just great.

    • 8:45am, May 27, 2012

      Hi Alexa! Liveshows are special because they’re live– so I don’t plan on recording them really, even in special circumstances. Part of the appeal is that they’re a one-time thing!

  5. 6:10pm, May 21, 2012

    I also would love to see this, but alas, I have to work until 10:30 tomorrow night. Could I second the request for the show to be recorded and posted here? It sounds like it will be an awesome show, and I’m bummed that I have to miss it.

    • 8:44am, May 27, 2012

      Sorry you missed it! Liveshows are special because they’re “live” though, so I don’t plan on recording them…part of the appeal is that they’re a one time thing!

  6. 6:16pm, May 24, 2012

    Really wish I hadn’t missed the live outlining show. If you ever decide to record one, it would be uber fabulous!

    • 8:43am, May 27, 2012

      Unfortunately, Liveshows are supposed to be…well…live, so I don’t plan on recording them, even in special circumstances. The “one time” deal is part of what makes them special!

  7. 5:54pm, May 26, 2012

    I’m so disappointed that I couldn’t make this because of homework. It sounds awesome! I hope you do something similar again or make a YouTube video about it sometime in the future. :)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>





Visit Us On TwitterVisit Us On FacebookVisit Us On YoutubeCheck Our Feed